The sale of illegal drugs accounts for half of all juvenile crime in the State, the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use has heard.
The group is holding its fourth meeting this weekend, with a focus on the criminal justice and legal system.
Dr Seán Redmond from the University of Limerick said young people are often enticed or coerced into selling drugs for criminal gangs and punishing them can be unfair and counter-productive.
Dr Redmond said preventative measures like family programmes, providing pro-social opportunities for teenagers, empowering communities and disrupting criminal networks can be effective.
Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau told the assembly that gardaí take an intelligence-led approach to pursuing the organised crime gangs that control the drugs trade.
He said Ireland is not only a destination country but a transit point for drugs going to the UK and to EU countries.
He said it was estimated that in 2011 the market for cocaine in Ireland was estimated to be worth up to €100m, for cannabis €47m and heroin more than €600m.
Mr Boland said new products are constantly being developed with cannabis edibles and vapes coming onto the market.
He also warned that newer synthetic drugs like fentanyl could become more available in Ireland with devastating consequences.
Read more:
How can the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use make a difference?
A former assistant garda commissioner Michael O'Sullivan told the assembly the fact that dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin are illegal prevents many young people from using them.
He said an encounter with the courts or criminal justice system often serves as a wake-up call for those who are using drugs and prompts them to change their lives for the better.
He described the Portuguese model, often held up as an alternative approach to dealing with drug users, as flawed and said it would not work in Ireland as Portugal does not have the same degree of violent criminality.
The sale of illegal drugs accounts for half of all juvenile crime in the State, the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use has heard. The group is holding its fourth meeting this weekend, with a focus on the criminal justice and legal system | Read more: https://t.co/wXEgISHxmu pic.twitter.com/yIkWsVHw05
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Retired District Court Judge Ann Ryan told how drug treatment courts can make a difference by offering drug users a different path.
Paula Kearney, a graduate of the Drug Treatment Court in Dublin, has gone on to gain a master's degree in social policy.
She said the court was the first time in her long experience of the criminal justice system that she experienced compassion.
Ms Kearney said addiction does not belong in the criminal justice system.
Judge Ryan said the court started as a pilot project 22 years ago and is still a pilot project without proper funding or a legislative basis.
She said the fact that only a small number of people who come through the drug court system graduate through the whole programme to become drug-free might have made politicians reluctant to mainstream the system.
Judge Ryan said this is a pity as hundreds of people who did not graduate from the court programme do benefit from system.
This was echoed by Ms Kearney who is now a community worker in Dublin's north inner city.
She graduated from the programme three times and said recovery from addiction is not a straight line as relapsing is often part of the process.
100 people, including 99 randomly chosen members of the public, led by Chairperson and former HSE chief Paul Reid, are examining the issue of drug use.
The assembly is considering the legislative, policy and operational changes Ireland could make to significantly reduce the harmful impacts of illicit drugs on society.
Tomorrow's meeting will include a workshop with advocates and legal experts.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Reid said: "This next meeting is an opportunity to look at several issues central to the Terms of Reference, including supply reduction, the role of the criminal justice system and the legal approach to drugs in Ireland.
"These are complex and multifaceted issues that require careful deliberation."
He added: "There are no easy solutions, which is why the Citizens' Assembly process is so useful."
