Dear Researchers. I have an assignment due in a week worth half the module mark. The briefing for the policy assignment is "For this assessment, you are asked to find and read a police report or paper that sets out policy recommendations (most of them do!) and compose a critical response. The document you choose can be published by a national think tank organisation, United Nations agency (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, etc.) or any other international organisation such as the World Bank and the OECD. It can be on any public policy issue or sector."

If will be using the assignment to critically analyse the recent report of the Irish Citizens Assembly on Drugs Policy. Although the findings of the report have not been implemented yet the lecturer advises that it still meets the criteria. Personally, I think the report is a bit of a fudge and did not seize the moment, If that is true I willl have to suppport the statement with eveidence, critical analysis, international comparisons etc . If you know anything I can use , and have the time I would be grateful if you could let me know. The Assembly's website is: https://citizensassembly.ie/assembly-on-drugs-use/ It proposes a health led approach but that has been government policy for years . The assembly's proceedings are recorded on youtube but I can hardly expect you to put that much time into it. The irish government's official policy on matter is the 2017-2023 National Drugs and Alcohol Strategy, https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/10921/8715bc0e45494cb2ad9dd42e5b011ebf.pdf#page=1

If you are aware of any intenational reports on the subject in other coutries for comparative analysis purposes, I would be especially grateful.

Kind regards,

Liam O' Ceallaigh

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