Drug injection facility would save Cork lives, says report

A recent University College Cork (UCC)-commissioned report by the HSE and Cork City Council found that 35 people are dying from problem drug use in Cork city each year, suggesting they could be saved with a supervised injection facility.

The report also stated that a supervised facility could provide a connection point in the harm reduction system for individuals not in treatment, create a safe environment for problem drug users, and result in “a reduction of drug-related litter in Cork city and the number of open-air drug dens.”

The first medically supervised injection centre in Ireland opened at Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) in Dublin’s city centre in December 2024.

The centre offers a clean and supervised space, where individuals can inject pre-obtained drugs, under the care of trained medical professionals. It offers a compassionate, person-centred service which reduces harms associated with injecting drug use and can help people access appropriate services.

The facility is designed to reduce the health risks associated with intravenous drug use, including overdose and the transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.

The facility also serves as an important point of contact for those seeking help, by offering referrals to addiction treatment, mental health support, primary healthcare, and social services.

SUPERVISED

In Europe, supervised injection centres have been operating since 1986. It was then that the first officially-sanctioned drug consumption room (DCR) in the world was established in Bern, Switzerland.

Since then, such facilities have been opened in cities in an increasing number of European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Spain.

In Australia, a long-term leader in supervised injection research, data from the Sydney injecting centre shows a sustained track record of managing thousands of overdoses without a single death.

The debate has led to questions about the feasibility and efficacy of a similar plan for Cork city centre.

“There is huge support for it across agencies and across the public,” David Lane, general manager, social inclusion, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare and HSE drug and alcohol services coordinator, told The Echo.

“The benefits of supervised drug injection centres have been seen around the world for decades.

“From my own point of view, first and foremost, it saves lives. It is supporting families who might otherwise be dealing with tragic losses. We have people dying every year as a result of a facility like this not being available.

“A supervised injection centre has lots of other public benefits as well,” Mr Lane added.

“There would be huge benefits in terms of people being able to engage in treatment services and then being able to think about getting into recovery.

“This is not just about providing a facility where people can use drugs, this is about being able to engage with people around their problematic drug use and support them into recovery over a period of time.”

Cork Simon director Dermot Kavanagh is also someone who would welcome a supervised injection centre in Cork.

“In this day and age, a safer injection facility has to be viewed as part of the solution. Dublin is the only city in Ireland to have one.

“But Cork is the next biggest city and it is something that is much needed at this stage. There seems to be a lot of support for it in the city.

“It is something we think is very necessary and could be literally life saving. But not only life saving, it is also good for the community because it reduces on-street drug use and it reduces drug-related litter.”

James Leonard, former host of The Two Norries Podcast, believes a supervised injection centre would save lives in Cork.

“We have to understand that for every person who dies, it is not just the drug addict who dies, it is everything they could have been.

“It is all of the potential that they have had to do great things. To be a great father or mother, to be a great auntie or an uncle.

“If the supervised injection facility was brought in just to keep people alive, that is a good enough goal.”

He is fully supportive of it. “I don’t like the idea of the mobile unit. I think it would have to be a permanent fixture. Supervised injection facilities work really well. This is why they are being rolled out — there is a lot of evidence to show that they work really well.”

Although there are many who feel a medically-supervised injection centre would be a welcome addition to Cork, the Cork North Central Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn has an alternative view. He believes Cork should learn hard lessons from the supervised injection centre in Dublin.

“I walk from the train station in Dublin to the Dáil in good weather and back on a Thursday afternoon.

“What I have witnessed there is that it has become an area of anti-social behavior.

“That it has become an area where people are crossing the road, that they are being afraid of being harassed for funding or spare change.

“I think if we are going to have a city injection centre, it has to be well-planned and well thought-out.

“It cannot just be the standalone unit that the HSE has provided in Dublin, because it is bringing more problems than it is solving.”

The TD said Cork needs an injection centre in a location where all the services can be available to service-users.

“That means stakeholders, not just the HSE stakeholders, but Cork City Council, homeless services, charity services, all of that sort of stuff. So I would look for it to be in a very controlled environment, not to be in the city centre, like what they have done in Dublin.

“It should be in an area that is safe and secure, so the person who is injecting is looked after medically, and where there are also additional services there to help them transition out of it.”