The Department of Health has begun the process of developing the successor to the national drugs strategy Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery: A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025.1 The strands of work informing this process include:

• The findings and recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use and the views of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use 2,3
• An independent evaluation of Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery and its action plans
• Consultations with stakeholders on key themes relating to the new strategy
• The commitments made in the 2025 Programme for Government 4
• Developments in the European Union’s (EU’s) Drugs Strategy and Action Plan (which also expire in 2025). 5

Most of these strands have been covered in previous issues of Drugnet Ireland.6-10 Brief descriptions of the two elements that have not yet been covered in this publication are outlined below.

Evaluation of the national drugs strategy 2017-2025

An independent evaluation of the national drugs strategy and its action plan is being carried out by Grant Thornton. The evaluation will explore the impact of the strategy; the effectiveness of the governance and coordination structures that underpin the strategy; the performance of the strategy in relation to key outcome indicators; and the coherence and synergies between the national strategy and relevant international responses. It is expected to be completed by the end of Q2 2025.

Consultations with stakeholders

The Department of Health convened in-person consultations with over 250 stakeholders. Independent consultants were responsible for facilitating and reporting on each session. The themes examined during these consultations were the priorities for the new strategy; the planning and delivery of drugs services in the Health Service Executive (HSE) health regions; the lived and living experience of people who use drugs and their families; the development of the drugs workforce; and drug prevention.

Minister’s comment on the process

In concluding her response to a question on the development of the new drugs strategy in the Seanad on 4 March 2025, the Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane-O’Connor, said:

The new strategy will set out an ambitious vision for preventing drug use, improving access to evidence-based treatment services and supporting people’s recovery from drug use. It will also strengthen co-operation with EU member states, the British–Irish Council and the Council of Europe in addressing the challenges of illicit drug use. It is my intention to engage with the Oireachtas in implementing this new strategy because I am conscious that we need to have cross-party support for it. We all need to work together on this.11

1    Department of Health (2017) Reducing harm, supporting recovery: A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025. Dublin: Department of Health. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/27603/

2    The Citizens’ Assembly (2024) Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use. Volume 1. Dublin: The Citizens’ Assembly. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/40393/

3    Joint Committee on Drugs Use (2024) Joint Committee on Drugs Use Interim Report. Dublin: Houses of the Oireachtas. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/42080/

4    Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Independent TDs (2025) Draft programme for Government 2025: securing Ireland’s future. Dublin. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/42537/

5    Council of the European Union (2020) EU drugs strategy 2021-2025. Brussels: Council of the European Union. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/33750/

6    Dillon L (2024) Final report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use. Drugnet Ireland, 87 (Winter Supplement): 2–12. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/40651/

7    Dillon L (2024) Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use. Drugnet Ireland, 89 (Autumn): 13–14. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/42091/

8    Dillon L (2025) New Programme for Government and Minister for the National Drugs Strategy. Drugnet Ireland, 90 (Winter): 8. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/42796/

9    Dillon L (2021) Publication of EU Drugs Strategy 2021–2025. Drugnet Ireland, 77 (Spring): 7–11. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/34279/

10  Dillon L (2021) EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025: policy areas, themes, and strategic priorities. Drugnet Ireland, 77 (Spring): 1–6. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/34280/

11  Seanad Éireann debate: Tuesday, 4 Mar 2025, Health strategies. Available from:
https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/43341/