Pilot injecting facility in Dublin extended by 12 months

A pilot supervised injecting facility in Dublin, operated by Merchants Quay Ireland, has been granted a 12-month license extension, allowing it to continue operations until June of next year. The facility, located at the Riverbank Centre, opened in December 2024 and offers a safe, clean, and supervised environment for individuals to inject drugs under the care of trained medical professionals.

The primary goals of the facility are to reduce the harms associated with injecting drug use, such as overdose risks, premature death, and the transmission of infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C. It also aims to mitigate public nuisance by reducing street injecting and associated anti-social behavior. From its opening in December 2024 to May of this year, the facility recorded 22,000 attendances, averaging around 350 per week, with approximately 150 unique clients weekly.

During this period, the facility successfully intervened in 380 drug overdoses, all of which were non-fatal. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has commissioned an independent evaluation of the facility's impact and effectiveness, conducted by Queen's University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin. An interim report covering the first six months has been published, indicating early positive results.

Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, granted the license extension under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The ongoing evaluation will provide further insights into the long-term effectiveness of this harm reduction initiative.