--- description: The aim is to provide drug users with a safe, medically supervised environment title: Ireland to Set Up Heroin-Injection Centers image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Addiction](/tag/addiction/) ## Addiction Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ireland Plans to Set Up Heroin-Injection Centers by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 3, 2015 3:49 AM CUT by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 3, 2015 3:49 AM CUT Ireland will institute dedicated [heroin-injection centers](http://news.yahoo.com/ireland-plans-heroin-injection-centres-175042107.html;%5Fylt=AwrXnCGsDjhWEBIA0RXQtDMD;%5Fylu=X3oDMTByM3V1YTVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-- "undefined") 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. \[[_AFP_](http://news.yahoo.com/ireland-plans-heroin-injection-centres-175042107.html;%5Fylt=AwrXnCGsDjhWEBIA0RXQtDMD;%5Fylu=X3oDMTByM3V1YTVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-- "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4097731/ireland-heroin-injection-centers/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4097731/ireland-heroin-injection-centers/"},"headline":"Ireland Plans to Set Up Heroin-Injection Centers","datePublished":"2015-11-03T03:49:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:17:29.568Z","description":"The aim is to provide drug users with a safe, medically supervised environment","url":"https://time.com/4097731/ireland-heroin-injection-centers/","keywords":["Addiction","Drugs","Heroin","Ireland"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/addiction/","name":"Addiction"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4097731/ireland-heroin-injection-centers/","name":"Ireland Plans to Set Up Heroin-Injection Centers"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Inside the World of Medical Marijuana for Kids","description":"The story of a family's illegal cross-country drive to transport marijuana oil for their epileptic 3-year-old daughter. A look inside the quasi-legal, science free world of medical marijuana for children from TIME's Red Border Films","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/6Ic4KUCK/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-10-21T21:04:57.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6Ic4KUCK.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4097731/ireland-heroin-injection-centers/","duration":"PT16M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4097731/ireland-heroin-injection-centers/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```