An expert group was established by the Minister for Health to develop a protocol for the prescribing of methadone, taking into consideration the registration of drug users and the licensing of general practitioners to treat drug users. The aims were to avoid double prescribing and inappropriate prescribing. Methadone therapy,
counselling and needle exchange were recognised as strategies for preventing the spread of HIV. To February 1993 there were 315 cases of AIDS reported in Ireland, 144 of which were drug-use-related, and of the 1,381 people who tested positive for HIV, almost half had used drugs.