The need for a replacement illicit drug after the prohibition of alcohol ended and the paper and cotton industry didn’t help either!

Another big reason for government reluctance to legalise is due to the fact that it can be home grown, and with huge revenue for the taxation of alcohol it would reduce the amount generated from alcohol sales.

Here’s some figures from alcohol Ireland of the cost of alcohol related harm…

Estimated €3.7 billion ‘hangover’ in alcohol-related health and crime costs:
Each tax payer picking up an estimated €3,318 a year tab*

a 30% reduction in alcohol- related harm would result in a cost saving to the Exchequer of €1 billion’
‘If we reduced alcohol-related harms by 30%, we would save 30 lives per month and 600
overnight hospital admissions per day’
Chief Medical Officer of Ireland, Dr. Tony Holohan

The net benefit of being more tolerant to the safer drugs than alcohol would be huge! and no everyone won’t end up in insane asylums as a high CBD strain of cannabis is a super effective anti-pyscotic as well as anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory etc. the list of benefits is too long to go on.

A former government adviser on drugs has told MPs that alcohol consumption would fall by as much as 25% if Dutch-style cannabis “coffee shops” were introduced in Britain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jun/19/david-nutt-alcohol-cannabis-cafes

Hi Aoife,
Why was my comment removed with the link to the documentary showing the facts about cannabis??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSKJrgGqx_E

Hi Toirealach – your comment was removed because it was off-topic. However, it was commented on afterwards by someone who saw it just before it was removed, and now there is an entire thread of off-topic comments!
This piece is about an arrest and not about the benefits/drawbacks to the legalisation of cannabis.

Thanks
Aoife

I think it is on topic to talk about the legislation on cannabis, these men were arrested because it is illegal many disagree with this happening.

Are we supposed to talk about the trip they had in the back of a squad car in order to keep on topic?

Pat, I think you know the answer to your latter question.

Thanks,
Aoife

I find that very strange to be honest Aoife. This piece is about two men who got arrested for growing a plant (cannabis) that people don’t understand, so do you not think it would help if people understood the truth about cannabis???.

Hi, it’s not strange. Here’s our comments policy: http://www.thejournal.ie/comments-policy/ (see point number 2)
Should we have an article on growing cannabis (as opposed to an article about someone being arrested for growing it), then comments on it would be more appropriate then, I feel.
This story is not about the merits or not of growing cannabis, or whether people ‘understand’ it or not.
I hope you understand where I’m coming from,
Thanks
Aoife

Seems people disagree with you Aoife…

In any case even if its off topic(which it is not) I have seem many comment that were completely unrelated to articles that were never removed why is this any different?

I’m sorry Aoife but I don’t understand, how can you not see that this documentary is directly related to your story? I just read your policy and I didn’t break your rule. What did you expect people to talk about after reading a story where you mention cannabis twice and have a big picture of a cannabis plant???? Have a look at the documentary yourself when you get a chance so you understand what I mean, take care :-)

I love the misuse of drugs act. How can you misuse a plant. Its comical.

Why should criminal’s be allowed to make a fast buck while every other decent individual is out working breaking their backs and struggling with bills and loans.

Have you read the reddit page with the guard answering questions. someone asked him why there is so much emphasis on busting grow-ops instead of concentrating on the really destructive drugs- heroin, cocaine, meth.
his reply was that its very often a numbers game for the higher-ups. It reminds me of the like of rawls and burrell in the wire.

This is a proven non lethal, anticarcinogen which provide relief to people with permanent pain, chronic migrans and has huge list of its other benefits. I am anti pharmaceuticals to I may be bias.

In any case I would much prefer to be able to buy it from a legal source, but sadly that’s just not the case here. I work the same as everyone else and where I spend my hard earned money is my prerogative.

Ya i agree with you heroin and cocaine are more destructive to society but cannabis is still listed in the misuse of drugs act along with them and the guards are only doing their job. If people have a problem with them busting grow houses they should get onto their local TD’s and campaign for it.

Sadly it is one of those taboo issues in politics, as its very hard to tell what the general consensus on it is for a TD…

The Gardai enforce the law, hey don’t make it. It’s not their decision to choose to arrest cannabis-growers or dealers or not, no matter what they personally think is a better or more productive use if their time. If a shop sells cigarettes, and you think cigarettes shouldn’t be legal, do you blame the the person standing behind the counter for it?

I never said the Gardai wanted to enforce the laws against weed, on the contrary I believe many of them see it as a unnecessary battle comparatively to other, more lethal drugs in the country…