The Irish Pharmacy Union has added its voice to those calling for the decriminalisation of drugs for personal use.
At its national conference over the weekend the union voted in favour of a motion calling for the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use to be treated as a health rather than as a criminal issue.
The forthcoming National Drug Strategy, to be published later in the summer by the Minister of State for drugs, Catherine Byrne, will also call for such a move.
Proposing the motion at the conference on Saturday, IPU President, Daragh Connolly, said addressing the drug crisis was "a balancing act" between preventing illicit drug use and ensuring those with addiction problems could access treatment.
"The World Health Organisation has acknowledged that people with drug disorders deserve the same level of care as patients with any other health condition. Health services need to be able to identify drug use and drug use disorders at an early stage and provide prevention, treatment and harm reduction interventions," said Mr Connolly.
