Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply and welcome the fact that there is a commitment to carry out a review of our drug treatment programmes and the national drugs strategy. Let us be very clear: this has fallen off the political agenda. That is many people's fault but the key issue is that there is a major problem of drug abuse in the State. It is escalating continually.

With regard to opiate substitutes, has the Minister considered buprenorphine as an option? Treatment centres seem to depend continuously on methadone. We must consider other options. It seems that, as a people, we are just satisfied to give addicts methadone and hope they will not annoy us on the street. We must look beyond that. The drug users need support and assistance. Collectively, we should try to reach some consensus on how to address this issue.

Professor Farrell's report of 2010 did come up with various views on opiate substitutes. Are we very blinkered or channelled in our approach and completely dependent on methadone as a treatment for heroin and opiate addicts?

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