Irish lawmakers are introducing legislation to legalize cannabis

An Irish lawmaker introduced legislation last week to legalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use. The law was introduced on Thursday by Gino Kenny, a lawmaker known as Teachta Dála (TD) and a member of Ireland’s People Before Profit political party. If passed, the law would legalize possession of up to seven grams of cannabis and 2.5 grams of cannabis resin for personal use.

Kenny’s bill would amend Ireland’s Drug Abuse Act, which has been in place since the 1970s, to apply to adults aged 18 and over. Kenny said he expects further debate on the proposed legislation to take place next year.

“The bill is quite moderate. It changes existing laws that date back 42 years,” Kenny said during a recent debate in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament. “42 years is a very long time. I believe that the existing legislation is outdated and outdated. We need a different narrative around drug reform.”

“I hope the government can support this legislation,” he continued. “It’s contemporary. Different parts of the world are exploring different models that do not criminalize people and take a harm reduction approach. I look forward to the debate.”

Lawmakers say criminalization doesn’t work

In an op-ed explaining the legislation released on November 24, Kenny said that “current criminalization laws are not working,” noting that many countries in Europe and beyond have reformed their cannabis policies or are in the process of doing so .

Although the text of the law states that possession of up to seven grams of cannabis by adults aged 18 and over “should be legal,” Kenny called the legislation a decriminalization measure. Lawmakers said the legislation would change Ireland’s unsuccessful policy of total cannabis prohibition.

“[E]Despite being illegal in Ireland, we can see that the use of cannabis has increased. Ireland has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the EU,” Kenny wrote. “Almost 30% of adults aged 15-64 in Ireland say they have used cannabis at least once in their lifetime, while 17% of the adult population have used cannabis in the last 12 months – more than double the European average of 7 %.”

Lawmakers noted that under the proposal, criminal penalties for possession of cannabis would be abolished at low levels, but the plant would remain illegal. The cultivation and sale of marijuana would still be banned, meaning the illicit market will continue to be the source of cannabis for most consumers.

Although Kenny’s bill is likely to stimulate debate about cannabis reform in Ireland, whether or not it will succeed is another matter. In an interview with the Irish Independent, Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned that proposed legislation could make cannabis more desirable.

“I think we have to be careful not to glorify cannabis because there are real concerns in the health community and the medical community about what cannabis can do to young people,” he said, adding that he would support better healthcare – based approach to addiction and warned of the potential harms of cannabis.

“I would prefer a system that decriminalizes in the sense that it’s there to help people with challenges with harmful substances like cannabis,” Martin said. “Cannabis can be really harmful to young people too, and a lot of people in the medical world have told me that. That’s just a concern I have. I am a strong advocate of making medicinal cannabis easier for people.”

Medicinal cannabis is legal in Ireland, although each patient must obtain a permit from the National Department of Health. Kenny said his proposal would end the ban on cannabis for all users, a position supported by his party.

“People Before Profit is totally opposed to the criminalization of cannabis users,” he wrote in his comment. “We believe that the ban should end and that proper investigations into the benefits of regulation should be conducted by authorities independent of corporate influence.”