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'Ireland should have wide range of options on drug possession'

Oireachtas Committee on Drugs Use heard from EU Drugs Agency principal scientist Brendan Hughes

EUDA expert Brendan Hughes cited Portugal's drugs dissuasion commissions which focus on treatment rather than punishment — but which have punitive options at their disposal too. Picture: iStock

Thu, 05 Mar, 2026 - 19:00

Cormac O’Keeffe

It’s better for countries to have a “wide range of options” in responding to drug possession than just a single approach, an EU drug agency expert has said.

Speaking at the Oireachtas Committee on Drugs Use, Brendan Hughes said that a one-size-fits-all approach for people caught in possession of drugs for personal use doesn’t work.

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