Beyond Punishment

Human Rights, Drug Policy & Building Communities That Leave No One Behind; An UISCE & Irish Coalition for Drug Reform event
About this Event

What happens when drug policy is built on punishment instead of human rights?

Join UISCE and the Irish Coalition for Drug Reform for an important conversation exploring what kind of society we want to build, how we respond to drug use and social harm, and how we can centre dignity, safety and belonging at the heart of our policies and communities.

Across Ireland, families and communities are living with the impacts of criminalisation, stigma, poverty, trauma, and exclusion. We hear about overdose deaths, homelessness, Pr*son, violence, and young people struggling to find safety, belonging and opportunity. But too often, these issues are framed as individual failings rather than asking the bigger questions:

• What harms are actually being caused by policy and criminalisation?
• Who is most affected?
• Does punishment reduce drug use?
• What happens when people are excluded instead of supported?
• What would communities look like if dignity, care, and human rights came first?

Through personal stories, evidence, discussion, and collective exploration, we will examine the impact of current approaches while imagining more inclusive, compassionate, and effective ways forward.

Bringing together people with lived and living experience, families, community voices, practitioners, advocates and policymakers , this event will create space for honest dialogue, reflection, and learning.

We will also explore how criminalisation affects many different people and communities across Ireland, from heavily marginalised communities to rural areas, students, workers and people whose lives have been impacted by convictions, stigma, or fear.

Throughout the event, participants will have opportunities to engage through live polls, anonymous questions, discussion groups, creative installations, and collective reflection to enable us to imagine better ways forward together.

Whether you work in the area, have lived experience, or simply want to better understand the conversation, you are welcome. Because ultimately, this is not just about drug policy. It is about the kind of society we want to build, rooted in the belief that every person deserves dignity, safety and belonging.