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THE DÁIL HAS defeated independent TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan’s motion for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in Ireland by eight votes to 111.
TDs had been debating the issue yesterday evening and today with many of them welcoming the broader debate on the ‘war on drugs’ in Ireland.
Speaking about his motion this evening, Flanagan cited a number of health reports that say the drug is not as harmful as is widely claimed and pointed to the potential tax revenue that legalisation would result bring in.
He said that if the 150,000 people that are currently estimated to be using cannabis spent €100 per month and paid 13 per cent tax, there would be a yield of €60 million a year for the Exchequer.
While most TDs were opposed to full legalisation of cannabis, many welcomed the wider debate on the country’s drug problems.
Fine Gael’s Paul Connaughton said that it was “very easy to knock” the idea of legalising cannabis but pointed out that the drug is “available the length and breadth of this country, in every town, in every village”.
He also accused some TDs of being “hypocrites” expressing opposition to this motion but having “no problem with people having a couple of pints before driving home”.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Flanagan said he was surprised by the reaction from his Dáil colleagues and that he “floated out of the debate yesterday without the use of any psychoactive substances”.
This evening, Health Minister James Reilly said the government will not be changing its policy and spoke about the “serious concerns about the health impacts” of cannabis use.
Most people who use cannabis smoke it and I am vehemently opposed to smoking.
Several TDs who are opposed to legalising the drug, including the minister, referred to it as a ‘gateway’ drug to more harmful substances.
Reilly said that he wants to see “more enforcement” and that the government wants to “present people with the opportunity to achieve a life without addiction.”
He also echoed the sentiments of Minister for State Alex White who spoke yesterday of the government’s plans to allow for the use of a cannabis-based medicine for people with Multiple Sclerosis.
However he commented that while most people agree with the drug being legalised for medical purposes, he said there is “no evidence” of any significant public support for a change in policy.
The seven TDs who voted with Flanagan on the motion were Richard Boyd Barrett, Joe Higgins, Thomas Pringle, Catherine Murphy, Joan Collins, Mick Wallace and Clare Daly.
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Holy good fcuk…!!!!!! Are Creighton and Eddie da hob actually serious!!!!! Who is going to vote in this pot pourri of dysfunction!!!!! Do they think the Irish public are that stupid or desperate!!
“Pot pourri of dysfunction” that’s brilliant. Have a pint in your local and charge it to my tab.
That won’t last long.
I hate the Sunday Independent, just saying………
I find Mr. Drennan a very entertaining writer .
I do find that he is very much detached from the political powerhouse that is rural Ireland – No-one saw Ming and Matt Carty sweeping Connacht Ulster with another Independent Marian Harkin – and that was before the Trichet Letter and his snubbing of our very Dail !
Water Protestors who are paying for everything can’t get into the Dail , but a a lad that took everything won’t go there when he should – that’s red rag to a bull stuff !
Besides that I think fair dues to him !
I wouldn’t agree with the politics of Renua but at least he ahs out his balls on the line and backed up his convictions – That is admirable and an addition to Renua.
Perhaps we can persuade him to jump ship to Gael Force …..
Vote No.1 Gael Force – “The wind that will blow the Whistle !”
It’s almost too easy once the Siteserv evidence came along !
This is the guy who said Gerry Adams had no chance of winning a seat in louth,
You have to wonder how low the standard of journalism has fallen in this country
is it more a case of hoping the flock follow an unbased opinion rather than any semblance in reality – It seems like that betimes ….
There is right wing then there is John Drennan. He’d cut the pay of our public servants to subsistance levels. Stay well clear of Renua.
He will be on the dole by the summer of next year after renua wind up.
I hope they don’t wind down – that will be some other charge or tax for a receiver in there and then we’ll have the inquiries and the tribunals and the commissions and the hair-splitting trial…………
“ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ”,………… Snored the D.P.P. and Attorney General in unison as Trichet slipped back to an ailing Germany …
Good riddance.
Was curious why there was not as much anti sf venom this week, good riddance to this d o b lacky.
John Drennan the man who predicted Gerry Adams wouldn’t take a seat in Louth …. Baa ha ha ha !!!! They are welcome to him .. He doesn’t have a clue .
The most obnoxious human being alive
Gravy train a calling!
R – Right Wing
E – Elitist
N – Nasty
U – Useless
A – Arrogant
C – can’t accept anything except fg
H – hates everyone except fg
R – right wing party hack
I – independent thinker….I think not
S – scared that some new ideas might actually upset the gravy train
Skippy the FG turncoat kangaroo?
Apart from John Waters….aaand David Quinn.
What d hell will matt Cooper do now he is fecken never off that prog
Maybe get a proper journalist on?
Just a thought.
He said the Fine Gael Labour coalition has “tried manfully” to bring about reform in Irish politics, but added: “As the old saying goes: ‘A lot done, a lot more to do.’”
^^ To be honest…with a statement like that…he must be doing drugs.
Wot a Laff!!!! :-D. Seriously, from Drennan’s outpourings in the Sunday Sh ite, I thought he was Joan Burton’s secret Lover ! Good luck with that, John.
In fairness to him though he is one of the few who write in Ireland and who have the wit to have brought Shakespeare with him into his writing …
always a good sign that believe it or not – a sign that the code is somewhat understood as it were !
Let’s face it, he’s changing jobs as the pay and benefits are obviously worth it.
Can’t see renua being of any future benefit to the people.
I hear he’s being paid though shared in Cape Verde island property companies.
I don’t agree with their policies on most things, and I think their notion of publishing cabinet meetings only weeks later would be a disaster
But at least they got together and did something, personally I think it’s the system itself thats broken not the parties per say, we need constitutional reforms, banking reforms, educational reforms, welfare reforms, ps reform…tinkering with Dail numbers won’t change a thing…but they did SOMETHING. What do most people who moan in this country do? Tweet something that will be forgotten in 10 min, moan in the pub…then 3/4 of you NEVER surprise us professionals and vote exactly the way we expect you to (take a look at the approval rating of the dail v the incumbency rate…). A lot of people out there have a lot to say, at least they’re doing something
When the PDs arrived they were clear about what they were, and as Mary Harney once told me some of their ideas were so radical “they thought we were mental” (told me this while informing me my own ideas were very ‘tame’ compared to back then, ideas I thought were radical…shows what I knew! I’ve since gotten much crazier with my ideas…like a fox). They were liberals, govt out of your pocket and out of your bedroom, across the board.
There is a huge gap between people who SAY they will support a new party and how they’ll actually vote, you can watch their support nosedive in focus groups when you ask follow ups like:
“what if it’s led by xyz / people from x y z parties”
“what if it’s pro-x / anti-x”
They like the idea as an abstraction, but when you get down to specifics the support fades. Most anoraks come back to me on this point of needing big new ideas with “most people don’t care about policy, they vote on emotional issues and irrational impulses” and while that’s depressingly true, I think most anoraks fail to spot the point that most don’t care about policy UNLESS IT’S AN AREA THAT AFFECTS THEM. So they don’t care about free college fees…until their grandsons mother losses everythin in the crash and he still wants to go to college…they don’t care about waiting lists until they’re on one etc..and a few well placed NEW ideas would really pull people in..but none of these parties, renua included are offering them, the cabinet meetings exxample shows how devoid of ideas they are
Who the f&ck are renua??? have i missed something !!
John Drennan started working for lucinda already as yesterday’s article about the Carlow/Kilkenny by-election was a basically Ruinua puff piece.
I have to admit, I didn’t see that coming. I am prepared to give the Party a chance and see what they have to offer
You won’t be the only one. I think Renua will win the election in Carlow-Kilkenny which will bolster support.
my god stephen dont say that around here! Anything new with new ideas is not welcome….
Good addition to the party, will be good influence come GE time. Momentum continues to build for Renua.
Not if your red thumbs are anything to go by…
Well given that thejournal is populated by some of the most extreme left wingers I don’t take too much notice of the thumbs, the audience here is far from representative of the broader electorate.
No one pays any notice to the extreme left wingers and SF trolls here, they bombard all social media and you can spot them a mile away.
Putin employs similarly minded supporters to fake favorable comments online and he pays them them equivalent of €100 a month.
Funny you should say that Patrick when there is no evidence of it yet there is evidence that FG were/are employing people in Bangladesh to do exactly what your accusing the left of. Sure youre not irish at all.
“Seamus” is one of the rabid shinner trolls who spams this website with pro SF/PIRA BS.
Could the left be right for a change
Dermot, i have never voted sf. I will change that at the next election. But come what may, you will always be the troll.
Sure thing Young James, you’re fooling nobody buddy.
Didn’t have to wait long for the negative knockers
Apt for a party full of tits.
SINDO hack jumps sinking ship and trys to spin the bullshit he’s been spinning for years in a new version of the same ship.
Good riddance – nasty, bitter piece of work. Hopefully Harris, O’Connor, Hanlon etc etc will all follow.
In other news brainfead paddy and Mary think the fiscal treaty was a good idea even though they voted to give away veto and fiscal budget control and got nothing in return ..conned.. Now paddy and Mary will vote for the chief co ordinator of yes campaign and all round federalist and eurofile Lucinda.. Monkey nuts for monkeys.
You are so far out there Skippy, you must be confusing me with another Chris.
John Drennan is not his real name
Beano is not yours.
He’s being paid in pastry.
That’s a real shame! A really great political commentator and was enjoying his weight loss diary every Sunday. Best of luck to him, journalism’s loss.
He’s a bar stool journalist who equates snide remarks with wit. He’ll feel right at home.
Meanwhile the recovery continues.
Ha ha ha that job will last
No surprise there.
Remus’ gain our loss best of luck JD
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