Oireachtas report: Decriminalise personal drug use

The possession of all drugs for personal use should be effectively decriminalised, the Oireachtas Justice Committee has recommended.

In a landmark report, published today, the committee calls for a harm-reduction structure — similar to that in Portugal — to deal with people caught by gardaí with small quantities of drugs.

While possession of drugs would remain an offence, it would be an ‘administrative’ offence and one, in the main, regulated by health experts.