Oireachtas Committee Recommends Full Decriminalisation of Personal Drug Possession

An Oireachtas committee has recommended the full decriminalisation of drugs for personal use, stating that possession «for one's own use should cease to be treated as a criminal matter» and instead be met with a health-led approach. This recommendation is part of the final report from the Joint Committee on Drugs Use, which considered findings from a 2023 Citizens' Assembly.

The report also includes recommendations for family and community supports, intergenerational trauma, addiction, sports, and wellbeing. The committee's approach aligns with Portugal's 2001 model, where all personal drug use was decriminalised. Lisbon-based journalist Alison Roberts explained that Portugal, facing a severe heroin problem in the 1990s, shifted its focus to treating addiction as a health issue, not a criminal one.

Under the Portuguese model, individuals found with small quantities of drugs are referred to a tribunal of experts, including psychologists and doctors, who can direct them to treatment. While treatment is not mandatory, non-compliance results in a breach of orders. This system, primarily under the health ministry, aims to channel users into treatment solutions rather than prison. Roberts noted that the policy has been consistently supported by successive governments, despite funding challenges during economic crises.

Portugal also employs harm reduction strategies like needle-exchange facilities in pharmacies and mobile injection centres, which help mitigate NIMBYism. Roberts emphasized that the core argument is to treat drug users, often addicts, as individuals with a health problem rather than criminals, acknowledging that they may continue to use drugs and that treatment is a more effective approach.