I don’t know what is going to get us out of this morrasse. I only know that Noonan is either extremely ill-informed, or lying, if he says a) that marajuana has no therapeutic use and b) that it’s a ‘gateway’ drug. Noonsense. Why would he do it though? There seems to be a large element of fear in even approaching the subject of any drug legalisation apart from alcohol. I imagine that it’s because so much of the economy is skewed around legislation and law enforcement that puts one set of people on one side of a line and the rest on the other, and in that sense I agree with the above comment: racism is one element. Here in Ireland, it’s the strange reverence for gangs, and the assurance that so much of our resources must continuously be poured into that gaping mouth of ‘organised, gangland crime’. Why? Who’s in the pay of whom? Legalisation would be cheaper, would allow us to look at the problem rationally, and would allow us to deal with it, rather than just playing some weird, endless, expensive game of cops and robbers, and ruining all those lives that get caught up in the cogs through the sex industry, human trafficking, gun-running, and so on. It would be wonderful if politicians in this country could, just for once, have enough spine to stand up and take responsibility for this. Agree to look into and legislate for legitimate research into therapeutic effects. And if necessary (as I’m sure it will be) change legislation according to the findings of that research. You’ll free us yet, Paddy!
from Lucy Bingham McAndrew