John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that a review is necessary, particularly in terms of the changing environment. I indicated my concerns for the individuals but I also have a general concern with the amount of methadone. I want to put the following point very clearly on the record because we sometimes do not recognise it. The last full year for which we have figures from the drug-related deaths index is 2016. In that year, there were 72 poisoning deaths in which heroin was implicated but there were 103 poisoning deaths in which methadone was implicated, so the figure is significantly higher for methadone than for heroin. Of those who died, 66 were on methadone treatment. The figures show there is a risk in terms of the population in general because, obviously, some of the methadone that is being dispensed to individuals is not being taken by those individuals and is being used elsewhere. However, even for those who are on methadone programmes, there is a significant risk. In 2016, there were some 9,500 people on methadone treatment and 66 of those died a death where methadone was implicated.

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