Legalizing cannabis in Ireland? – Hemp | weed | marijuana

Ireland is the latest European country to take a step closer to legalizing cannabis. The bill, introduced by a member of the People Before Profit Party, would legalize cannabis possession for adults over the age of 18.

However, the bill does not include the sale or cultivation of cannabis. It’s more decriminalization than commercialization of the industry. The bill says possession of up to seven grams should be “legal,” though there’s no commercial market.

A senior government official is skeptical that the bill will become law. At the moment it is in the lower chamber of the Irish legislature.

“I hope that the government can support this law. 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,” said Gino Kenny, the politician who introduced the bill.

How soon will cannabis legalization come to Ireland?

Cannabis ban in Ireland

The illegality of cannabis in Ireland dates back to the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1934, which made Ireland one of the first countries to ban cannabis (three years ahead of the United States).

And like the United States, legalizing cannabis in Ireland can be an uphill battle. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, in response to the popularity of cannabis, the Irish government cracked down by imposing tougher penalties.

Even today, if the police catch you “dealing” with a large quantity of cannabis, you can face up to 10 years in prison.

Despite what the laws say, attitudes and tolerance have adjusted over the past twenty years. This isn’t the first time politicians in Ireland have introduced legislation to legalize cannabis.

In 2013, an application was made to legalize cultivation, possession and a commercial market. However, within the Irish legislature, only eight people voted in favour, with 111 voting for the ban to continue.

MMJ in Ireland

In 2016, Gino Kenny introduced a private member’s bill to legalize medicinal cannabis. (The same politician who introduced the latest legislation legalizing cannabis in Ireland).

The government was cautious but pressed on. In two years, the Irish government has only approved two dozen medicinal cannabis licences.

It was only in June 2019 that medical cannabis became legal in Ireland. The Minister of Health set up a new program that gave patients easier access by allowing them to buy cannabis from a pharmacy. It also expanded the criteria for who is eligible for medicinal cannabis.

The government called it a “last resort” measure as patients traveled to countries like the Netherlands to get medical cannabis.

Legalize cannabis in Ireland When?

There is still resistance to legalizing cannabis in Ireland. Irish Prime Minister fears legalization would ‘glorify’ cannabis use.

“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 told the media.

Also, the current Irish government is a coalition of different parties, none of which have a unified (or even positive) stance on the legalization of cannabis in Ireland.

However, if legalization of cannabis in Ireland becomes a reality, it will likely suffer the same excesses of bureaucracy that stifled cannabis legalization in Canada.

For example, the Prime Minister of Ireland said: “Cannabis can really harm young people too, and a lot of people in the medical world have told me that. That’s just a concern I have.”

Translation: Cannabis may not benefit young adults. Ergo, instead of acknowledging that people have a right to bodily autonomy, I will heed public health advice and proceed with harmful prohibitions or bureaucratic decriminalizations.

It’s the same story no matter where you go. An undemocratic public health order violates your right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On a positive note, the Irish government has announced a citizens’ meeting on drug use in 2023. If enough people express their desire for a classically liberal, legal market, legalizing cannabis in Ireland could be here sooner or later.