I thank my colleagues from across the House who were part of the Committee on Drugs Use. We will get into a more detailed debate when the report comes before the Houses. This week has been quite emotional for me as we acknowledge the work of citizens' assemblies, politicians and Departments. The only reason I am in politics is to achieve decriminalisation. If anybody wants to get rid of me from politics just give me decriminalisation and I will be gone. Decriminalisation of the person who uses drugs is not about a substance. A substance does not go to a jail cell, a substance does not die or sit in its room lonely. People do that. It is not about substances; it is about the person. When decriminalising drugs, we should consider not the drugs but the person. We are decriminalising the person for something that they are experiencing.

The weather is warm at the moment. One of the reasons I have my full arms on display today is to remind myself that every flower on my arms represents a friend of mine who has gone, either directly from overdose or from drug-related issues. Every flower represents the month they died, with the month that flower blooms. While we recognise the international evidence, I acknowledge the promise I made each and every time I kissed each one of them goodbye on the head as they lay in the funeral home, that one day they will not be a criminal purely because they experienced addiction or because they used drugs. I ask as we move forward to consider that report, that we remember it is not about substances, it is about people. It is about how we treat people and how we create every opportunity not to compound that harm for people who are already experiencing some of the greatest vulnerabilities and complexities in their lives. I want to remember my friends today and to mark their lives as being part of the journey that I will continue on, as this report is given more life. I thank everyone here who has supported the work to date.

I thank Senator Ruane for her work in championing that committee and the report and for bringing the experience of people she knew to the Seanad and to the committee.