Will Ireland Decriminalize Cannabis?
A debate about whether or not Ireland will decriminalize cannabis should take place early in the New Year, according to Forbes. A bill before Irish Parliament’s lower house aims to modify the country’s Misuse of Drug Act (1977) to allow adults over 18 to possess up to seven grams of cannabis or 2.5 grams of hash.
“I hope the Government can support this legislation,” said MP Gino Kenny. “It is timely. Different parts of the world are looking at different models which do not criminalize people and which take a harm-reduction approach. I look forward to the debate.”
However, whether or not this is a step towards legalization is still up for debate. The bill does not address many issues including, most glaringly, supply. Unlike countries like Canada that created regulations and a framework for the cannabis industry, the bill makes no allowances for producing, selling, or growing cannabis, including growing cannabis at home. So it seems that the illegal market will continue to thrive if Ireland were to decriminalize cannabis.
It is also unclear how much support the bill will get. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin showed concern for the dangers of cannabis.
“I think we have to be careful that we don’t glamorize cannabis either because there are real concerns within the health community and the medical community about what cannabis can do to young people,” Martin said.
He wants to ensure a healthcare-based approach. “I would prefer a system that decriminalizes in the sense that it were there to help people with challenges with harmful substances such as cannabis. Cannabis can do real harm too, to young people, and many people in the medical world have said that to me.
“I’ve been a strong advocate for the facilitation of medical cannabis for people,” he said.
Decriminalize Cannabis More About Stigma than Legalization – LPC
In that sense, if Ireland were to decriminalize cannabis, it would be more about reducing cannabis stigma than true legalization. That’s an approach many would like to see. One New York cannabis lawyer saw the system as unjust.
“If someone is having a problem from his or her use of drugs, I want to help them, not to lock them up,” Neal Wiesner said.
In that way, Ireland might be more like Amsterdam (without the coffeeshops) or Vancouver before cannabis legalization in Canada – tolerated, but not entirely legal.
The question then might not be, will Ireland decriminalize cannabis but will it eventually legalize it? Given the global trends, it seems that this might be a step in that direction.
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