Dublin will soon have a drug rehabilitation injection centre once new legislation is passed in the Dail this summer according to the Minister for Health Simon Harris.
The new facility will be opened as pilot scheme the city centre, with the possibility for further centres being set up across the country in the near future.
Mr Harris told The Independent.ie: “An independent evaluation would be an intrinsic element to this initiative; determining the utility, safety and cost-effectiveness of the supervised injecting facility in an Irish context.” “The outcome of such an evaluation will inform any decision to licence further facilities.”
The introduction of supervised injection centres have been on the horizon for the past year after former Drugs Minister and Labour TD Aodhán Ó’Ríordáin.
Mr Harris announced the plans recently after the government unanimously agreed with proposals that will see supervised injecting facilities being setup in the capital that will allegedly alleviate problems of public injecting and drug addiction.
Minister Harris added: “In line with the experience of other countries which have established such facilities, it would be expected that the numbers would be few and the locations carefully selected to address most effectively the requirements and concerns of the service users and the wider community.”