Councillor Seamus Morris,

Rathnaleen,
Nenagh,
Co. Tipperary.

Mobile: (087)2859125.
E-mail: seamusmorris@hotmail.com
Website: www.northtippsinnfein.com

Date: May 18 2010

“ Morris urges the Authorities to re focus their attention to take on the battle
against illegal drugs”

In the aftermath of the ban on illegal products being sold in Head Shops there is a
feeling of victory in the war on drugs. Where congratulations must go to The
Government for acting so swiftly in conjunction with all parties in the Dáil we must
not think that this is the end of the story. The H.S.E has said that 10,000 people a
week were visiting Head Shops and a recent R.T.E programme showed us how 900
people visited one Head Shop in Dublin over a 4 hour period alone. This proves that
there is a massive market for these products and we are nowhere near the end of the
story. There are talks of head houses where products will be sold in houses rather like
Avon parties or they will simply end up in the hands of drug dealers who will also try
to push Heroin or Cocaine onto these new customers. It is also a figment of the
Governments imagination if they think that passing another law will be any deterrent
where the Judiciary are unable to enforce current laws because of the lack of Prison
spaces. I will be inviting the Mid West Regional Drugs Task Force to address the Joint
Policing Committees to see how we can re focus our attention in the war on drugs. The
banning of the Head shop products is a start but and an acknowledgement of the
danger of these products but we have now driven them underground. We also need to
engage with our young people to see why they need to take these products as there is
no point in leaving them out of the equation.
Yours sincerely Cllr. Séamie Morris 18/05/2010