The Government is proposing legislation for the establishment of drug injection facilities where users will be exempt from prosecution to use illegal drugs in a supervised setting. Supervised drug injection facilities are not the answer to drug addiction. The government should prioritize investment in recovery over addiction.
For many years I have been raising the issue of lack of residential detox facilities for addicts. The most recent reply I recieved from the HSE states there are more than 10,000 patients on the methadone programme yet there are less than 50 residential detox beds in Dublin. There are waiting lists for all residential detox facilities and the average waiting times for access to these services ranges from a couple of weeks to many months. Most addicts who seek recovery are already on borrowed time.
Everyone recognises the real dangers of drug abuse on our streets but if the Government wants to be taken seriously on this issue it must invest in recovery.
The Government’s decision to invest in drug injection facilities highlights how out of control the problem is and their total failure to solve the issue. Supervised injection facilities are not going to solve the problem of drug addiction. Instead of investing in addiction the Government should prioritise investment in recovery.
I have called on Fianna Fáil to challenge the government’s approach to this problem and to get the Government to prioritise investment in recovery over addiction.
