Labour calls for fresh debate on cannabis

by aidan Tue Feb 03, 2004 15:48

It is very progressive to hear Joe Costello highlighting this issue. The only reason Cannabis remains illegal is that Pharmaceutical companies would lose billions if it was legalised. The same argument applies to hemp which is illegal in the US despite the fact that the first draft of the declaration of independence was printed on Hemp paper and Thomas Jefferson owned acres of Hemp farmland. It was also compulsory to grow hemp during the World War to support the war effort. However the oil, plastic, timber companies would equally lose billions if this bio-degradable natural resource was produced. Support the cause of freeing a weed from its state slavery!!!

by Aidan Tue Feb 03, 2004 15:53

Hemp is not the same thing as marijuana. Both hemp and marijuana come from the cannabis Sativa plant. However, they are completely different with respect to stalk size, growing practices and most importantly, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. THC, which comes from the flowering tops, is the active ingredient in marijuana and contributes to marijuana’s medical value as well as its recreational value i.e. its mood altering effects. The Hemp plant on the other hand is harvested solely for its seed and stalk, not its low-THC flowers. THC values in marijuana run about 15-20%, while THC values in industrial hemp are usually standardised at 0.3%, not even enough to get a small ant stoned. Why then is this natural resource illegal in over 100 countries including USA when it is capable of providing enough energy to provide Americas domestic and industrial energy needs and end dependence on oil and other fossil fuels if they just allocated 6% of their farming land to this miraculous plant? In short, Hemp was seen as a threat to entrenched business interests and was targeted for prohibition via taxation.

The history of how hemp became prohibited is an interesting and sobering case of powerful business- government-media alliances. Essentially, U.S Government restrictions placed on hemp cultivation were a direct result of a sustained lobbying effort by influential petroleum and timber interests who saw hemp as a threat to their business. Combined with a massive media campaign to discredit Hemp by associating it with marijuana and demonizing the latter, the effort was a success, altering the course of U.S industry and arguably foreign policy for the balance of the century. This may appear ironic when one considers the fact that the first paper was made from Hemp as well as the first draft of the Declaration of independence, the first draft of the U.S constitution and even the first Gutenberg Bibles.

Before I jump head first into the history of Hemp and the bizarre yet intriguing history of prohibition it is important to outline the facts of the huge potential of Hemp if the self absorbed bureaucrats of the world opened their eyes enough to even have a remote concern for humanity before we self destruct our unsustainable lifestyles.

Some interesting facts
• The first Levis blue jeans were fashioned from ship sail canvas made of 100 percent hemp. The canvas was imported from Nim France and thus “ de Nim “ or “ denim”

• Anything that can be made out of wood or plastic can be made from hemp and is biodegradable

• Hemp is nature’s longest, strongest, most durable fibre. As a fabric it is softer, more insulating, more absorbent, more breathable, and longer lasting than cotton.

• It has been cultivated since 2800 BC in China and was grown by such people as Thomas Jefferson and even George Washington had a hemp plantation.

• In 1941 Henry Ford built hemp fuelled and fabricated automobile that weighed only two/thirds the amount of a steel car and could resist blows 10 times as great without denting.

• One acre of Hemp produces as much paper as 4.1 acres of trees. Hemp is naturally archival quality and can be safely bleached using hydrogen peroxide.

• In January of 1996 The American Farm Bureau Federation, more than 4.6 million members strong, unanimously endorsed the researching and growing of industrial hemp.

• Farming only 6% of the continental US with Hemp could produce enough energy to provide for Americas energy needs and dependence on fossil fuels. Hemp is the number one biomass producer on earth (10 tons in approximately 90-120 days).

• Edible hemp oil contains the largest amount of essential fatty acids of any plant known. The hemp seed (which is in fact a fruit) is the most complete protein food source available in the plant kingdom.

• 90% of all ship sails from at least fifth century BC until late 19th century were made from Hemp.

• The hemp seed oil is utilized for it’s healing qualities in many salves and cosmetics but can also be used to create paint, varnishes, lubricants, and much more.

• Buddha was reputed to have eaten one hemp seed per day on his six year fast to discipline himself before attaining enlightenment

• The Columbia History of the world (1996) states that the weaving of Hemp fibre began over 10,000 years ago. It also states that the oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC.

• Americans were legally bound to grow Hemp during the Colonial Era and Early Republic. In the 17th century farmers in Virgina, Massachusetts and Connecticut were all ordered by law to grow Indian hemp and by the early 18th century you could actually go to jail if you were not growing hemp on your land. In this period Hemp was considered to be legal tender, in other words Hemp was money and you could pay your taxes with hemp for over 200 years.



These facts are just a pocketful of the bigger potential of Hemp as a natural product. The natural genius of the plant is its supreme versatility. It is possibly the most durable reliable raw material for textiles, fuel, paper, cleaners and paint, cosmetics, building materials and food. The present day hypocrisy of laws is illustrated from the history of Hemp. He who makes the laws benefits from the laws. It is not difficult to see the rich corporate business men of the world whose companies in turn make a non distributive profit lapping up the benefits of the prohibition of hemp and international trade laws to name but a tiny few. Industrial Hemp is legal to grow in 31 countries including Canada, England, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Thailand, Hungary and Romania. However like most things in this global mess that we live anything that is business and trade orientated that is not backed by the world’s largest industrial complex is basically defunct. The market for Hemp is enormous at the beginning of this new millennium.

Textiles: From the strongest rope to the finest lace, hemp is the earth’s most versatile fibre and is responsible for thousands of products on the market today. Hemp is used on apparel from socks and bedclothes to jackets, shoes, lingerie and dresses. In accessories from purses and backpacks to home furnishings like curtains and tablecloths. The stronger fibres of Hemp can be used to make rope and carpets. The finer hemp fibre is unique in that it is delicate enough to be woven together with silk. Hemp is equally efficient from an environmental perspective. Hemp suppresses weeds and leaves the soil rich in nitrogen deposits, increasing yields on rotational crops such as soybeans and corn. Using virtually no pesticides Hemp produces 250% more fibre than cotton. By contrast, cotton uses more water and more pesticides than any other commercial crop, leaving the soil depleted. Hemp on the other hand actually leaves the soil in an improved condition. Its deep roots (and this is not a metaphor for the recreational subjectivism of marijuana, although depth contributes positively to both) contribute to healthy microbial life and nutrient content in the soil. It is also naturally resistant to most insects, moulds, and other pests. In fact half of all agricultural chemicals in the U.S are used in conjunction with cotton growing. That means that half of the chemical runoff that is polluting American rivers and streams comes from cotton growing. The cotton plant has been genetically engineered to the point where it is no longer a natural fibre, but rather a plant that is designed to stand up to the strains of chemical pesticides sprayed on it. Think about that the next time you buy 100% cotton!!

Food: Hemps success in the market place is visible in the human and animal feed sectors. Hemp oil, vegetable burgers, pastas, salad dressings, flours etc can be found on natural and organic as well as exclusive supermarket shelves. Other Hemp food and drink products also include beer, cheese, chips, chocolate, coffees, pancake and pizza dough, soda drinks, wine, wraps, pretzels and nut butter. The nutritional benefits of hemp make it the world’s premier food source. Think how much healthier the world would be if a little common sense seeped into politics. It is also an interesting fact that the hemp seed served as a primary food source during times of famine in China, Europe, and Australia as recently as World War two. Hemp is a viable element in the fight against world hunger and is healthy for us all.

Building Materials: Hemp can be used to make cars. There are companies in Europe and in previous years in the U.S who make door panels and dashboards by compressing hemp fibres and adding resin or plastic. Ford, Mercedes Benz and others have replaced more expensive and dangerous fibreglass with hemp. You can build a house with hemp. Hemp materials massively influence housing in Switzerland. Today it is being used to produce caulking, cement, fibreboard, flooring, insulation, panelling, plaster, and reinforced concrete and roofing. Henry Ford was found of saying “ Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required years to lay down if we can get the equivalent of forests and mineral products from the annual growth of fields?” It has been 60 years since Henry Ford built his car. Since then, we have cut down half of the worlds forests, a primary source of clean air. Only 3% of the U.S original forests still remain. Don’t forget for every one-acre of hemp it takes 4.1 acres of trees to produce the same amount of paper. That one-acre of hemp will also only take months to reproduce its self as opposed to years with trees. Best of all hemp fibre is the strongest natural fibre in the world, which means it can be recycled several times more than paper made from wood or other alternative fibres.

Fuel: 80% of the total living expenses for everything we do is ultimately wrapped up in energy costs.; from the energy it takes to make the food we eat, to fuel the cars we drive, to the manufacturing, storage and transportation of the products we buy. And 80% of solid and airborne pollution in our environment can be blamed on fossil energy fuels. It is estimated that America has already exhausted 80 percent of its fossil fuel reserves. Is this not a recipe for DISASTER? Industrial Hemp is the number one biomass producer on earth, meaning it’s an actual contender for an economically competitive, clean burning fuel. Burning coal and oil are the greatest sources of acid rain; biomass fuels burn clean and contain no sulphur and produce no ash during combustion. This effectively means that the burning of Hemp lessens the Greenhouse effect brought about by burning fossil fuels. I hope one and one can be put together for most of you to see who benefits from the prohibition of industrial Hemp. The refusal of the biggest industrial nation of the world to sign the Kyoto protocol. We need an alternative energy source, we don’t have to create wars to monopolise the production of oil. Hemp is a clean, economically viable and reproductive energy source. It is up to you and me to scream at the global gangsters that there is an alternative energy source and we are aware of it and we are determined to use it.

So lets cut to the chase, what exactly happened to make this wonder plant illegal?

In the mid 1930`s, technology for hemp fibre was reaching a technical and economical apex. The invention of the Hemp decorticator, a machine capable of stripping the outer fibres quickly and easily, allowing hemp to be processed more efficiently than ever before.
At the same time, DuPont Corporation had just patented processes for making plastics from oil and coal, as well as a new sulphate process for making paper from wood pulp-processes that sixty years later i.e. now, would account for 80% of the company’s products. Equally integrated into this monopoly was Hearst Paper manufacturing division, Kimberly Clarke, St. Regis and other large timber, paper and newspaper holding companies had vast ties to vast forest resources. Hemp rope, Hemp paper, hemp cellulose (plastics), Hemp fibreboard, etc was a clear threat to these interests.
Twenty years earlier, William Randolph Hearst, who owned large tracts of land for his newspaper operations was enraged at the seizure of 800,000 acres of Prime Mexican timberland by Panchos Villa`s army. Randolph unleashed his anger through his media alliances to paint the image of the lazy, marijuana smoking Mexican, later extending the unflattering and false imagery to African Americans. For over two decades the public was exposed to sensationalist journalism that called marijuana the “ Devils Weed” and “assassin of youth”, attributing to the plant an array of violent crimes as well as the flaunting of white authority. Has anything really changed? It is all Bullshit!! Up until that time, the Northern Mexican colloquialism, Marijuana, was not in common use. Hemp was recognised as the industrial use, Cannabis for Medicinal use. After years of printing stories about “ marijuana”, the distinction between the two as well as the benefits of each had been destroyed and effectively erased from the publics mind. The power of illusive propaganda throughout history and the present day never ceases to amaze me.


The U.S Secretary of the treasury in the 1930`s was Andrew Mellon . Mellon head, the owner of Mellon bank, happened to be the banker to DuPont Corporation, a company considered even then, as a prime client that must be kept happy. This sense of appeasing big corporations kind of rings a bell doesn’t it? In 1931 Mellon appointed Harry Anslinger, who would later marry Mellons niece, to head the newly reorganised Federal Bureau of Narcotics and dangerous drugs or FBN (just a quick note to remind all you doctors who live in arrogant bubbles that there has never been a single recorded death related to marijuana, let alone Hemp). The FBN would soon evolve into the infamous Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA, renowned for putting people behind bars for over 10 years for the possession of half an ounce of Dope. Really nice and educated guys, sorry I mean brainwashed. Is there a difference in the modern falsely educated world?

Anslinger, once Assistant U.S Commissioner on Prohibition, spent two years in secret drafting “ Marijuana Tax Act”, a bill that sought to establish prohibition through taxation. The bill which made no distinction between Hemp and Cannabis, referring only to “ Marijuana”, would not ban Hemp or Cannabis outright, but instead seek to prohibit its production by levying a tax on producers, distributors and manufactures.

In association with this Tax other industries and corporations that saw Hemp as more of a threat than a helpful friend launched a series of very negative campaigns. In 1937 Congress passed the Marijuana tax act, which effectively began the era of Hemp prohibition. The tax and licensing regulations of the act made Hemp cultivation impossible for American Farmers. This act was in place but informally removed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. America lost some overseas contacts particularly the Philippines. The USDA came out with their film Hemp for Victory to try and get American farmers to grow Hemp for War efforts. The energy of Hemp was quickly accepted when a gun was put in the mouth of U.S congress. The Government formed a private company called War Hemp Industries and subsidized hemp cultivation. During this time period about one million acres of Hemp were grown across the Midwest as part of this program. As soon as the war was over all the Hemp processing plants were shut down and the industry went up in smoke and once again disappeared. From 1937 until the late 1960s the United States government understood and recognised that industrial Hemp and marijuana were distinct varieties of the cannabis plant. However after the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 hemp is no longer recognised as distinct from cannabis. And there you have it, once again a litany of lies, deceit, political propaganda served up on a subtle corporate dish was fed to the masses and they consumed every little lie. The absurdity of laws that prohibit industrial use of Hemp and also the therapeutic uses of Hemp and Marijuana must be lifted and it is up to you and me to rid our world of ignorance and lobby the government to occasionally open its little beak to the negligent mother industrial nations of the world. Only then will our government follow suit because everyone knows they are incapable of doing anything on their own.

Nature has provided tools to enable us to live better. We must shift our perspective, change our industrial processes, alter our consumption habits and learn to live sustainably. Hemp can help effect this change better than any other renewable resource. Judging by history, dramatic shifts in thinking for the better have been rare or unsuccessful. At the dawn of the third millennium, the stakes could not get much higher, the survival of the human race and our way of life, as we know it. Only if we grasp the facts and embrace ideas and act on our knowledge of them can nature when in a harmonious balance with man help save ourselves from what appears to be a road of inevitable self-destruction.

by hemp hater Tue Feb 03, 2004 15:55

hemp, what a load of shite. Aidan you really come out with a load of middle class petty bourgeois rubbish. i think that science needs to be defended against the false ideas of 'alternative medicine' that you put forward.

by Leon Tue Feb 03, 2004 16:00

It no longer suits the boss class to have marijuana illegal, therefore they legalise it..
It causes torpor and disengages the brain while the body can work.
It destroys revolutionary enthusiasm.

Stay focused on the ultimate aim-

Also the long post above is a series of cut and pastes.

Marijuana won't save the world only violence can do that.

by mmmmm Tue Feb 03, 2004 16:58

Is former LP Councillor, member of the Aviation Authority and cocaine dealer O'Halloren (mate of former TD Spring) involved in this? Could help their mates to corner the domestic market.

by ec Tue Feb 03, 2004 17:13

Because the algebra of need makes criminals, heroin addicts and methadone addicts hand over fist for the prison industry and treatment industry in Ireland: Why don't the Labour party start a debate on this? Maybe because they have too many mates on drugs task forces?

"Conservative Switzerland set up the first modern experiment with heroin prescription in the mid-1990s, producing results so promising the Swiss expanded the program and made it a permanent facet of health care. Holland followed with a more rigorous study that ended in 2001 -- again producing positive outcomes and government approval to continue the research. Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia have planned or launched their own projects. The United Kingdom is working on a scheme to expand the prescription of heroin by individual doctors, even general practitioners.

Whether courageous or outrageous, the idea of prescribing illicit drugs to addicts has spread with astonishing speed, leading the media and the public to assume its a revolutionary new idea. It's not.

The continuing prescription of drugs such as heroin to addicts -- or "maintenance" as the practice is often called -- is actually a very old medical technique that was dropped in North America when drugs were criminalized early in the 20th century. The story of how this medical technique met its demise is the story of how law enforcement snatched the issue of drugs away from medicine, turning what had been a health issue into a crime problem. It's the story of how the cops beat the doctors."

by aidan Tue Feb 03, 2004 17:21

YOU REALLY ARE A GOBSHITE HEMP HATER, if you want somewere to let off your pent up bitter anger why not join those of similar intelligence to yourself i.e teletubies website. As someone from Tallaght and more working class than 90% of indymedia users i laugh at your pathethic comments. Is it possible at all to stop wankers using Indymedia?

by passer by Tue Feb 03, 2004 17:44

So you think it no longer suits the bosses to have marijuana illegal, the poor little workers who cant decide things for themselves. The bloody bosses are always causing us workers such turmoil, i have never individually and autonomously decided to smoke dope!!!!. " it destroys revolutionary enthusiasm" Cop on to yourself you idiot , any side effects of cannabis comes from what it is mixed with...pesticides etc, the resin itself does absolutely no harm. Hence the fact that it is illegal allows individuals to mix it with all sorts of shite. If it is legal it is regulated and you only recieve quality. My God i can not help laugh at those backward thoughts " it kills trhe revolutionary spirit"ha,ha............ so you really think violence will save the world, tell that to the family and friends of those who have had violence inflicted on them. I suppose in that case Ariel Sharons logic is correct, the more violence he inflicts on the Palestinians the more likely the problem will be resolved. The problems violence solve are temporary, the revenge it breeds is permanent. You will always have an enemey and live in insecurity. I reckon if you out of touch trots smoked a little bit more dope you might be able to think for yourselfs and catch up with the struggle.

by jeff Tue Feb 03, 2004 17:53

...stop wankers from using Indymedia, that would be a violation of free speech.

Anyway, cannabis. I think different countries have different reasons for not doing the rational thing by legalising weed.

Now, Ireland won't possibly do such because;

a) indeed, 80% of drug seizures are cannabis. Succesive governments have a great statistic to show voters that they are "serious" about tackling crime

b) we are still a conservative island, a small populace with an insular mindset. We are aleady shit to immigrants as it is; we would rather wait and sit it out until the rest of Europe decriminalise, so we do not bear th brunt of any unwanted "side effects" as a result of drgu tourism, begor...

c) uh, like, I can't think of any anymore, like, cos I'm a wee bit stoned, writing this after coming from a coffeeshop here in Leiden. But I'm sure there are hundreds more reasons. We must all remember that amongst our current generation of political leaders, many are stupid, fat and ugly, and are a bit insane also, and also tended to be more brainwashed when they were young.

Anytime I asked a political candidate durting elections what he she thought, it'd be quickly coughed at as a question, and "well, that, um, is being dealt with, but in the meantime, give us yer vote."

When Gerry Adams gave a speech in Galway in 2002, I managed to quickly ask him his views on it. He was jumping into a car with his minders, so he just roared "yes".

However, the Galway Sinn Fein rep (forgot his name) later told me " Well, no, but it will be dealt with..."

The same from Senator Cox's little brother when he was out campaigning for her in the elections of that year." Umm, she'd probably say no, but, er, give us your vote!"

by archivio Tue Feb 03, 2004 17:56

Pubdate: Thu, 12 Nov 1998
Source: Irish Times (Ireland)
Contact: lettersed@irish-times.ie
Mail: The Irish Times, 11-15 D'Olier St, Dublin 2, Ireland
Fax: ++ 353 1 671 9407
Website: http://www.irish-times.ie/
Copyright: 1998 The Irish Times
Author: Catherine Cleary, Drugs and Crime Correspondent


HEROIN ON PRESCRIPTION AS ADDICTION SOLUTION URGED
The Government should consider new approaches to the drug problem, including prescribing legal heroin, according to a member of the National Drugs Strategy Team ( NDST ).
Father Seen Cassin, former head of the Merchants Quay project, told a Deil Committee yesterday that a Swiss project prescribing heroin to addicts had claimed "significantly good" results.  The NDST is the statutory agency set up to co-ordinate the work of local drugs task forces.
"We're not in favour of anybody using or injecting drugs," Father Cassin told the Joint Committee on European Affairs.  "But today some 10,000 injecting drug users are going to take heroin, they're going to inject it and find or rob or steal the materials necessary to inject it."
The Swiss experiment involved around 1,100 heroin users over three years, he said.  "There was a significant reduction in the level of crime.  One third actually went into drug-free treatment and a further third went on to maintenance programmes of oral alternatives to heroin."
Father Cassin said one criticism of the Swiss project had been that it had picked those addicts more likely to succeed.
"We have a situation here in Dublin at the moment where the use of cannabis is, in reality, decriminalised." If the i Garda pursued all cannabis users then the system would be overwhelmed, he said.  So a pragmatic approach was taken in Dublin, where heroin was the main concern.  Mr Fergus McCabe of the NDST told the committee that the debate about such projects could "lead to all kind of hysterical and irrational responses." "We can't have good policies, rational or effective policies, unless we have information," he said.  There was an "urgent need" for a national drugs advisory board, he said.
"In every other jurisdiction in Europe there is an advisory group or council there." Ireland's drug policy had been the result of health policy on the prevention of AIDS, he said.  Mr Tony Gregory ( Independent ) said the Swiss experience was that heroin crossed all social classes.  Mr Gay Mitchell ( FG ) criticised the Eastern Health Board for its response to the problem.  "Inchicore was devastated by people coming from all over the city to one chemist to get their methadone."
Senator Brendan Ryan ( Independent ) said the Swiss police "had the peculiar role of having to deliver heroin to the clinics," because of security considerations.  And a report, almost completed by members of the committee would be about "neither liberal nor conservative solutions, but what has been seen to work."
Father Cassin said politicians were afraid to decriminalise drugs.

by Chekov Tue Feb 03, 2004 18:07

Come on. Smoking anything harms your lungs. There is also a mounting body of evidence that suggests smoking marijuana increases your risk of becoming schizophrenic. Of course this is not an argument to criminalise it, it is still far less dangerous than rock-climbing, pot-holing, surfing, or any number of other recreational pursuits. But pretending to yourself that it is utterly harmless flies in the face of the evidence. Most importantly any harm that is done is to oneself and no victim - no crime.

I still credit the Italian anarchist Malatesta with the best solution to the drugs problem, even though it was over 100 years ago. Set up a state (or better still socially) controlled drug dealership, selling drugs at below cost. Take the staggeringly enormous amount of money that is currently spent on prevention and punishment and use it to launch a comprehensive education and research programme into the effects. All the indications from the very limited trials in Europe would suggest that the usage of particularly harmful drugs would decrease and you'd have the added benefit of being able to close most of the prisons and put many of the police to work at something useful.

by Leon Tue Feb 03, 2004 18:19

Passer by the drugs debate (when it arose initially) was framed in terms of industrial productivity and national morale.

The bosses are a class (the phrase sounds out of date - but there are still owners and wgae workers and shades in between). The labour party represent the socially liberal section of the owner class and I refuse to thank them for thinking about restoring a freedom I should have anyway.

At any rate; what about the conditions these 'drugs' are produced under. we all know so called anarchists who will shite on and on about organic food but happily shove coke up their noses which they know was produced in conditions of human misery and alienation that rival an abrekebara on a saturday night.

Freedom to take drugs/ Freedom not to produce drugs.

For those who do not care that peasant are forced at gunpoint to grow the opium they inject there can be only treatment programme.

A bullet.

by Cabhog Tue Feb 03, 2004 18:34

For those supporters of legalisation of Cannabis:

has the legalisation of tabacco and alcohol been successful?

by Hogcab Tue Feb 03, 2004 18:39

"has the legalisation of tabacco and alcohol been successful?"

Has the prohibition of cannabis been successful?

by ollie - katalyzer Wed Feb 04, 2004 01:30

thank you, adain, for an informative piece of writing - you put an amazing ammount of work into the piece. One thing - If you could provide references, or at least a few pointers, that would be great. . I would like to see a debate about the issues you raise ,which comes from ,say, a political economy perspective on agriculture ,as I don't 'dig' conspiracy theories.

Not that i'm not one for a few consp theories ,but it would be good to add to what you've written with some economic, geographical ,sociological etc perspectives on why hemp failed. Harvestability, processing, labour issues etc could all inform the debate.

Better still ,do you know of any on-going debates on hemp outside the world of hemp- advocacy?

Again ,well done on the article - comprehensive stuff

by Jimi Wed Feb 04, 2004 10:19

The legalisation of alcohol has well and truly failed. Those of you who live in limerick know exactly what i mean.

Tobacco has ONLY bad effects health wise, but we all know that by now. Especially those of us who are quitting the fags. Again.

Prohibition of marijuana has utterly failed. 2.5 million (garda street value, actually value €20) was seized within the last few hours. Those cops could have been busy doing things like preventing crimes, saving lives, apologising to RTS protesters, that kind of business. As far as health is concerned, no, marijuana isn't necessarily less carcinogenic due to the tobacco content of 95% of joints. That may have ceased to be the point at this stage, however.




(that sound you hear when you realise how simplistic all of your comments are...alas)

by Edel Sun Mar 21, 2004 15:03

Following on from an earlier comment regarding cannabis use and schizophrenia..
Yes.. there is increasing evidence that cannabis use can trigger schizophrenia. However it must be noted that this occurs in persons who may already predispositioned to developing the illness. Other major triggers of the illness are stress, hereditary factors, social and personal history and alcohol/drug use. As yet there is no known medical reason as to why persons develop the illness, however evidence suggests it is more than likely a combination of the above, with hereditary factors being the highest risk indicator.

I would like people reading this site to remember that while cannabis in moderation (like everything!) is an enjoyable drug that yes should be legal!! However it is also a powerful plant that can have affects on the brain that are very negative and destructive. People who are feeling in anyway depressed or down should not be smoking cannabis, or drinking excessively etc.

So if you are smoking a lot of cannabis.. be aware of the facts... If you are not in good mental health any any stage in ur'e life please be aware of the weed and its effects on u...

by Tweek Sun Apr 11, 2004 02:18

Let me explain why cannabis shouldn't be legalized in Ireland.

1.) Irish Cannabis use belongs in a subculture. I remember one guy saying to me in Liverpool, regarding the legality of Cannabis; "Why smoke a political joint? Cannabis could be considered more or less legal over here anyways. Us stoners live in a very cosy bubble. The progressive, intelligent ones never get caught you see. People need to do away with all that political-statistic-victimless-crime-dove/hawk twat and continue the subculture". All those pro-legalisation leaders, even after all their countless hours stoned off their tits - can't realise, is that the left-wing and right-wing are interdependent, that is; they both exist on one side of the same coin, and the other side is the cannabis sub-culture. Basically the message is simple. Leave politics out of it, and conversely, politics will leave you out of it, likewise. Chances are, anyone who does get arrested for possession, was just being stupid and/or ill-informed about police presence. There are various loopholes to avoid getting caught, most of which are incredibly easy to adhere to. I mean, with domesticated smoking, for example... Well, need I say more.

2.) Ireland has enough problems as-is with alcohol. Now, before you get gung-ho with the worn out premise that Cannabis is safer than alcohol, and it far supersedes it in terms of a balanced more wholesome alternative (which it is); you must register that Ireland suffers from alcohol. It has been crippled by it, and that's an established fact. Quite how any level headed pro-legality activist can see past Ireland's suffering from alcohol abuse, and prophesise a future advanced society, where the fellow drunk walks the streets straight-after visiting a Caffecannabée instalment at central O' Connel street, is beyond me. I mean, it's always debateable; but then, we have our subculture don't we? Faith must be had in our subculture. It is all we'll ever have. It's the one sphere of cannabis turf we'll forever occupy. And it's a good one, at that. Compared to some other countries, whose street prices are gigantic, and whose hash is low-grade.

by steve Sun Apr 11, 2004 12:03

maybe some people are pro-legality because they can't stomach the fact they buy cannabis through a chain of sick scumbags that are usually responsible for dealing heroin and terrorising communities etc. They would like the supply-chain 'cleaned up'

or a least be able to grow their own in peace.......

by david Sun Apr 11, 2004 13:33

Economically i can see no problem with the production of Hemp. In the E.U. we have a massive overproduction of food and the farmers require subsidies just to leave their land fallow, there is a similar problem in America, meanwhile in the other parts of the world arable land is taken up with massive plantations of cotton and various other cash crops, while there are major food shortages. the growth of Hemp would mean that land could be used more efficiantly around the world.
Economic systems would survive but the status quo would be disrupted. These systems are highly adaptable and based on artificial rules anyway. the only barrier to this shift is the political will to stand up to the uber rich who have something to lose

by bing Mon Apr 12, 2004 17:10

"As someone from Tallaght and more working class than 90% of indymedia users i laugh at your pathethic comments. "

I really hate this 'I'm more working class than you idea'. It's utter bollocks.Aidan, being from Tallaght doesn't automatically make you working class. And even if it did, not all people from working class backgrounds are progressives, remember the boss has to recruit his strike breakers from the working class, FF depend on working class support for a bulk of their votes...... Who's to say you are not one of these strike breaking FFers that happens to be frmo a working class background? Please use the evidence of your political action to justify yourself not the area or family you happened to be born into.

by tom Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:47

why is it illegal in the first place it is 100 per cent natural it has no recorded fatalities in 5000 years of use asprin cant even boast that never mind some of the crap that the pharmaceutical companies pump out every year. then there is the whole medical side of it if smoking a joint helps someone with ms of any other sickness that it is known helps to make them feel better or able to eat then i think it is nothing short of disgusting to stop them from having it. or maybe they should go down to the pub for a few brandys instead and i believe that there are few people left that believe the utter crap that the government tell people about cannabis most people have tried it or have smoked for years it was fine lying about it when it was not as popular as it is now but anyone who has smoked for a while knows it is not as bad as drink or anything that you get at the chemist.

by Chris P Thu Apr 23, 2009 16:25

Don't wanna go down the road of ireland being in a resession and legalising weed will do wonders for our tourism industry and bring alot of revenue into the country. I don't want to go down the road of less dealers and less precious police time wasted due to legalisation.
I think that if we legalise weed people will open themselves up to a new type society that doesn't base it's entertainment around alcohol that is fuel for the fighting. I know I enjoy a few drinks, so does everyone. But legalising weed will give people a new perspective, a new outlook, a new reality in which to be. They will be more interested in the movements of dancers and the the brilliant colours and meanings of art. Exploring different antipodes in their minds, a new area of the mind different from the comfort in which they lived in for so long.
This is what we are doing in these moments, saying yes to existance, saying yes to every instant. We need to progress, not sit stagnent. We have haven't evolved in the last 3000 years, we are no more evolved than the acient greeks. We need to cut the chains and strive for truth free will and love. Marijuana is something from the dirt, it is from mother earth, it gives you a good feeling when negtivity is not around, actually even in saying that we will have a less negative enviorment in which to express. People will call names and will be thinking it's all a bit far out, but aye it's better than the place we're in.