Ireland May Stop Persecuting the Possession of Small Amounts of Cannabis

Ireland has begun to work towards making its marijuana policies more open and flexible. At least, this is what has been announced by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, minister and member of the Labour Party, at a conference held at the London School of Economics. The country may have taken the step having been motivated by others, such as the United States and Uruguay that have seen clear progress in the sector and great benefits for users.

The politician, who leads the National Drug Strategy in Ireland, proposes that consumers should no longer be criminalised for possessing small quantities of marijuana for personal use and he believes that the right time has come to take action on the matter. However, he believes that the sale and distribution of cannabis should continue to remain illegal and wants the clear difference between legalisation and decriminalisation to be taken into account.

Furthermore, he declared that, in order to have a serious commitment “a cultural change is needed” in matters relating to the consumption of the plant. Therefore, he thinks that the first step comes with decriminalisation, although it will not be debated for some time yet.

His declarations make reference to a leaked report from United Nations that supposedly called for decriminalisation on a general level. The report led by Dr Monica Beg, was withdrawn, seemingly due to pressure from certain countries.

It is not the first time that a politician has proposed something similar in the country. Some time ago, Luke Ming Flanagan, a resolute defender of the plant, worked on a draft bill calling for the legalisation of cannabis throughout the country. He wanted everyone to be able to possess 28 grams of the product and have a maximum of six plants for personal use.

Ó Ríordáin’s declarations have opened a new debate in the country, and it has perhaps come about as a result of greater demands from the cannabis sector. It will be necessary to wait a few months to see what direction Irish policies take.