This Irish activist planted cannabis in front of the Prime Minister’s office – and he’s not done yet
Martin Condon may be notorious across Ireland for growing weed in public as a protest against the ban, but he actually started a campaign against cannabis.
As a teenager, he once confronted his cousin and told him to stop smoking weed right away or it would rot his brain. Then he repeated a bunch of propaganda he heard at school and absorbed through the media.
But Condon’s beliefs about cannabis weren’t very ingrained, as evidenced by the fact that the same cousin soon after convinced him to try it himself. Almost immediately, he felt benefits that went well beyond just getting high.
“I think it was the first time that I could really deal with my own thoughts,” Martin Leafly said recently in an interview from his home in the Irish city of Cork. “It grounded me and made me more present.”
Helped him with ADHD
More than a decade later, he now understands that many studies have shown that cannabis has definite benefits for people with ADHD, and there is an active community of people sharing anecdotal stories online. But all he knew then was that cannabis helped him think and function better.
Condon discovered that cannabis helped with his ADHD. Dozens of disputes with the law ensued.
Growing up in Cork, Ireland, however, the plant was (still is) illegal and his parents disagreed. So he kept his medical uses a secret.
“My mom even complimented me on improving my behavior and demeanor after I started smoking cannabis,” he recalls. “She said I was much calmer and more comfortable around me. So for two years there were many pluses and no problems. Until the law came into play. “
“The police brought the summons to my door”
Condon’s first of many clashes with the police occurred during a traffic stop.
Threatened with a thorough search of his vehicle, he admitted that he had kept a small amount of hash in the glove compartment. The police went on to “turn the car upside down” – they found nothing but the hash he had turned in – and then drove away “leaving me to put it all back together”.
Being arrested the first time did not put him in serious legal danger, but it turned out to be traumatic in an even more damaging way.
“When the police brought the summons to my door, they met my parents who didn’t like the fact that there was a patrol car in front of their house. It made them look like criminals in front of the neighbors, which caused a real division in my family. “
It was at this point that Condon began examining the successful legalization movements around the world and looking for ways to put things right.
Ireland remains a forbidden nation
Cannabis remains banned in Ireland under the Drug Abuse Act, with only narrow exceptions for medical use.
Ireland has severe penalties for growing and distributing cannabis.
Penalties for possession range from relatively minor fines to possible jail time for repeat offenders, with more severe penalties for cultivation and distribution.
In 2019 the Irish Minister of Health signed a law detailing eligibility requirements for the Irish Medical Cannabis Access Program, which currently only covers three conditions and is only open to patients who are unresponsive to “conventional” treatments. Lawmakers and activists across the country are working to both expand the medical access program and end the ban entirely.
Get to know herbalism
While graduating in Herbal Sciences, Condon volunteered with activist organizations such as Legalize Cannabis Ireland and Students for Sensible Drug Policy to educate lawmakers and the general public. He also created Martin’s World, a podcast on cannabis law and culture in Ireland.
Meanwhile, between the ages of 17 and 21, Condon estimates that the police stopped and searched him 100 times. On 12 occasions they caught him carrying a few grams of weed for personal use. The first 11 of these encounters did not result in a criminal conviction, but in April 2019 he was booked for cannabis worth over 10 euros.
“It is difficult to find a job now because I have a conviction on my file and because I am so open about the matter,” he said. “It can be very tedious and stressful to be an activist. I’ve seen many people burned out from it. But for me I could never give up after being treated like that. ”
Support of activist Alicia Maher
Initially, Condon wanted to protest his criminal conviction by smoking a joint in front of the police station. But then he imagined a better way to say the same thing without getting arrested again.
First, he bonded with a friend who happened to have six cannabis plants on hand. He then printed special garden labels with the hashtags #PatientsforSafeAccess – relating to Patients for Safe Access, where he was local director – and #BringAliciaHome, highlighting the story of Irish cannabis activist Alicia Maher.
Condon first heard of Maher’s public campaign for access to medicinal cannabis when she called on a local radio show in Cork. After a failed operation, she had suffered serious complications for years, as described on Lunchtime Live:
Alicia took 30 [prescription pills] a day to treat her chronic pain in the years following the complications of tonsil removal at age 17. She then had three neck operations, and in the hospital, she suffered intestinal bleeding and then her colon burst. A pouch was placed in her stomach to be removed after five years, but precancerous cells have since been discovered in her rectum that she had to have removed. While recovering, she developed MRSA and it took two years for the wound to heal.
Maher lived a life of painful surgeries and interventions for years. Then in 2018 she tried cannabis and everything changed. Cannabis took away her debilitating chronic pain and helped her completely wean opioids.
She applied for Ireland’s extremely restrictive medical cannabis program and organized a symposium at Limerick University on the medicinal benefits of the plant. Ultimately, Maher had to move to Spain to have safe and affordable access to cannabis.
Almost two years later, she stays in Spain – hence the hashtag calling on the Irish government to change their laws and bring them home.
Go public in a big way
After Condon created the hashtagged garden tags to highlight Maher’s story, he could have committed his acts of civil disobedience anonymously. But he decided from the start to put his name behind the act.
“I did it live on Facebook so there was no hiding. I wanted to make sure that my testimony would get out. “
– Martin Condon
“I did it live on Facebook so there was no hiding,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I got what I said about why I did it. Which is basically because these laws cause far more damage than this plant ever could. “
He filmed himself transplanting six cannabis plants into a garden box outside a local coffee shop and encouraged people to snap photos of them and share the hashtags.
Despite a lot of online attention, the plants stayed in place for two weeks. Then the Irish Times contacted Martin for an interview. After that, they called the local police for an offer to respond.
“The plants were removed within half an hour of that call,” recalls Condon. “Someone sent me a photo of the police running away with the plants. So I asked my buddy if he had more plants to donate and he said, “Yeah, I do.”
Condon planted cannabis in front of Cork City Hall and the Prime Minister’s Office in Dublin “to send a direct message to those responsible that they need to address this issue”.
Opening of a national discussion
He managed to attract public attention and spark a substantial national discussion on legalization and the need to expand medical access. A national politician even came out to support a medical cannabis rally that Condon organized after growing cannabis in front of his office.
“I can’t agree with them planting the plants, but I can understand that sometimes you do things to raise awareness, and if it raises awareness and gets it over the line, it may be worth it” Senator Pat Casey told Sunday World. “The plants weren’t there too long before they were removed by the council. Nobody was harmed. “
Tremendous support for medical marijuana
Despite a recent poll that found that only 4% of Irish people oppose the medicinal use of cannabis, the Irish government has been excruciatingly slow on this issue. But an upcoming citizens’ meeting on the matter could help move things forward. The rising tide of public support keeps Condon optimistic as he continues to plant his guerrilla gardens.
“I’m not alone with this anymore,” he said. “Every day I get pictures of people who have planted plants with the same hashtags near where they live. Plants are sprouting up all over Ireland. “
David beehive
Seasoned cannabis journalist David Bienenstock is the author of “How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High” (2016 – Penguin / Random House) and co-host and co-creator of the podcast “Great Moments in Weed History.” Abdullah and Bean. ”Follow him on Twitter @pot_handbook.
View David Beehive’s articles
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