Ireland’s first supervised injection centre opens in Dublin

Ireland’s first medically supervised injection facility has opened at Merchant Quay Ireland’s Riverbank Centre in Dublin.

The service will allow users to inject drugs, obtained elsewhere, under the supervision of qualified health professionals.

Merchant’s Quay said the service is a “compassionate, person-centred service which reduces the harms associated with injecting drug use”, and can serve as a lifeline to those who cannot attend or engage with traditional health services.

Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said the service was “overdue.”

“This is a historic day for drug policy in Ireland,” he said.

“Supervised injection facilities have been proven to save lives, reduce overdose deaths, and offer humane and compassionate care to those struggling with addiction. Labour has consistently advocated for harm reduction strategies like this, and I am proud to have brought this to Cabinet in 2015. However, it is deeply frustrating that it has taken nine years to implement this measure, as such delays have real consequences. I would like to congratulate Merchants Quay Ireland for their hard work, the Anna Liffey Project for their tireless campaigning, the Bar Council who drafted the original legislation and the politicians from Leinster House who supported this important legislation from the beginning.”

“In Ireland, we have the third-highest overdose rate in Europe. Across the continent, over 80 supervised injection facilities have been established, and the evidence is clear: they prevent fatal overdoses, halt the spread of diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV, and clean up drug litter on our streets. Harm reduction works. It saves lives. ”

“Today’s opening represents a fundamental shift in how we treat addiction in this country, but Ó Ríordáin said the opening “is just the beginning.”

“Labour believes we must build on this step by moving toward the decriminalisation of drugs. Decriminalisation, combined with harm reduction strategies like supervised injection centres, will foster a public health approach that treats addiction as the health crisis it truly is. This development is a statement of compassion and humanity – that we see people struggling with addiction as deserving of care, support, and dignity.”

“We can’t stop here. Ireland has taken an important step, but now is the time to act with urgency and ambition. We must expand these facilities to other large urban centres and decriminalise drug use.The success of this centre must now pave the way for supervised injection facilities to be rolled out in other urban centres like Cork and Limerick. Our communities cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon noted “international eevidence shows that this approach leads to less public injecting on our streets and, more importantly, reduced deaths from overdoses and infectious diseases. Crucially, drug users are also more likely to engage with addiction, counselling and health services when attending supervised facilities.”

“Solely depending on a policing solution to drugs often leads to the displacement of the problem to other parts of the city and the criminalisation of those living in poverty.”

“I would like to pay tribute to Merchants Quay Ireland for finally delivering this groundbreaking facility, despite almost a decade of legal and planning logjams.

“While the injection centre will initially operate as an 18-month pilot project, I am optimistic it will be a success and that any concerns previously expressed by the local community can be assuaged through ongoing engagement with Merchants Quay Ireland and the HSE.”