THE GREAT REEFER BARRIER

They both enjoyed the odd doobie as a student but that’s where the
similarities between Mo Mowlam and Eoin Ryan end.

While the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has hinted that it
should be decriminalised, the Government’s new ‘drugs Czar’ is adamant that
there will be no relaxation of the cannabis laws while Fianna Fail is in
office.

His boss, Minister for Justice John O’Donoghue, was even more forthright
when he stated that. “As long as I am in the Justice portfolio there will be
no watering down of the fallacious distinction between so-called soft and
hard drugs.

To emphasis the point, he imposed a minimum mandatory jail sentence of 10
years for those convicted of dealing in drugs to the value of pounds 10,000.
Needless to say, it’s had no impact at street level with the latest annual
figures showing a record tally of 6,454 drug-related cases. Of those, a
whopping 4,477 involved cannabis.

“It there’s a really big bust, yeah, you might get a drought for a week or
two, but generally there’s more gear around than there’s ever been,”
confirms Eoin, a 33-year-old West of Ireland dealer who’s been plying his
trade since the early ‘90s.

“Another thing that’s improved is the quality. There’s no making do with
crappy old Red Leb anymore. The black you can get at the moment is as good
as anything you’ll find in Amsterdam, and for the first time ever there’s
proper skunk around.”

More worryingly for the Gardai, there appears to be an increasing D-I-Y
ethic.

“I know two people who are growing fairly big amounts of grass
hydroponically,” he continues. “How big? One’s got 100 plants and the other
nearly 200. It’s a nice little cottage industry and great for me because I
don’t have to buy from the blokes who are also doing speed and E. That’s a
far heavier scene.”

While nobody’s got round to doing proper market research yet, the general
consensus is that cannabis use is no longer confined to specific age or
socio-economic groups. What was once considered to be the sole domain of
university-attending Pink Floyd fans is now smoked by everyone from 100K
lawyers to l3-year-olds who buy a ten-spot to go along with their flagon.

It’s a truism which few politicians are prepared to recognise - the
so-called ‘war against drugs’ has been lost.

“Nobody’s prepared to say. ‘Hang on, this isn’t working’, because they’re
paranoid it will cost them votes,” proffers Martin Cooke, a Leitrim
scientist-turned-farmer who’s planning to stand at the next election on a
pro-cannabis ticket, "They’re only prepared to talk about drugs in black and
white terms which, of course, doesn’t address the reality of the situation.
I’m not naive enough to think that Bertie Ahern’s suddenly going to turn
around and say ‘Legalise It!’ but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have
the same constructive debate that they have in other countries.”

Cooke and his fellow campaigners point to a report carried out by Cleveland
Police on behalf of the British Home Secretary, Jack Straw.

In it Assistant Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom acknowledges that, “There
is overwhelming evidence to show that the prohibition based policy in this
country since 1971 has not been effective in controlling the availability or
use of proscribed drugs.

“If prohibition does not work, then either the consequences of this have to
be accepted, or an alternative approach must be found. The most obvious
alternative approach is the legalisation and subsequent regulation of some
or all drugs.”

Coupled with a UK Police Federation call for ecstasy to be downgraded to a
Class C substance, it represents a major change in thinking.

Eoin Ryan has already headed the British off at the pass by saying that the
rest of Europe remains firmly opposed to the relaxation of drug laws. The
Dublin South East TD can’t have been doing his homework, or he’d know that
Portugal is moving towards the decriminalisation of all drugs for personal
use.

While it’s still not uncommon for people here to be prosecuted for 0.5 of a
gram, the possession of small amounts of cannabis in Denmark, Holland,
Spain. Italy, France, Germany, Sweden and the UK normally results in a
caution or small fine. Not Only does it free up the court system, but it
enables police and customs to concentrate their efforts on harder drugs.

“A very persuasive case for legalising cannabis is that it would remove
organised criminals from the equation,” says Martin Cooke. “They’re the only
people who are benefiting from prohibition.”

Although holding no truck with the first part of Cooke’s argument, Detective
Chief Superintendent Ted Murphy of the National Drug Unit is just as anxious
to see the criminals denied their cut.

“Every time we make a major seizure, we are stopping these people from
making money which is often channelled into other illegal activities,” is
the word from Dublin Castle.

Meanwhile, the reality of the situation is that Ireland’s drug laws remain
among Europe’s most Draconian. There have been mutterings in the Labour
Party about a more open debate, but generally there appears to be no
political desire to move things on.

“The only way there’s going to be a change in policy is if someone, most
likely the EU, forces their hand,” is Martin Cooke’s verdict. “A good
barometer is a country’s attitude towards medicinal marijuana. For instance,
several states in America have balloted for doctors to be able to prescribe
cannabis to patients. I’ve written to the Health Minister, Brian Cowen, on
the subject and all I got was a stock reply about it being a prohibited
substance. Everybody’s towing the party line.”

CANNABIS - The Hot Press Findings

* The Gardai dealt with 4,477 cannabis-related cases in 1999.

* It's more freely available in Ireland now than it's ever been.

* The Government's new 'Drugs Czar', Eoin Ryan, has made it clear that there
will be no move towards decriminalisation while Fianna Fail is in power.
This includes the use of medicinal marijuana.

* Possession of small amounts in Denmark, Holland, Spain, Italy, France,
Germany, Sweden and the UK normally results in a caution or a small fine.