Home > Ireland: national report for 2018 – legal framework.

The classification of drugs and precursors in Ireland is made in accordance with the three United Nations conventions of 1961, 1971, and 1988. Irish legislation defines the importation, manufacture, trade in and possession, other than by prescription, of most psychoactive substances as criminal offences. The principal criminal legislative framework is laid out in the Misuse of Drugs Acts (MDA) 1977–2016. Since the commencement of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, the legislation has been amended via statutory instruments (SIs) and regulations to accommodate the transient nature of drug-related crime. Alternatives to punishment are available in Ireland, for example, via community service orders, probation services, and drug treatment courts.