In a lecture at the London School of Economics, the chief of Ireland’s National Drugs Strategy, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, announced the policy change.
Mr Ó Ríordáin said attitudes about drug users need to change and move from a culture of shame to a culture of help.
“I am firmly of the view that there needs to be a cultural shift in how we regard substance misuse if we are to break this cycle and make a serious attempt to tackle drug and alcohol addiction,” he said.
He also said there should be decriminalisation of drugs across the board but said that would be for the next government to consider.
It was also revealed here will also be drug injecting rooms in Ireland from next year, with a focus on harm minimisation.
“Research has shown that the use of supervised injecting centres is associated with self-reported reductions in injecting risk behaviours,” he said.
The changes will allow decriminalisation of small amounts of drugs that are considered for personal use.
