Government announces new Health Diversion Approach to drug possession for personal use
On 2 August 2019, the Government announced the launch of a Health Diversion Approach to the possession of drugs for personal use. The final report of the Working Group to Consider Alternative Approaches to the Possession of Drugs for Personal Use and supporting documents were also published that day.1,2,3 Taking into consideration the findings of this report and the range of stakeholder views, the Department of Health and the Department of Justice and Equality agreed to adopt a more health-led approach to possession for personal use. The Health Diversion Approach offers alternatives to criminal prosecutions for the first two instances in which people are found in possession of drugs for their personal use. Essentially, the action taken by An Garda Síochána (AGS) will depend on the number of times an individual has been caught in possession.
Source: Drugnet Ireland, Issue 71, Autumn 2019. Accessed on January 8th 2020
