Oireachtas committee backs decriminalisation of drugs for personal use

The committee report says that it is "clear in its direction: Ireland must move to a health-led approach" to drugs. File picture

Decriminalisation of drugs for personal use would not lead to an increase in consumption, an Oireachtas committee report is set to say.

The final report of the Committee on Drugs Use to be published on Wednesday. 

It will make 161 recommendations across family and community supports; kinship care; intergenerational trauma; addiction, sports and wellbeing; young people; substance use and neurodiversity; women, drug use and addiction; the National Drugs Strategy; nitrous oxide and other inhalants; and legal and policy issues. 

The Joint Committee on Drugs Use was established to consider the recommendations in the report of the 2024 Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use. 

The report says the recommendations "reflect the growing national and international recognition that problematic substance use is intricately connected to wider issues including trauma, poverty, social exclusion, mental health difficulties, homelessness, family breakdown, and community disadvantage".

It states: "The recommendations also reflect the increasing evidence that punitive, enforcement-led approaches are limited in their ability to reduce harm and may, in some circumstances, contribute to further marginalisation and stigma."

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Among the recommendations, the committee says that, based on the evidence it examined, "decriminalisation for personal possession is not likely to result in an increase in consumption.

"However, a small sample of jurisdictions where decriminalisation has been implemented have reported an increase in drug consumption in public areas. 

"Therefore, the committee recommends that local authorities are required to discourage and reduce consumption in public areas, including through the use of local authority by-laws, similar to those governing the consumption of alcohol in public.

"The committee recommends decriminalisation of the person in relation to possession for personal use. The committee believes that healthcare must be voluntary and does not support mandated healthcare."

The committee report says that it is "clear in its direction: Ireland must move to a health-led approach" to drugs.

This is about recognising drug use and addiction as a public health issue. It is about protecting young people, reducing risk, and preventing harm, while making sure people can access the help they need when they need it.

"Our report calls for a comprehensive health-led response that prioritises prevention, harm reduction, and recovery. 

"Prevention to stop problems starting, harm reduction to save lives and reduce risk, and recovery to support people to rebuild their lives. 

"It also recognises that addiction is often linked to wider issues — poverty, trauma, mental health and housing — and that these must be addressed together.

"We now have a real opportunity to take a different approach."

Policing drug use 

On policing, the report suggests that "specific trauma and harm reduction training be provided to An Garda Síochána and local authorities that acknowledges the harms that may stem from policy decisions as well as drug use, and is grounded in a public-health approach to policing". 

It says that supervised injecting facilities should be allowed to cater to broader drug consumption, and to provide for the delivery of mobile consumption facilities and consumption sites, "primarily as a harm-reduction measure for people who use drugs, but also to reduce the prevalence of street use".

The committee report also calls for the introduction of "mandatory, standardised, and highly visible health warnings" on aerosol deodorants and other inhalant products, including warnings that solvent abuse can cause instant death. 

It says the Government should examine the introduction of age restrictions on the sale of aerosol products and other inhalants.

It also calls for the introduction of a licensing or invoice-only purchasing system for nitrous oxide products intended for legitimate catering and industrial use.

In addition, it proposes a ban on the sale of large-volume canisters aimed at recreational use.

The report further recommends prohibiting the marketing, branding, and packaging of nitrous oxide products in ways designed to increase consumer appeal — particularly among young people — or to minimise the visibility of health and safety warnings.

• Paul Hosford is Deputy Political Editor.