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An Garda Síochána

Gardaí find €400k worth of cannabis herb at Mayo growhouse

Over 500 plants were seized at the premises in Ballinastanford, Claremorris.

CANNABIS HERB WORTH an estimated €400,000 has been discovered today in Mayo, gardaí said.

Members from the Claremorris Community Engagement Unit and the Mayo Divisional Drugs Unit conducted a search this afternoon at a disused premises at Ballinastanford, Claremorris.

They discovered the disused premises had been converted into a cannabis grow house with insulation lighting and heat fitted out to facilitate large-scale production.

Over 500 cannabis plants were discovered, with the estimated value subject to analysis.

No arrests were made, and gardaí added that investigations were ongoing.

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    Mute Ray Jakans
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:22 PM

    And here comes the comments-legalise and tax…

    99
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    Mute Ross McGann
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:27 PM

    @Ray Jakans: well like the VAT alone (taken at standard rate) on that is €92,000….. does less harm than alcohol or cigarettes and has medicinal properties…. but ya know, war on drugs and all that….

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    Mute Ross
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:43 PM

    @Ray Jakans: yes, and we’ll keep harping on until the correct thing is done :)

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    Mute K C
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:47 PM

    @Ross McGann: only a hashead would say that. It’s a gateway drug and it messes up your brain.

    31
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    Mute Peader O Harlaigh
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:50 PM

    @Ray Jakans: legalise and tax, happy Ray? Moaner

    32
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    Mute Ian Breathnach
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:54 PM

    @K C: Can you please explain how “it’s a gateway drug”

    84
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    Mute King B
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:59 PM

    @K C: it’s not a gateway drug. Cigarettes and alcohol usually come first and that’s fact. The two that are legal and taxed.

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    Mute George Salter
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:04 PM

    @King B: And also pretty much the only two that have absolutely no medical or therapeutic uses whatsoever. ( PCP also has no uses that I’m aware of, but is extremely rare here, as far as I know)

    26
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    Mute Ross McGann
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:16 PM

    @K C: I’m educated, own a house/car and work a full time job, an active member of society, some might say…. lots of countries (including Ireland to a degree) are legalizing. Only a gate way drug if the person you are buying from is pushing other drugs or there are underlining issues. Regulated dispensaries would put an end to that. Plenty of studies out there to prove it if you’re willing to get your head out of the sand and look :P

    103
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    Mute James Reardon
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:23 PM

    @Ray Jakans: why was my comment deleted?? All I said was “no just take a tablet made in a lab, then another tablet to counter-act the side effects of that tablet. Muppet.”?? Journal censorship?!

    44
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    Mute Phil O Stine
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:35 PM

    @Ross McGann: how would poor people afford it

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    Mute Peter Bell
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:39 PM

    @Ross McGann: TweedleD and The Simple lad couldn’t possibly let the Big Phama down,Come on could they….

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    Mute Dave time
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:47 PM

    @Ray Jakans: damn right

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    Mute Dave time
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:48 PM

    @K C: messes with your brain just like coffee. Try to get some edumication on the subject sir.

    18
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    Mute Dave time
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:53 PM

    @Ross McGann: Never McGann, the sand is warm. We can’t have people expanding their consciousness with this stuff making independent decisions, they need to be institutionalized cogs in the machine, work-consume-die.

    23
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    Mute Gil Thelander
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    Apr 28th 2020, 12:00 AM

    @K C: it can be a gateway drug in some circumstances but not all. There are people who smoke cannabis who don’t go on to experiment with any other kinds of illegal drug.

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    Mute K C
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    Apr 28th 2020, 2:21 AM

    @King B: cigarettes and alcohol come first so that means hash isn’t a gateway drug? How does that make sense? It doesn’t.

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    Mute K C
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    Apr 28th 2020, 2:24 AM

    @Ross McGann: only a gateway drug is the person you’re buying it from (drug dealer) is pushing strangers drugs? Nope. People can and have moved onto harder drugs after hash not just because of underlying habits but because of many reasons. My head is not in the sand, there is many studies out there also that proves it damages your brain cells but I guess you’ve never read them?

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    Mute K C
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    Apr 28th 2020, 2:25 AM

    @Gil Thelander: of course yeah. I didn’t say everyone who smokes hash moves onto harder drugs.

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    Mute K C
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    Apr 28th 2020, 2:28 AM

    @Dave time: are you really comparing coffee to an illegal drug like hash? That says a lot about your education sir.

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    Mute Mary
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    Apr 28th 2020, 4:42 AM

    @K C: Alcohol does more damage to your brain and causes more rows than marijuana will ever do Proven

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    Mute Adam Hernes
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    Apr 28th 2020, 5:41 AM

    @Ray Jakans: Age. Just must be allowed for people who turn 21. Screws brains if they are still growing. …. When legalized in the right way with proper campaign it’s actually is reducing consumption.

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    Mute Terry Walks
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    Apr 28th 2020, 7:25 AM

    @K C: ITS WEED NOT HASH!

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    Mute Mary Morrisey
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    Apr 28th 2020, 7:47 AM

    @George Salter: its derivate, ketamine, is common enough.

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    Mute George Salter
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    Apr 28th 2020, 8:36 AM

    @Mary Morrisey: I cant find any references to ketamine being a pcp derivative. In any case, ketamine has therapeutic uses.

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    Mute King B
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    Apr 28th 2020, 8:47 AM

    @K C: You do realise cigarettes and alcohol are drugs? cigarettes and alcohol are the first choice for teenagers, not hash. If ya knew anything about the situation anyway you’d know hash is mostly a drug of choice for middle aged men. There’s no teenager going around with lumps of hash. I feel you’re about 20 years behind the rest of us with your limited knowledge.

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    Mute Dave time
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    Apr 28th 2020, 9:56 AM

    @K C: Have you ever tried stopping your caffine drug hit for a week. The withdrawal is horrendous. You can smoke weed every day for a year and completely stop one day with no I’ll effects.

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    Mute Terry Walks
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    Apr 28th 2020, 12:24 PM

    @Dave time: Ah nah youd be dying for a smoke to be fair.

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    Mute Sean
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:36 PM

    Drugs on the table policing for fans of the Wire. The high price that cannabis can achieve is BECAUSE it is illegal. And the price quoted is the street and not the cost price and also based on the maximum price for a fully mature high yielding plants. You can buy plants the size of that shown in the image in the US for less than 30 dollars. I don’t even have any gra for the weed but still think it’s ridiculous to criminalise it and lose all the taxes while criminal organisations reap the rewards.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Apr 28th 2020, 12:37 AM

    @Sean: I agree, it seems a waste not to let people grow their own mild strains and farmers could sell it commercially and tax it. I reckon alcohol is more antisocial in general. In excess, that is.

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    Mute Peter McKevitt
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:29 PM

    More super high THC “wedding cake” on the way to replace it. Good job, not!

    60
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    Mute Mícheál Seán Mac Conmhaic
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:35 PM

    @Peter McKevitt: nothing wrong with wedding cake it might be a strong strain but it’s no more harmful than what we get over here. It’s not going to kill anyone.

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    Mute King B
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:00 PM

    @Peter McKevitt: have you tried it?

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    Mute Peter McKevitt
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:03 PM

    @King B: On my list

    34
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    Mute King B
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    Apr 28th 2020, 8:51 AM

    @Peter McKevitt: it is stupid strong. Biggest stoneover of my life the following morning.

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    Mute Sean Fahey
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:34 PM

    What’s that, a 10 x 20 room and you’ve got one oscillating fan? Amateurs.

    The gardai have a lot of time on their hands these days and it seems like a lot of very chatty people are getting pinched, there seems to be a domino effect of people getting caught and giving up their suppliers.

    If I grew weed for a living I think now would be a good time to pack up my gear, put it in storage and move.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 28th 2020, 1:55 PM

    @Sean Fahey: So true. Mexicans are crossing the strictest border in the world daily and our lads have it in the passenger seat of the modified Passat. Muppets, every industry can stand to loose a few to ‘natural selection’ methinks

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    Mute Frances Faller
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:26 PM

    If it is illegal how do they know the price.

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    Mute Peter Bell
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:41 PM

    @Frances Faller: Depends on which street corner you buy on…….so me mate told me.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Apr 28th 2020, 1:59 PM

    @Frances Faller: Also none of the above is nearly fully grown, as such isn’t useable, wonder if that stands up in court.

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    Mute Padraig Dolan
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    Apr 28th 2020, 2:58 PM

    @thesaltyurchin: it wont as the analysis will show no thc content

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    Mute Gareth
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:52 PM

    Legalise, tax & regulate.

    Take the money out of the criminals hands.

    A british law passed on Irish soil that has no validity!

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    Mute Pauliebhoy
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:31 PM

    They usually make a hash of All Ireland’s

    33
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    Mute edmundoux23
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:11 PM

    Good to see it off the streets. Well done mayo Gardai

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    Mute Aaron Jones
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:20 PM

    @edmundoux23: it was in a house not the street

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    Mute Gareth
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    Apr 27th 2020, 10:50 PM

    @edmundoux23: I prefer a ketchup garda, they’re sweeter…

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    Mute Mary
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    Apr 28th 2020, 4:37 AM

    Alcohol more a gateway drug to cocaine than cannabis will ever be

    31
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    Mute Logan Shepherd
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:26 PM

    If I’m not here for a while, don’t jump to conclusions ..

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    Mute Colin Mcgahon
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    Apr 27th 2020, 11:19 PM

    Well done to the Garda they are playing a blinder. To those who this it would be OK to legalise this I’m guessing you don’t have kids. I don’t want my kids growing up where is normal to smoke this stuff. Yes some people do it and they are fine. But imagine been able to get it all the time. In the world we live in have a look at stoners on YouTube tic toc insta Facebook etc looks great crack. No it doesn’t.

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    Mute King B
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    Apr 28th 2020, 12:12 AM

    @Colin Mcgahon: we can get it every day anyway. It’s slightly more difficult now but it’s there. Your kids, when they’re old enough will make their own decisions anyway, especially stupid ones all kids do. Wouldn’t it be better if they made that choice and they weren’t criminalised. Even if it was someone else’s kids, wouldn’t it be better to create a safer environment for them to experiment? The way it is at the moment weed is wrecking lives because teenagers are getting themselves into debt, intimidation starts and it gets violent very quickly.

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    Mute Steve O'Hara-Smith
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    Apr 28th 2020, 7:52 AM

    @Colin Mcgahon: I would much rather see adults buying cannabis from licensed retailers than the current state of affairs where kids sell cannabis, pills and powders in schools.

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    Mute Adam McCormack
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    Apr 28th 2020, 12:12 PM

    @Colin Mcgahon: so you don’t mind your kids growing up knowing smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol is okay?

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    Mute Ger O'Donnell
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    Apr 28th 2020, 1:32 PM

    @Colin Mcgahon: The problem in this country is the alcohol junkies running riot every night of the week on streets in every town/city. Shouting, roaring, breaking stuff, falling out the pubs at 2am on the ground next to unconscious heroin users and you cant tell whos who. Your quite happy to have your kids grow up in a country where you know its not safe to walk down the street as a box in the head could be coming from anywhere. A nation of junky f**kheads, the most civilised of which are those who smoke weed in the privacy of their own homes.

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    Mute Eddie Kelly
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    Apr 27th 2020, 9:47 PM

    So that’s why they cant win an All Ireland… They are all stoned.
    On second thoughts, forget it.

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    Mute Bob Slydell
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    Apr 28th 2020, 11:30 AM

    It’s about time an Irish Govt showed some initiative on the illicit drugs front (particularly marijuana/hash) and made a decision based on the veracity of the following factors: Demand (human nature) is not going to go away ergo supply will continue; health and well being – government regulation of supply would ensure a minimum product quality standard therefore avoiding unnecessary health effects/deaths (cost to state in economic terms, aside from human tragedy; revenue – taxes from legal drugs would be new revenue stream (could be invested in healthcare system) and also a means to starve criminal fraternity of a major revenue stream (a significant win/win for the state you would think..); reduction in criminal activity (drug wars), see previous point. When the Covid-19 tragedy has subsided, this is a debate that should be happening at the highest level of government. Somehow or other, I suspect short term political considerations may take precedence.

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    Mute Mary
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    Apr 28th 2020, 4:34 AM

    So what are they going to do with it. Keep it for their own medicinal needs
    .

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