Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan has revealed she has taken cocaine “twice” and has also taken ecstasy – saying it is “ridiculous lying” if some of her fellow politicians haven’t done similar.
In the new Hot Press out on Thursday, the TD opens up about her rebellious past as a student. She talks frankly about taking cocaine and ecstasy, calls for the legalisation of both marijuana and sex work, saying cocaine and heroin should be de-criminalised.
When asked if she ever tried cocaine, Ms Hourigan said: “I tried it twice and I liked it so much I didn’t try it again. And that’s a scary thing. I didn’t like myself on it. It was like a hyper-version of myself. It gave me a fright.”
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When asked if she ever tried cocaine, Ms Hourigan said: “I tried it twice and I liked it so much I didn’t try it again. And that’s a scary thing. I didn’t like myself on it. It was like a hyper-version of myself. It gave me a fright.”
On taking ecstasy, she said: “It didn’t change my life or anything. I wasn’t going looking for it every weekend. It wasn’t a big thing for me, honestly. I’ve tried lots of different things.”
Asked what she thought about her fellow politicians taking drugs, she said: “There’s 160 TDs, plus Senators. Are we really saying that 160 people who have lived a life have not done multiple types of drugs? Like, that’s utterly unbelievable.
“It’s ridiculous lying when they say they haven’t done it.”
In a wide-ranging interview, the Dublin Central TD also gave her thoughts on legalising marijuana, saying: “When it comes to marijuana though, I think we have such a high percentage of people who are safely using it, that we should just legislate for it.
“I’d like to see something like Spain where you can either grow your own plants, or you can give, say, four plants to a local club and they grow them for you.”
She also gave her views on sex workers, saying: “Adults should be able to do what adults do.”
“What really annoys me is that, in this country, we confuse sex trafficking with sex work. Actually, we are one of the worst EU countries for prosecuting people for people trafficking. And yet we criminalise sex workers on the basis of trafficking! Where it’s two consenting adults, their human rights should be respected.
“Their own choices should be respected. They’re not hurting anybody.”
On decriminalising drugs, she added: “I would like to see every single illegal drug decriminalised, including heroin and cocaine – everything. I don’t think you should criminalise somebody who is taking a drug.”
Ms Hourigan also explains in the interview why she would have no qualms about going into coalition with Sinn Fein.
She said: “If people are democratically elected, you have to accept what the populace returns. If they return a huge vote of confidence in Sinn Féin, then we have to take that seriously."
She also acknowledges that the Greens could be decimated in the next General Election and does not rule out the possibility of putting herself forward to become leader of the Green Party – despite being banished three times from the Green parliamentary party.
“If I thought it would achieve 30 per cent of the vote share, I’d be willing to do that and more... and I really do think that there is a way to organise this party and to develop policies that are meaningful to the public, to allow Green politics to be 30 per cent of the vote share.
“That’s interesting to me. And you could do that as leader, deputy leader, chair.”
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