TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR stated that he carries no opinion on laws regarding marijuana. Because of this, he will trust the public to come up with an answer regarding cannabis at the Citizen’s Assembly.
The JOC committee on justice, or Joint Oireachtas Committee on justice, has agreed that while it’s important for the public to have a say in the matter, cannabis use, like many other drugs, should be strictly regulated by the government.
As said to reporters, Varadkar has stated that he currently holds no opinion when it comes to cannabis legalisation for the nation of Ireland. He doesn’t want to take sides at the Citizen’s Assembly.
“I don’t have a good opinion on the matter and really don’t want one. I feel no prejudice to either side,” Varadkar said.
It was asked if he has used drugs since becoming Ireland’s key politician and he remarked that he hasn’t.
A lot of difficult issues are addressed come each Citizen’s Assembly, according to him. A strong vote granted the end of the eighth amendment, and it was stricken from the constitution.
“We’ve seen each Citizen’s Assembly tackle the issues that are important to us. They often show that the public can actually be more liberal than us politicians. We have seen this time and time again, including with the Eighth Amendment and Marriage equality.”
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Because we’ve already had a Citizens Assembly to judge biodiversity and reforms happening within the government of Dublin, we certainly have room for one regarding drug policy in Ireland.
“One citizens assembly that’s overdue is a conversation on drug policy, and it’s certainly something we need a chance to consider.”
It was estimated that a Citizen’s Assembly on drug policy would be held in 2023, but we haven’t seen a date announced.
He made comments about the matter during a media briefing with a few journalists earlier in the week.
A last week report on the subject carried out with both parties in mind suggested that we should consider moving towards a health-led approach when discussing the legality of certain drugs.
It was suggested by both the Justice Committee Chair and the politician Fianna Fail that all legislation on the subject needs to be viewed with “the Irish way” in mind, and that a market should be created that’s much safer than the black market that’s already in use.
“The regulation would include a concept of keeping the product commercial, thus making it available to people on a market. This market will be heavily monitored, licensed, managed, and tested for safety. It’s been lacking in government observation for quite a long time.” noted Fail.
The government would like to see further research done to ascertain the benefits drug “social clubs” might have. These clubs help personal supplies grow when it comes to cannabis or a lot of other types of substances for its members.
A bill has been brought forth before Fail and listed before People Before Profit’s Mr. Kenny, that would make it legal for people to carry cannabis as long as it doesn’t exceed 7g.
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