Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister agree there needs to be a change in the legal status of drugs if the Government is to bring about medically supervised injection centres? If there is to be a health-led approach to harm reduction, it indicates the legal status of some drugs needs to be examined. The national drugs strategy is a five pillar strategy but some of these pillars are falling down. Rehabilitation in the State receives only a very small part of the resources. The city I represent does not have transition beds for people coming out of rehab who have been on heroin or prescription drugs for a long time and who may have lost vital social skills. We do not have this step-down facility in the second largest city in the State. If we are serious about harm reduction, then it is not just about rehabilitating people but ensuring services are there so when people come out, they can stay clean.

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