Drug users in Ireland could soon have access to medically-supervised injecting rooms in a bid to reduce the number of fatal overdoses.

The country is also expected to move towards the decriminalization of small amounts of heroin, cocaine and cannabis for personal use.

The Irish capital has a serious drug problem. Sky News filmed people openly smoking heroin just off a main street. Others are publicly injecting it.

Tony Duffin, director of the Ana Liffey Drug Project, explained: "We conservatively estimate that around 400 individuals would be injecting in the public domain in any given month.

"But that's a conservative estimate. That number could be up in the thousands so we have a very serious problem with public injecting in Dublin city centre."

There are 90 medically-controlled injecting rooms in the world. No one has ever died in one. But drugs are claiming the equivalent of one life a day in Ireland.

Those caught in the cycle of addiction leave a trail of health hazards behind them - used needles, syringes and human excrement, one of the symptoms of withdrawal.

The paraphernalia can even be found in a lane running alongside the Department of Health, where they are devising a new policy to address the issue.

Aodhan O Riordain TD, the junior minister with responsibility for Ireland's national drugs strategy, wants a "humanitarian response".

He said: "Why don't we have an injecting centre, where you take people off the street into a warm, compassionate environment, medically supervised, to ensure people don't overdose, that they inject more safely, more cleanly?"

(Sky)