The Ana Liffey Drug Project has called for the provision of medically supervised injecting centres (MSICs) in Dublin, to allow drug users to inject illegal drugs under medical supervision.

According to the project's director, Tony Duffin, ‘the level and nature of public injecting in Dublin city centre is seriously concerning', with discarded drug paraphernalia common on some streets.

"It's not good for anyone. People who inject drugs are at an increased risk of harm, as are members of the public, who shouldn't have to encounter public injecting. It's also damaging to the city's image and is not good for local businesses," he commented.

However, Mr Duffin insisted that MSICs would have an ‘immediate and visible impact'.

"I've visited the MSIC in Sydney, and it was amazing to see the difference it had made to the local community there. The streets were much, much, cleaner. It was a real eye opener. I spoke with drug users, business people, judges and politicians and everyone supported their MSIC," he explained.

He said that Dublin now needs to be ‘brave' and trial this innovative service, ‘otherwise things will just stay the same'.

The Ana Liffey Drug Project is a national addiction service, which aims to reduce drug-related harm in this country. For more information on it, click here