Connecting the Person by Removing the Stigma: Why Ireland Should Follow the Portuguese Model of Drug Decriminalisation

The decriminalisation of drugs and how it can impact addiction, crime and mental health is a subject that inspires global interest and debate.  Much has been written about the positive outcomes of decriminalisation from a public health perspective, including the elimination of aggressive policing and community oversight and the shift to offering treatment and social supports for those affected by addiction.  Ireland has yet to move to a model of decriminalisation, although a system similar to the one employed in Portugal has been suggested.  This article briefly outlines reasons why a paradigm shift is vital if progress is to be made in reducing addiction in contemporary Ireland. The potential benefits could include a reduction in the pervasive social stigma connected with substance abuse, leading to less social exclusion within the Irish population

Death cafés as a strategy to foster compassionate communities: Contributions for death and grief literacy

This work was funded by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P (UIDB/05704/2020 and UIDP/05704/2020) and under the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Institutional Call—[CEECINST/00051/2018].The death-positive movement, the most recent manifestation of the death awareness movement, contends that modern society is suffering from a “death taboo” and that people should talk more openly about death (Koksvik and Richards, 2021). This movement is striving to shift the dialogue about (and place of) death and dying into community spaces (Breen, 2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Connecting the person by removing the stigma: why Ireland should follow the Portuguese model of drug decriminalisation.

The decriminalisation of drugs and how it can impact addiction, crime and mental health is a subject that inspires global interest and debate. Much has been written about the positive outcomes of decriminalisation from a public health perspective, including the elimination of aggressive policing and community oversight and the shift to offering treatment and social supports for those affected by addiction. Ireland has yet to move to a model of decriminalisation, although a system similar to the one employed in Portugal has been suggested. This article briefly outlines reasons why a paradigm shift is vital if progress is to be made in reducing addiction in contemporary Ireland. The potential benefits could include a reduction in the pervasive social stigma connected with substance abuse, leading to less social exclusion within the Irish population

Connecting the Person by Removing the Stigma: Why Ireland Should Follow the Portuguese Model of Drug Decriminalisation

The decriminalisation of drugs and how it can impact addiction, crime and mental health is a subject that inspires global interest and debate.  Much has been written about the positive outcomes of decriminalisation from a public health perspective, including the elimination of aggressive policing and community oversight and the shift to offering treatment and social supports for those affected by addiction.  Ireland has yet to move to a model of decriminalisation, although a system similar to the one employed in Portugal has been suggested.  This article briefly outlines reasons why a paradigm shift is vital if progress is to be made in reducing addiction in contemporary Ireland. The potential benefits could include a reduction in the pervasive social stigma connected with substance abuse, leading to less social exclusion within the Irish population

An examination of Ireland’s sugar sweetened beverage tax (sugar tax) in practice

Background In the face of rising obesity levels, Ireland introduced a sugar sweetened beverage tax (SSBT) in 2018, the scope of which was extended in 2019. To date, there is a dearth of research on the actual impact of the SSBT on the pricing. Method This study involved an examination of the relative cost of leading brand full-sugar and sugar-free carbonated soft drinks in a convenience sample of 14 different Irish supermarkets. In light of manufacturers’ reformulation of certain brands (7UP, Sprite and Fanta), information was collected on the relative in-store pricing of three brands (Coca Cola, Pepsi and Club). Results In-store comparisons of equivalent size and unit number indicate that, in ∼60% of cases, the full-sugar and sugar-free versions of the same drink are being offered at the same price. Even when full-sugar versions of these brands were more expensive than the sugar-free alternatives, the price differential was sometimes less than the SSBT rate. Conclusions The pass-through rate of the SSBT to consumers is sub-optimal. Future policy and research suggestions are outlined </p