Group to review law on drug possession

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has made an early case for decriminalising the possession of drugs just as a high-level expert group is tasked with examining the issue.

The creation of a working group, possibly led by a retired judge, has been recommended by the State’s new national drugs strategy, launched by the Taoiseach yesterday.

He said decriminalisation models had been adopted in other countries, including Portugal, and that “by and large” they had “helped to reduce crime and helped to reduce HIV”.