'Countdown on' for Cork injection centre, with Dublin facility a 'huge success'

The Government must “urgently” open an injection centre in Cork to address 35 drug-related deaths in the city each year.

It comes as an unpublished review of the country’s only drug-injection facility, in Dublin, reveals a steady increase in the number of people accessing the service, leading to a drop in drug-related litter, and a noticeable decline in street injecting.

The interim review of the Merchant’s Quay Ireland (MQI) facility — which is expected to be published in the coming weeks — shows that such facilities save lives, with 107 medical interventions in Dublin, including 91 overdose responses with oxygen, and no fatalities recorded.

Impact valuation

“Ambulance use was infrequent, and undoubtedly saved taxpayer money,” the six-month impact evaluation of the supervised injecting facility (SIF) has found.

There were 292 unique clients in December 2024, shortly after the service opened.

By June 2025, there had been over 5,000 visits by more than 800 clients.

“Importantly, from a community perspective, it is noted that there was a ‘positive impact’ of the SIF on the immediate residential community,” the report finds.

The review concluded that the service has been accessed by people at highest risk, intervened in overdoses, improved client health, and built bridges to treatment.

Campaigners have long called for a similar facility in Cork. 

Intimidates residents

Social Democrats TD Pádraig Rice says street drug use intimidates residents.

On average, there were 35 deaths a year in Cork city between 2018 and 2022. Opioids were the main drug in poisoning deaths (75.7%), followed by benzodiazepines (59.3%), gabapentinoids (27.9%), and cocaine (14.3%).

Mr Rice says: “While repeated governments’ drug policies have failed, the safe injection facility in Dublin has been a huge success. Eddie Mullins, from MQI in Dublin, has said that there is no doubt that countless lives have been saved. Cork urgently needs a similar facility. 

"Recently, the Oireachtas committee on drug use heard that 40 years of evidence shows that these are effective. They reduce on-street drug use, reduce the spread of infectious disease, prevent overdoses, and connect people to addiction services," said Mr Rice.

“Yet, last year, when I asked the minister about a supervised injection facility for Cork, I was told that no new safe injection facilities would be considered until after the 18-month pilot in Dublin was completed. We are now 17 months in. The countdown is on.

 “I’ll be expecting a rapid review of the pilot because Cork cannot wait any longer. People are dying in our city, and communities are suffering because the proper supports are not in place.”