ON THE SAME day that Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, opens a collaborative process focused on planning and delivering drug services, the Joint Committee on Drug Use (JCODU) has published its final report.

It sets out 161 recommendations advising the government on how to address drug use, addiction and associated harms. As I prepare to engage in the minister’s collaborative process and reflect on the report’s key messages, I am optimistic about the sentiments being echoed by both the Department of Health and the JCODU. At the same time, I feel an unease that we will move too far away from our partners in justice and, unintentionally, lose valuable opportunities for people who are struggling to engage and recover.

Informed by the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use, the overarching message of the JCODU report is the strong recommendation to address personal possession of drug use solely by offering voluntary health supports to any person who comes to the attention of gardaí for being in possession of illicit drugs for personal use.

The report also outlines detailed recommendations focused on harm reduction, geographical equity in service provision and improving our prevention strategies. A similar and clear commitment to a health-led approach to drug use is reflected in Ireland’s draft National Drugs Strategy, which builds on the approach first established in the 2017–2025 strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery (Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025).

It is even more heartening to know that many initiatives recommended in the report are already in action, such as the delivery of tailored programmes to serve women in addiction, the LGBTQ community and Ireland’s new communities, and an emerging drug trends response led by the HSE National Social Inclusion........

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