Plans are under way to set up "mobile injecting units" to stop drugs addicts from shooting up on Dublin's main streets, the Sunday Independent has learnt.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisin Quinn, yesterday hit out at the increasingly common tawdry sight of addicts injecting themselves in broad daylight in front of shoppers and tourists.
Mr Quinn (44), who took up office at end of June, said the highly visible drug problem in the capital is making people fearful of walking through Dublin's shopping districts – and ruining the city as a tourist destination.
Under the plan, a van with qualified health professionals will drive around the city centre offering addicts clean needles to inject themselves with in a controlled environment under medical supervision.
The Labour councillor believes this will remove the intimidating sight of addicts openly shooting up on the streets.
The measure has already been introduced successfully in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Canada and is being backed by the Ana Liffey Drug Project.
But the mayor has stressed the move can only be introduced if it is part of a bigger plan to tackle drug addiction and homelessness in the capital.
Mr Quinn, who is a nephew of Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, confirmed that he has begun discussions with agencies and gardai to introduce the measures.
"I have sat down and spoken with various parties about this and I would be in favour of it. It is definitely worth trying. It would deal with the problem in a clean and supervised way where it wouldn't be on someone's doorstep, and it would be very low key," Mr Quinn told the Sunday Independent.
But he warned the move can only come about with the co-operation of the gardai "and other agencies".
Source: Niamh Horan, Irish Independent, 13/10/13
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