Decriminalise drug use, says councillor, amid call for Cork injection centre

Cork Labour TDs and councillors have highlighted the need for a policy change around drug use to help people rather than criminalise them, and the need for a supervised injection facility in Cork.

Ireland’s first supervised injection centre opened in Dublin at the end of last year, and the Government have said they will look at more facilities elsewhere after the 18-month pilot.

During debate around a Labour bill on drug decriminalisation in the Dáil this week, Cork TD Eoghan Kenny raised the case of Christine Kavanagh, a mother from Cork whose three sons — Dillon, Damien, and Leon, — all battled drug addiction and died, two of them within weeks of each other. Ms Kavanagh has said, “My children might have been saved if they were inside in a centre.”

Mr Kenny continued: “This motion is also quite personal to me. Two family members of mine have been in rehab facilities in Cork, most recently my own brother this year.

“However, if a family cannot cope with the exorbitant figure to enter this facility, the individual must wait up to eight months, in some instances, to be referred by the HSE.

“I know of a treatment centre in Cork that my brother went to. Some weeks, it only has 10 recovering patients, because people cannot afford to get in and for those who are waiting to get in, when the time comes around for them to take a place in the recovery programme, they do not want to help anymore.

“When a person makes a decision to seek help, they need it there and then.”

Labour Cork city councillor Ciara O’Connor told The Echo: “The criminalisation of drug use simply hasn’t worked — it punishes people rather than helps them, and it drives stigma, shame, and isolation.

“Here in Cork, we see the human cost every day — families torn apart, communities struggling, and individuals trapped in cycles of addiction, poverty, and trauma.

“Drug use is complex — it’s rooted in social and economic inequality, and our response must reflect that. The evidence is clear: Decriminalisation saves lives and helps people rebuild them.”

Research by University College Cork and the HSE found that around 35 people die each year in Cork city from problem drug use, while a study, Mapping Service User Needs to Inform a Supervised Injecting Room Location in Cork, Ireland (Horan & Van Hout, 2020) — found that 86% of people who inject drugs in Cork said they would use a supervised injecting facility if one were available.

Ms O’Connor added that Cork city’s draft Local Economic and Community Plan 2024–2029 includes a case study on the potential for a medically supervised injection facility, and that Cork City Council has reaffirmed its support for establishing one and is now working with the HSE to identify potential sites in Cork City.

“Right now, national legislation only allows for one pilot facility — in Dublin. For Cork to proceed, the law must change,” she said.