The My Uisce series 'Health Not Handcuffs' was created for Support Don’t Punish 2025. We spoke with people who use drugs, family members, community workers, professionals, and legislators about the real impact of criminalisation — and the stories that often go unheard. During this series we’ll share stories each day, highlighting lived experience, frontline insight, and the human realities behind Ireland’s drug laws.

Health Not Handcuffs: Support Don't Punish 2025 - Every year, thousands of people in Ireland are criminalised simply for using drugs. But punishment doesn’t solve the problem — it deepens it. Criminalisation causes real harm: it fuels stigma, fractures families, blocks access to housing and work, and stops people from seeking the help they need. For Support Don't Punish 2025, UISCE spoke to people who use drugs, family members, community workers and legislators about the impact of criminalisation and why there is a more effective way to support people who use drugs, families and our communities. This video is a snapshot of those conversations, please follow UISCE social media channelled for full interviews. [December 2025, 5 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Dr. Ian Marder - Dr. Ian D. Marder, Associate Professor in Criminology at Maynooth University, speaks about Ireland’s readiness for decriminalisation and the lack of real barriers to implementing it. Drawing on evidence from other countries, he explains how increasing criminal penalties does not reduce drug use and instead leads to greater harm. Dr. Marder highlights the role of political will in shaping what behaviours are criminalised and how resources are allocated, and makes the case for reinvesting public funds into supports and services that improve lives rather than punishment. [December 2025, 4.40 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Anna Quigley - Anna Quigley speaks about the evidence showing that criminalisation does not work — for individuals or for communities. She explains that criminalisation does not reduce rates of drug use, but instead increases drug-related harms, particularly in the most deprived communities. Anna also highlights how continued investment in ineffective policing and punishment diverts resources away from the services and supports that are proven to improve people’s lives. [December 2025, 2.10 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: John - John, a Peer Support Worker at UISCE, speaks about the never-ending cycles created by criminalisation, and how people can become trapped in these systems for life. Drawing on his frontline experience, John reflects on repeatedly encountering the same individuals over and over again, and makes the case for meeting people where they are at, recognising each person as an individual rather than a problem to be punished. [December 2025, 1.18 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Lynn Ruane - Lynn Ruane is an Independent Senator in Seanad Éireann and a long-time advocate for harm reduction, social justice, and evidence-based drug policy. In this video, created as part of UISCE’s Health Not Handcuffs project, Lynn shares her perspective on the impact of criminalisation in Ireland and why compassionate, health-led responses are needed to support individuals, families, and communities. [December 2025, 3.26 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Ann Marie - Ann Marie, a Peer Support Worker at UISCE, speaks about being stigmatised as a mother who uses drugs, the failings of support systems, and the lasting impact this can have on children. [December 2025, 4.14 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Dr. Garrett McGovern - In this video, Dr. Garrett McGovern, a GP specialising in Addiction Medicine, discusses the ineffectiveness of Ireland’s current approach to drug use, with a particular focus on recreational drug use. He explains how criminalisation disproportionately affects those who are already most marginalised, and why drug use continues to be treated differently from every other area of healthcare — despite clear evidence that health-led responses work. [December 2025, 3.21 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Robyn - In this video, Robyn, a Peer Support Worker at UISCE, speaks about the effects of stigma and criminalisation, how being labelled as a person who uses drugs can impact someone for the rest of their life, and how punitive policies prevent people from fully participating in society. Robyn also reflects on the stark contrast between how alcohol use is treated compared to other drugs. [December 2025, 3.54 minutes]

Health Not Handcuffs: Support Don't Punish 2025 Extended Version [August 2025, 12 minutes]