20 April 2026
SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has said that that those who deal drugs to vulnerable people must face harsher sentences.
He was speaking ahead of an SDLP Opposition Day motion on Tuesday which calls on the Justice Minister to review sentencing frameworks.
The SDLP has backed the Jasmine’s Law campaign which calls for judges to consider the vulnerability of those who are supplied drugs as an aggravating factor in sentencing.
Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said:
“That drug related deaths in Northern Ireland have increased by nearly 50% over the past decade shows the scale of this problem in our society. Far too many families have lost loved ones at a young age, people are warned of the dangers, yet year after year the number of deaths increases. Something has to change.
“There is great frustration at the lack of support services for addiction right across the North and the SDLP is calling on Executive Ministers to work together to address this. But, we also must look at the people responsible for flooding our communities with these illegal drugs, who prey on vulnerable people in order to make money.
“The SDLP is fully supportive of the fantastic work of Pauline Duddy and her campaign for Jasmin’s Law following the tragic death of her daughter. Like Pauline, we want to see the circumstances around drug dealing taken into account during the sentencing process, particularly when it involves vulnerable people or children and leads to serious harm or death.
“This is just one measure that we need to consider when it comes to protecting our communities from harmful substances, but it would send a powerful message to death dealers that they will face the consequences of their actions.”