The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, has taken the next step towards delivering a new National Drugs Strategy. On Wednesday she attended the first meeting of a steering group that will oversee the drafting of a successor National Drugs Strategy (NDS) and a related two‑year action plan.
The steering group has been convened for a limited period and will work until December 2025. During that time it must produce the successor strategy and an action plan to support delivery. Its work will draw on several sources: recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use, the independent evaluation of the current strategy, feedback from stakeholder consultations and commitments in the government’s programme Securing Ireland’s Future. The group will also consider the EU drugs strategy and action plan.
To ensure a broad perspective, the steering group’s membership has been drawn from civil society, including people with lived experience, government departments, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Health Research Board (HRB) and international experts. Dr Sarah Morton, Director of the Community Partnership Drugs Programme and Assistant Professor in the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at University College Dublin, has been appointed as independent chair of the group. Dr Morton is widely recognised for her expertise in policy evaluation and addressing complex issues such as substance use and domestic violence, and she has been honoured with the European Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
In her remarks, Minister Murnane O’Connor said the forthcoming National Drugs Strategy will set out “an ambitious vision for preventing harmful drug and alcohol use, improving access to evidence‑based treatment services and supporting people’s recovery”. She emphasised that the strategy will also strengthen cooperation with EU member states, the British‑Irish Council and the Council of Europe.
The Minister expressed particular confidence in Dr Morton’s leadership, noting that she is highly respected within the sector and has previously served on the National Oversight Committee and chaired the Strategic Implementation Group . Murnane O’Connor said Dr Morton’s expert knowledge, experience and leadership skills will guide the steering group to focus on the right to health for all individuals, building on progress made under the Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery Strategy 2017 and the government’s response to the Citizens’ Assembly recommendations.
The steering group’s work will be informed by a recently published evaluation of the existing strategy, feedback gathered through stakeholder consultations, the government’s response to Citizens’ Assembly recommendations, and broader commitments within Ireland’s programme for government and the EU drugs strategy. By December 2025 the group is expected to deliver a draft successor National Drugs Strategy and an accompanying action plan for implementation.
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