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KNOWN AS THE Prince of Pot in the US and Canada, Marc Emery will begin a tour of Ireland’s universities tomorrow to kick-start a discussion on possible reforms of the country’s drug laws.
The cannabis activist has just emerged from a five-year prison sentence following his extradition to the United States for selling mail-order cannabis seeds from Canada.
Based in Vancouver, he has set up the Cannabis Culture Magazine, Pot TV, the BC Marijuana Policy, and Marc Emery’s Cannabis Culture Headquarters.
Along with his wife, Liberal Party candidate Jodie Emery, he campaigns for the legalisation of marijuana. The couple claims that current prohibition policy “enriches gangs while costing taxpayers billions of dollars to enforce, with no clear benefit to society”.
Emery will be joined by Dr João Goulão for the talks in Dublin, Galway and Cork. The Portuguese policy expert was part of the committee that advised its government to decriminalise the personal possession of all drugs in 1999. That advice led to major legal reform to allow people to carry up to 10 days worth of drugs without criminalisation (there can still be fines and other sanctions issued).
Using or possessing drugs is still illegal in Portugal, but there are no criminal penalties involved for users. Essentially, users can carry around about one gram of heroin, or two grams of cocaine without reproach.
A former family physician, Dr Goulão is also been the Chairman of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and a delegate for the annual United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
He says that criminalisation wasn’t working in Portugal prior to 2000 so they decided that this way might help the country get its drug problem under control.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, the doctor said the current trends in Portugal are “quite positive” despite the economic hardships that much of the population are under.
“Even if we are facing some problems, now we think, looking back it was a good decision.”
However, he warned that decriminalisation is not a “silver bullet”.
“It is not magic,” he insisted, explaining that it was just one aspect of a variety of complex policies which looked at addiction, treatment and prevention.
He said his talk will focus on how Portugal got to where it today, while trying to help policymakers become more informed.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ireland has organised the events in Ireland with an “an aim to give a comparative analysis of policy internationally”, according to secretary Graham de Barra.
“We want to look at how drug policy is evolving internationally. And ask, ‘Is there a better way?’”
He says that the group is just providing the medium for the discussion but has not yet drawn out any conclusions.
Emery takes the idea “a little further”, suggests de Barra. He advocates for licensed premises to sell drugs, a step that de Barra says could be “interesting to explore”.
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I work, study, exercise regularly and enjoy a spliff at the end of the day. I have never experienced any of alleged side effects. I suffer from depression though which is unrelated to cannabis. I know this because I suffered before I started smoking and whenever I feel a bit down I usually exercise or have a spliff. My question is why should I be punished by in my opinion unjust and immoral laws when I am doing no harm to anyone but myself with a herb that helps me? and I may add I’m only doing harm to myself because I use tobacco in my spliffs. If anyone can give me a logical answer to that question I’d love to hear and debate it.
+1
Hope to see you at one of the events
I’ll be into the Twisted Pepper after work tomorrow!
Buzzbarton I suffer also from depression but I treat it mostly without medication. Its been very much under control the number of years with just some relapses here & there. I do not smoke cannabis for the reason im worried it may have an negative affect on me. I have friends that smoke it in small sensible amounts & wish me to do the same. I have tried the internet for advice on it but without much luck. Could you perhaps point me to something.
Unfortunately MJ it’s hard to find good sativa strains in Dublin where I Live. I try to avoid Indica’s when I’m feeling a bit down because I find I get locked with my thoughts sometimes. I recommend you ask your friends to try get you a nice sativa of some sort or if your willing to grow it yourself you should look into it. I find when I smoke Sativa it just fills my head with positive thoughts, makes me loose any sense of worry or negativity I previously might of had. And yes smoking it in moderation I find is key. I was taking anti-depressants for several years and they turned me into a zombie and made me worse. I stopped taking them and it was the best decision I ever made. I don’t consistently suffer anymore but it comes and goes.
He sounds brilliant, very sensible approach to the subject
It certainly seems to have worked for Portugal.
At the very least they have shown that a lot of the claims by those who would oppose decriminalisation have not proved true.
Of course treatment for any drug abuse needs to be available too.
Decriminalization is the right way to go. Get it regulated, get it taxed
If you want real tax revenue then you want full legalisation not decriminalisation. Decrimalisation still means illegal production and sale, just no criminal charges for possession. Decriminalisation is a bit crazy as it recognises a market, but still does little to provide for that market legally.
He gets a thumbs up from me
Linda where are the abortions clinics in Ireland?
Belfast Stephen I believe
What does decriminalizing cannabis have to do with abortion clinics?
Alcohol is the biggest drug in Ireland and destroys more peoples lives than any other drug.
@ Keenan
Belfast is not in this country and she said “What a joke of a country ….” So your answer still does not answer my question.
Drug shops… commonly known as off-licences..
stephen
belfast is in this country you absolute clown
Linda, if your not happy leave
My relations died in 1916 for this country…I am not going anywhere
@ Truthy Truth
Belfast is the Island of Ireland and is in Northern Ireland, while the Republic of Ireland can be commonly referred to as Ireland. Since this article only mentions universities in the Republic of Ireland, it would not be wrong to assume when this article mentions Ireland it is referring to the Republic of Ireland. So in this instance Belfast is not in Ireland. Also Linda mentions Labour which, as far as I am aware is not in power in Northern Ireland and is in the Republic of Ireland. So from her mention of Labour I assumed she was talking about the country of the Republic of Ireland.
linda you made yourself look a right tit there.
Your relations are probably made up just like yourself Finbarr
I’m a student in UCC and I got my ticket for this last week. I can’t wait!! :)
It’s not possible to have a decent debate in this country about the decriminalisation with muppet comments like “sick of these junkie stoners” and “more
Drug driving deaths” ridiculous statement. People drink and drive even though it’s legal you clown
Legalise it, tax it, and have the post office deliver it. Three problems solved at once. – Jimmy Kimmel
You’re right there Linda. Canada is a joke of a country. Stoopid Canadian Labour Party too, not like our enlightened little Emerald Isle !
It is great to see Marc Emery bounce right back to Cannabis activism after 5 years of hell known as United States prison. He does not seem to miss a beat, and considering the Ireland tour, he is taking his message worldwide. It looks like something positive may have come out of 5 seemingly wasted years… a great strategy to spread the good word.
Whats this mans view on the issues of changing the laws in California. Im not a big fan of making this product readily available to the public. I do however recognise that this is a good debate to have but only on an non biased basis. I will support decriminalisation of it in conjunction with legislation for state sponsored treatment for people that get into difficulty with all substance abuse. I would also like to see existing laws ramped up for people that supply minors with aqain all substances. We have a bad reputation in this country with even legal substances & its families that are left holding the can. Lets do this properly & make sure we can protect those that cant protect themselves.
Cant beat a joint & a cup of tea to unwind tis the job
The very people who want it legal will be the ones ranting when unemployment goes up and deaths on our road go up.Do you honestly think it will stop crime?Look at cigarettes!They will begin smuggling cheaper weed laced with god knows what.We have enough alcoholism to deal with in this country,it destroys families,just as weed does.We need innovation in this country,not another means of escaping realities.Just my opinion.
Calm down man, have a smoke
I think you’ll find very
Little cannabis herb is “smuggled”into Ireland. It’s all grown here!!!
When is anyone on the Journal ever calm about anything?..
You are assuming usage of cannabis rises under decriminalisation when there is no evidence that suggests that. They already are smuggling weed laced with god-knows-what.
Keenan, I think the problem at the moment is that we have made criminals out of over 100,000 people in Ireland for cannabis offenses, and that is completely unsustainable. Whatever about its production, sale and supply, cannabis users should not be part of the criminal justice system. This is a public health issue
@SSDPIreland
Keenan please look at statistic for colorado. It shows a reduction in unemployment following legalisation. Fact is all those sick days are from alcohol. 10,000 plus jobs en counting from colorado legalisation. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
I didn’t know the figue was 100,000 Seán,that’s staggering,depressing really.I feel a sense of empathy for these people trying to escape something in their lives.These people need help,not criminalisation,I don’t feel making it full blown legal will aid the situation though.
Kevin do you honestly think this country could handle weed?We have ridiculous alcohol consumption rates,and suddenly it’s a great idea to bring another substance that gives similar effects to Ireland?I don’t feel Ireland could deal with it,we are not like the Netherlands,or Colorado.They had to close down numerous places of weed distribution in proximity to schools in the Netherlands due to students coming into school stoned,and getting high in the toilets.I’m not doubting Irelands ability,I’m worried about this feeling that “Oh people will be responsibile with it”.Road deaths will sky rocket.I’m not doubting it’s potentials for taxing,I just don’t feel it’s a step in the right direction for Ireland.
Well I would much prefer to see the multi-billion euro cannabis industry go into education, treatment and prevention than into the hands of John Gilligan. We are wasting precious Garda, court and expensive free-legal aid time everyday. Cannabis is less dangerous, less addictive and less expensive than alcohol and tobacco. Regulating cannabis for personal use might see a situation where people use less alcohol (and maybe less road accidents?). Dr. David Nutt in the UK reckons alcohol consumption would fall by over 10% if we regulated cannabis for personal use. At the end of the day, this is my body and my consciousness. I don’t smoke often, but if I do, that’s my business. And I don’t see how I’m a criminal for choosing to do so. Neither are the other 100,000+ people with criminal records in Ireland, and the millions of others around the world. Let’s move into the 21st century already and repudiate their criminal convictions.
Maybe not import Michael,but grow their own and sell it on on an informal basis.Similar to organic growing and farmers markets.There would be no tax money off that?
“Give similar effects” – what??
“The very people who want it legal will be the ones ranting when unemployment goes up and deaths on our road go up”
You mean socially conscious people?
Keenan, do you not realise that the country already has weed? It already exists here regardless of its legal status. Changing the law doesn’t actually mean all of a sudden everyone’s stoned, if people wanna get high, it really isn’t that hard to go about doing anywhere in the country.
Of course I realise this I live in Celbridge,an area plighted with it and because of my age you get people trying to sell it to you,every sort of disciple does.I find it wrong that people deny the social problems it creates,I know of families torn apart because of sons who have lost the will to live without weed and husbands who can think of nothing else but it.Yes of course I realise this is in a minority of cases but that doesn’t stop them from happening.I realise it’s medicinal potential but it was cost a fairly hefty amount of money to put in place a system whereby only those who need it rather than those looking to use it recreationally get access to it.
its still gets smoked here regardless of if its illegal or not ya fool
@keenan road deaths at historic low in Colorado
When Colorado legalized weed more than a year ago, opponents of the move warned that crime would rise. But half a year after the first sales of recreational marijuana began, the state’s biggest city has yet to see an increase in criminal activity.
During the first six months of 2014, violent crime in the city and county of Denver was down 3 percent from the same period in 2013, according to the most recent available data. Three of the four main categories of violent crime that are tracked in the data — homicide, sexual assault and robbery — are all down from the same six-month stretch last year. Aggravated assault, the fourth category, is up 2.2 percent.
Burglaries and robberies at the city’s dispensaries of medical and/or recreational marijuana are on track to hit a three-year low, according to a separate report from Denver’s Department of Safety, first reported by The Denver Post.
Overall, property crime in the city is down by more than 11 percent from the same six-month period of 2013.
I totally agree with Buzz Baron and Co . It’s completely daft if we don’t legalise it . I wonder would all those against it be so vocal if we didn’t have to pay property or water tax , because the amount of tax made from legalising weed would cover these costs , the country is in shite , why not trial it for 5 years with a before and after independent analysis , anyone in doubt of the benefits of this wonderful product , check out Rick Simpson on Facebook or his website , Would you call a 5 year child a junkie for curring her brain tumour in 3 months with cannabis oil ??? I think not , I’m all in favour of it .
we decriminalized some drugs inside our house, (but prohibited alcohol and tobacco). it has been much better and it should be rolled out across the state.
Cannabis is a big deal in our society, yet it is criminalized. Criminalizing something that needn’t be is to sabotage that thing or the people associated with it. Cannabis is here regardless of prohibition and it’s best if we work toward policy that embraces that fact.
His parents must be so proud… Most people being in prison would have taught them some sense and forced them to grow up. This guy has a criminal conviction why are we letting him into our country?
I don’t tend to begrudge people doing what they want as long as its only themselves they are harming and their own lives they are wasting… I also recognise that for most of these people it’s simply a teenage/early 20′s phase they will grow out of when they gain some responsibility in life and get a good scare of where they’ll wake up in 10 years time if they don’t.
Exactly
I know tons of people who are well above 40 and successful that enjoy cannabis. I also know people who use cannabis for its medical benefits so your comment is a touch ridiculous.
This clown should spend more time in prison.
How dare he set up a legal business and pay tax and employ people! We should spent more public money incarcerating him in a foreign prison because that makes perfect sense, just like criminalising people for using something natural. Nature, Illegal? Derp.
Yup kid ‘natural’ ….as natural as the cocaine from coca leaves and the heroine from poppies, nicotine from tobacco, and alcohol from any grain or fruit…
What can’t you use that argument to justify smoking, snorting or injecting into yourself?
The thing is Drew all of the above have processes behind them and all of the above can be fatal.
Unless you can smoke something like 20,000 spliffs in 15 minutes you cant have a fatal overdose.
Humans have always and will always use drugs. Drug use occurs in the animal kingdom also. That’s nature.
Does it benefit our society to convict people for being of the drug-using persuasion (practically everyone), meaning that they can’t secure work, may lose their children, etc., just because the drug they like, are dependent on, or in the case of medical cannabis, need, is illegal?
Prison for what exactly?
Cannabis is a big deal in our society, yet it is criminalized. Criminalising something that needn’t be is to sabotage that thing or the people associated with it. Cannabis is here regardless of prohibition and it’s best if we work toward policy that embraces that fact.
Orla against pot, good luck with that one.
If anyone would like to come along to the Twisted Pepper in Dublin tomorrow night, there are some tickets left – http://www.bodytonicmusic.com/events/marc-jodie-emery-irish-welcome-party-hosted-by-ssdp/
you have the right to dislike cannabis and so not do it. now, what’s that got to be be with me?
To all the kill joys, i could say go to Colorado, but you needn’t as it’s coming our way. Run into a public house and console yourselves?
If you read the washington post article kevin it says that overall deaths are down but the percentage of drivers causing fatal collisions that are stoned on pot increased…and yes i got that from a pro-pot article to prove a point that facts are facts regardless of who they come from. But there’s no point showing facts to ignorant junkies like you anyway…you people are a waste of energy…..
Once you use terms such as ‘junkie’, you cannot expect to be taken seriously. try again.
Try again Orla…”As you can see, roadway fatalities this year are down from last year, and down from the 13-year average.”
of course, but same can be said for taking many prescribed drugs under big pharma, DO NOT DRIVE!
Definition of ‘junkie’ ; ‘someone who uses illegal drugs’
http://i.word.com/idictionary/junkie
imo, its not the illegal bit that defines that word but the abuse of. a food junkie, someone who abuses food, particularly ‘junk’ food, but food is not illegal right?
i think we’re all junkies, we all abuse something, bad habits, xbox junkies, facebook junkies, comments section junkies etc etc
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if you legalize a substance which impairs your motor and decision making skills, more people will drive using it (just like alcohol).
More studies proving legalization results in more traffic deaths; http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2014/02/04/study-fatal-car-crashes-involving-marijuana-have-tripled/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/06/09/marijuana-accidents/10219119/
You do realise these statistics are from an illegal market? Meaning your argument actually supports legalisation. With alcohol in Ireland we have reduced road deaths thanks to education. This cannot be done in an illegal market
Miriam websters dictionary definition of ‘junkie’; ‘someone who uses illegal drugs’
It’s a slang term. A stigmatising one aimed towards end stage heroin users. Not a term that has ever helped anyone.
Don’t weasel out of the term. Drug users are junkies.
Drug abusers are called junkies by people who lack education on drug use and Drug policy, you been a perfect example.
I hope you are aware that alcohol is a drug, as is caffeine and a drug user is anyone who uses these. You’re some straight-edge guy that doesn’t use any drugs? I’m happy for you if so, but when implementing policy you have to take into account reality, not whatever someones own utopian vision is.
The word ‘junkie’ is disgusting and is being moved into the ‘hate speech’ bin along with all the other words that used to be commonplace and are no longer welcome are thanks to postive progression.
The World Health Organisation has called for the decriminalisation of drugs, there could be something to this….
do you like using the N word too. in the end it’s what one thinks of themselves, Orla.
@John… I would suggest that sweeping generalisations, judgementalism and the inability to recognise shades of grey are hallmarks of a fcukwit.
Same comment to you, Orla.
i still wouldnt drive stoned or operate machines, feck that though i think the stuff they’re growing here must be confusing people. it needs to be regulated and let the people choose whats right for them if they want it but with the correct advice.
she meant to say:
go back to your bongs, humans. i don’t care what you think. :-)
What are cannabis tablets??
Assuming it’s cannabis in the tablet form
Miriam websters dictionary definition of ‘junkie’; ‘someone who uses illegal drugs’
If you missed the events you can catch up with some clips and info here
https://irishcannabis.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/marc-and-jodie-emerys-visit-to-ireland/
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