Clean needles still unavailable to addicts

CLEAN needles are still not available to drug users across most of the country, risking the spread of infectious diseases, a report has warned.

A Government-appointed expert group said six out of the 10 Regional Drug Task Forces (RDTFs) didn’t provide a needle-exchange service, despite having injecting drug users in their areas.

The report said task forces which did have needle exchanges, namely in Dublin and the east coast, did not have a 24-hour service or any weekend service.