Ireland Plans to Set Up Heroin-Injection Centers

Ireland will institute dedicated heroin-injection centers to provide drug users with a safe and supervised environment for consumption, the country’s Drugs Minister said on Monday.

The Irish government is planning legislation that will allow the injection rooms to become operational by early next year, Aodhan O Riordain, the minister tasked with drug strategy, told Agence France-Presse. “It will effectively mean a diplomatic immunity to inject heroin in a safe, secure, passionate environment,” O Riordain said.

With the first heroin-injection center set to open in Dublin next year, Ireland will join a host of nations that have instituted similar measures, including the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Australia.

[AFP]

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com.