GPs and pharmacists support removal of criminal sanctions for drug users 

Director of addiction management at the Irish College of General Practitioners Bernard Kenny said criminalisation of drug use 'further marginalises people' in disadvantaged communities. File picture

The country’s GPs and pharmacists favour keeping the possession of drugs illegal — but strongly support the removal of criminal sanctions for drug users, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Both the Irish College of General Practitioners and the Irish Pharmacy Union said this form of decriminalisation must be implemented in parallel with a massive investment in drug treatment as well as mental health and community services.

The professional bodies were addressing the Oireachtas committee on drugs use, which was set up to examine the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use and compile a report for the Government.

Among its recommendations, the assembly recommended the decriminalisation of drugs — specifically an Irish-type model where drug possession would remain illegal but no criminal sanctions could be applied.

The assembly said people caught in possession of drugs should be referred by gardaí to a health intervention and, depending on their needs, further referral to services.

Irish Pharmacy Union president Tom Murray said they favoured “decriminalisation of the users, not of the product”.

He said the drug would remain illegal and said this was in line with international evidence of the best approach. He stressed the assembly’s related recommendations on health and social services must be “fully resourced” at the same time.

Director of addiction management at the Irish College of General Practitioners Bernard Kenny said criminalisation of drug use “further marginalises people” in disadvantaged communities.

He said criminalisation created “barriers to treatment” through social stigma, fear of punishment, and fear of criminal conviction.

He said he was “not in favour of a limited number of strikes caught in possession”, after which a person was referred back to the courts and away from the health services.

Mr Murray said only 100 pharmacies were currently part of the needle exchange programme, which he said was 'limited', given there are 1,800 pharmacies. Picture: Getty

He said the college supported the recommendation of the Citizens’ Assembly and said a “properly resourced system” should proceed in parallel with decriminalisation.

Both organisations said they believed drug addiction caused profound and lasting effects on individuals, families and communities.

Mr Murray said addiction could cause “acute and chronic health problems”, including the risk of overdose and death, and could exacerbate problems of homelessness, the management of psychiatric illness and increase the feelings of unsafety in communities.

Families 'devastated by preventable drug-related deaths'

Mr Kenny said Ireland had the highest drug-related deaths in the EU and the most recent figures from the Health Research Board found the country had its highest ever numbers in treatment in 2023.

“GPs see families and loved ones devastated by preventable drug-related deaths,” he said, adding that to address this, “significant and targeted” investment was required.

Both bodies said their work on drug treatment and education could be expanded.

Mr Murray said only 100 pharmacies were currently part of the needle exchange programme, which he said was “limited”, given there are 1,800 pharmacies.

He said this was “due to funding and lack of training”.

Academic director of addiction management at the Irish College of General Practitioners Des Crowley said GPs had “limited time or space” to provide comprehensive drug assessments of patients or provide proper mental health care.

He said the country needed good primary care and specialist drug services, including a national cocaine programme, as well as far more clinical psychologists and residential beds.

The Irish Pharmacy Union's Denis O’Driscoll, who is independent chair of the Naloxone Advisory Group for the HSE, said naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdoses, should not be a prescription-only medication, but said the hold-up was because of both domestic and EU legislation.

Mr Kenny agreed with Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan that crack cocaine was a “huge problem” in Limerick and said more of it was being seen across the country.

Meanwhile, drugs strategy minister Colm Burke announced the allocation of €2.3m under the National Drugs Strategy to sustain community-based drugs services and to support people in recovery from drug dependency.