A parliamentary committee has recommended the decriminalisation of possession of all drugs for personal use, following an extensive examination of drug policy in Ireland.
The Joint Committee on Drugs Use published its final report, which includes 161 recommendations aimed at shifting Ireland’s approach from a criminal justice to a public health model. Central to these is the repeal of Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, which currently criminalises drug possession.
“The committee has concluded that the personal possession of drugs for one’s own use should cease to be treated as a criminal matter and should instead be met with a health-led approach,” said committee chair Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats.
“This is not a marginal adjustment. It is a recognition that criminalising people for their own drug use has not reduced harm, and that a different approach is both possible and overdue.”
The committee believes decriminalisation should apply to all substances rather than just cannabis or selected drugs, based on what it describes as “the vast body of evidence” suggesting such a move would be unlikely to lead to increased consumption.
However, the report acknowledged that jurisdictions which have implemented decriminalisation have reported increases in drug consumption in public areas. To address this, the committee recommends local authorities should be required to discourage and reduce consumption in public spaces through bylaws similar to those governing alcohol.
The report, which responded to 36 recommendations made by the Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use in 2024, calls for a comprehensive health-led approach to substance misuse. This would include expanded harm reduction services, supervised injecting facilities – including mobile sites – and making naloxone (which can temporarily reverse opioid overdoses) available over the counter.
Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil, the committee’s vice chair, said: “Ireland must move to a health-led approach. The evidence shows that a largely criminal justice-focused approach has not worked well enough.”
The committee heard evidence from government departments, the police (An Garda Síochána), health professionals, academics, international experts, and people with lived experience of addiction over multiple hearings between September 2025 and April 2026.
Among its 161 recommendations, the report calls for:
- Greater investment in family and community support services on a multi-annual basis
- Expansion of the Drug Treatment Court model to all regions
- Mandatory health warnings on aerosol deodorants and age restrictions on their sale
- Investment in youth services, including youth hubs and structured activities
- Improved access to addiction treatment services, including alternatives such as heroin assisted therapy
- Ending short prison sentences for non-violent drug offences
- Greater support for kinship carers looking after children affected by parental substance use
The committee acknowledged concerns about organised crime and drug trafficking. It recommends maintaining “strong criminal sanctions against organised crime, drug trafficking, coercion of children, and commercial supply networks” while separating these from personal possession offences.
The report also calls for clarification in legislation that repealing Section 3 would not undermine Garda powers relating to sale or supply offences, search powers, or organised crime investigations.
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis of An Garda Síochána told the committee that drug trafficking is not a “victimless crime”, describing the violence, intimidation and coercion associated with criminal networks.
However, Dr Cian Ó Concubhair of Maynooth University argued that criminalisation continues to affect vulnerable individuals disproportionately and that repeal of Section 3 would not undermine enforcement powers against trafficking.
The committee recommended that its report be considered by the departments of Health, Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, and the Taoiseach, with matters debated in both parliamentary houses of the Oireachtas.
It also called for the establishment of a standing Joint Oireachtas Committee on Drug Use and Related Issues to ensure continued scrutiny of drug policy.
The Irish government is currently developing a new National Drugs Strategy, with a draft published for consultation. The committee called for its findings to be incorporated into this strategy before finalisation.
