On 8 May 2026, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, launched the first data report for the DRIVE (Drug-related intimidation and violence engagement) Project.1 The launch event was chaired by Antoinette Kinsella, Chairperson, National DRIVE Oversight Committee. Speakers included Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, Organised and Serious Crime, An Garda Síochána; Dr Suzi Lyons, Health Research Board (HRB); and Vanessa Hoare, DRIVE Liaison, Dublin Northeast Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force. 

Introduction

Drug policy, practice and resource allocation have been driven largely by Ireland’s national drug strategies since 1996. The Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy journal has published a paper that examines how the needs of Irish women who use alcohol and other drugs have been addressed in these strategies and a selection of other key policy documents since 1996.1,2,3,4,5,6,7 From denial to pregnancy and motherhood to ‘gender informed’? Women and Ireland’s alcohol and drug strategies, 1996-2025 was published prior to the release of Ireland’s draft National Drugs Strategy (2026–2029).8 The paper’s authors, Windle and Cronin, found that Irish alcohol and drug policy did not initially recognise women’s drug use. When it was recognised, it focused almost exclusively on pregnancy and motherhood. Only since 2017 has it promoted gender-informed approaches.

Lobbying can be an important element of democratic governance but in the case of tobacco control or other substances harmful to health, it can undermine public health interests. A new paper published in the journal Tobacco Control explores the extent, nature and targets of registered lobbying activities related to smoking and vaping in Ireland from 2016 to 2024.1 

Context

Preventing the harms caused by tobacco use is complicated by its link with commercial interests. Hanrahan and Kavanagh, the authors of the paper, argue that ‘the commercial determinants of health, defined as the conditions, actions and omissions by commercial actors that affect health, are exemplified by the tobacco industry, which employs sophisticated strategies to shape policy, undermine regulation and delay or dilute effective tobacco control measures.’

Tobacco control legislation is a critical element in reducing the harms of smoking. However, it will only be effective if enforced. The Examining tobacco-control enforcement in Ireland 2014-2023: an observational study analysed data on the enforcement of the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2002 as amended between 2014 and 2023.1 It explored the extent to which the laws have been followed, and what happens to those who break them. 

Context

Despite tobacco control legislation, and various smoking prevention activities, Houghton and Lombard argue that smoking continues to impact negatively on health and well-being in Ireland. Data published in 2022 found that among those who were aged 15 years and over, 20% of males and 17% of females were current smokers.

Background 

A report compiled by Maynooth University Social Science Institute (MUSSI) outlines growing global concern about the expansion of corporate power and its implications for democracy, public policy, and social well-being.1 Increasingly, large corporations exert significant influence over public institutions and policy-making, often shaping them to serve private profit rather than the public good. This trend is closely linked to extreme wealth concentration; the richest 1% own more wealth than much of the global population, and a substantial share of that wealth is embedded in corporate structures. Many of the world’s largest corporations are controlled or heavily influenced by billionaires, thus reinforcing their ability to shape political and economic priorities.
While supporters argue that corporations drive innovation, employment, and economic growth, the report highlights a growing disconnect between rising corporate profits and worsening global challenges such as climate change, inequality, and economic insecurity. This raises concerns about the societal risks of allowing wealth and power to accumulate in the hands of a small corporate elite.

The HRB has published its fourth report on deaths among people who were homeless at the time of death.1 The report describes deaths in 2022, with key trends for 2019–2022.

Background

The HRB collects data on all sudden and unexplained deaths among people who were homeless at the time of death, in order to better understand and prevent premature death among people who are homeless. The data are extracted from closed coronial files, using the methodology of the NDRDI, even if the deaths do not meet the standard NDRDI inclusion criteria. The NDRDI validates these data with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive through its Pathway Accommodation and Support System.
The deceased were considered as homeless if living in any of the following circumstances at the time of death:

Background

Alcohol use is a major global health risk, linked not only to chronic disease but also to injuries and traumatic events, including residential fires, where intoxication reduces awareness and the ability to respond. In Ireland, alcohol use remains high and has increasingly shifted to drinking at home, a pattern associated with heavier and riskier drinking and increased vulnerability to fire incidents. This study examined individual, geographic, and contextual characteristics of alcohol-related fatal fires to inform targeted fire prevention efforts.

Methods

Details of all fatal fires that occur in Ireland are collected through the HRB’s National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) on behalf of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management in the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage.

The rise of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes has created a growing public health concern in Ireland, particularly for individuals living with both severe mental illness and opioid use disorder. A recent article published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine highlights the urgent need to expand access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, in response to this emerging threat.1 The authors argue that patients with a ‘dual diagnosis’ of mental illness and substance use disorder are among the most vulnerable groups in society and require targeted interventions to reduce overdose deaths.

Research has shown that around one-half of people with severe mental illness also experience a substance use disorder.2 Patients with opioid dependence face especially high risks because of the increasing presence of potent synthetic opioids in the Irish drug market.

Background

Drug early warning systems (EWSs) aim to identify emerging drug-related issues early so that timely action can be taken to reduce risks to public health.1 The effectiveness of an EWS depends on the range and quality of information sources available to it. These sources may include laboratory analysis of samples obtained from a variety of settings, as well as non-laboratory information sources. Laboratory samples may be obtained from drug seizures, drug checking services, post-mortem testing, wastewater monitoring, clinical toxicology, and other settings.1,2 Non-laboratory information sources may include healthcare data on drug use and harms, law enforcement data, poison centre data, pharmacovigilance system data, and reports from key informants (including people who use drugs and staff working in health and social care, outreach, and harm reduction settings).1,2 

Introduction

Globally, alcohol use is quantified and compared across countries by determining the alcohol per capita (APC) use of a country and measuring against alcohol-related harms. Monitoring APC allows countries to assess public health, make international comparisons, track trends over time, and evaluate the impact of policies. 

Defining per capita alcohol use 

APC estimates are constructed by determining the amount of alcohol sold, expressed as litres of pure (100%) alcohol, within a country or region per year and applying the amount to the population aged 15 years and over (as this is typically the age at which young people start drinking alcohol). As a result, we end up with the litres of pure alcohol sold per person per year and these are used as a proxy for consumption.

Semi-synthetic cannabinoids (SSCs) have emerged as a growing public health concern in Ireland despite recent legislative efforts aimed at restricting their sale. A recent article published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine warns that these cannabis-like substances continue to be widely available across the country and may pose serious risks to both physical and mental health, particularly among young people.1 The authors argue that Ireland’s delayed response to the rise of SSCs highlights significant weaknesses in drug policy and enforcement systems that require urgent reform.

Ana Liffey is a ‘low-threshold, harm reduction’ project working with people who are actively using drugs and experiencing associated problems. Ana Liffey has been offering harm reduction services to people in the north inner city area of Dublin since 1982, from premises at Middle Abbey Street. Ana Liffey offers a wide variety of low-threshold, harm reduction services that provide pathways for drug users out of their current circumstance, including addiction and homelessness. 

Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) is a national voluntary agency providing services for homeless people and those who use drugs. There are 27 MQI locations in 14 counties in the Republic of Ireland (see Figure 1). MQI aims to offer accessible, high-quality, and effective services to people dealing with homelessness and addiction to meet their complex needs in a non-judgemental and compassionate way. This article highlights services provided by MQI to people who used drugs in Ireland in 2024.1
Harm reduction services

The aim of harm reduction is to minimise the risks stemming from sharing drug paraphernalia. In 2024, a total of 2,956 unique clients were provided with 22,896 health-led, harm reduction interventions, including needle exchange, in MQI’s Riverbank Centre. A total of 433 safer injection training sessions were provided for clients, with the aim of reducing the physical harm caused by unsafe practices. In addition, 139 clients were trained in the use of the overdose reversal medicine naloxone. 

A visiting committee is appointed to each Irish prison under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act, 1925 and the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order, 1925. Members of the 12 visiting committees are appointed by the Minister for Justice for a term not exceeding 3 years. The function of prison visiting committees is to visit, at frequent intervals, the prison to which they are appointed and to hear any complaints that may be made to them by any prisoner. The committees report to the Minister for Justice regarding any abuses observed or found, and any repairs which they think are urgently needed. Prison visiting committee members have free access, either collectively or individually, to every part of the prison to which their committee is appointed. Information from prison visiting committee reports relating to drug use in prisons for 2024 is summarised below.1

Clondalkin Drug and Alcohol Task Force’s Prevention Lab was launched on 13 May 2026 by Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy 

The Prevention Lab is a school-based programme that takes a whole-school approach. It supports students, parents and educators to address drug and alcohol misuse, and it aims to create a supportive environment where prevention and early intervention are prioritised.

The latest report from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) on drug treatment demand in Ireland was published in May, providing statistics and trends on drug treatment cases, excluding alcohol.1 The publication includes data for the years 2017–2025.

The report outlines key findings on main problem drugs, sociodemographic characteristics, and health region of residence. It also focuses on three main themes: polydrug use, risk factors, and cocaine use.

Background

A report prepared by the Institute of Public Health for the Online Health Taskforce examined children’s engagement with marketing of specific health-harming products, namely: tobacco; e-cigarettes; alcohol; sunbeds; gambling; and high-fat, salt, sugar (HFSS) foods and drinks.1 For the purposes of this Drugnet article, we focus on alcohol marketing.

Introduction

Children in Ireland are highly engaged in digital environments from an early age, with common access to smartphones, social media, and online platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. This exposes them to extensive marketing of health-harming products, including alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, gambling, and unhealthy foods, despite legal restrictions on their sale to children. Digital marketing is sophisticated and often indistinguishable from regular content, appearing through advertisements, influencer endorsements, embedded promotions, and interactive features. As a result, children may not recognise it as marketing. 

Prevalence and current situation

School-level differences in self-harm and psychosocial problems associated with self-harm in adolescents
McEvoy D, Brannigan R, Healy C, Dooley N, Arensman E and Clarke M (2026) Ir. J. Psychol. Med. 
Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/45486/ 

Dual disorders: an overview
Torrens M, Fonseca F, Gonzalez-Saiz F and Mestre-Pintó J (2026) Ir. J. Psychol. Med. 
Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/45459/