Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

At the weekend, almost 50 people overdosed on contaminated heroin. Traces of synthetic opioid were found in samples of the heroin they took. Thankfully, no one has died as a result of the overdoses because of interventions made using a drug called naloxone, which is welcome. There are issues with naloxone, which is a prescribed drug. Experts in the field say it should be more available in the context of treating overdoses.

There is another worrying trend, which the House and society should be made aware of. There could be supply issues relating to heroin coming from Afghanistan. If that is the case - it has been seen in the United States - synthetic opioids will replace heroin and that will lead to hundreds of people dying. What is the State doing as regards overdoses, the issues relating to heroin coming out of Afghanistan and the possibility of opioids engulfing Ireland as a result?

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