The possession of all drugs for personal use should be effectively decriminalised, the Oireachtas Justice Committee has recommended.
In a landmark report, published today, the committee calls for a harm-reduction structure — similar to that in Portugal — to deal with people caught by gardaí with small quantities of drugs.
While possession of drugs would remain an offence, it would be an ‘administrative’ offence and one, in the main, regulated by health experts.
It would still be up to gardaí to make the decision to divert someone to the health authorities or charge them before the courts — as is the case in Portugal.
The recommendation is a cross-party one and is understood to have the unanimous backing of all committee members.
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 05/11/15
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