Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:09 pm on 24 November 2021.
I thank Jayne for granting me some time in this short debate this evening. I want to echo the points that she so eloquently made this evening, because I fundamentally believe it's time for a national conversation on substance misuse. As I said during my short debate earlier this term, the status quo just isn't working. It's failing families, it's failing communities and it's causing irreparable harm. I'm pleased that we're having this kind of conversation here in the Senedd. I long for the days when we can make decisions on justice policy under this roof. Until that day comes, I want us to carry on influencing Westminster as much as we can to arrive at a justice system that has more compassion and less draconian punishments. To that end, I am pleased that Jayne has agreed to join the cross-party group, and I will be launching that in the new year. I look forward to us working together more on this by hearing the experiences of people on the ground who deal with the consequences of the status quo daily. I know we can get better at understanding what needs to change and why change is needed. Diolch yn fawr.