CANNABIS GIVES PADDY RARE RESPITE FROM PAIN

Paddy Doyle suffers from an acute muscle disorder. The pain is so bad he
rarely stays in the same position for more than five minutes. Doctors can't
establish the cause of the condition and he has been on a cocktail of pills
to alleviate the pain since he was eight years old. But according to Paddy
there is a natural way to provide some much needed relief.

He has smoked cannabis on just three occasions and says it has given him
rare respite from the debilitating condition. His consultant wrote to the
Government seeking permission to prescribe the drug for Paddy but the
request was turned down.

Now Paddy is adding his voice the growing number of people seeking a debate
on the issue and to establish medical views on the potential benefits of
cannabis.

Apart from the move by Labour TD Emmet Stagg to ask the Government to
consider decriminalising the drug, the issue has been side stepped by
politicians and, according to Paddy, all the indications are the silence
will continue.

"Politicians are afraid to touch the issue because they don't want to be
seen associating with something which involves the decriminalisation of
drugs. Yet there’s no problem with other drugs like alcohol and tobacco,
despite the fact that the nation is coughing, spitting and vomiting its way
to oblivion."

However, opinions are fiercely divided over what the likely effects of
decriminalisation. Grainne Kenny of Europe Against Drugs said drug dealers
would exploit the liberalised atmosphere.

"Users, the root and motive force of the drugs market, will be more or less
free to use and possess drugs," she said.

She refuted claims that cannabis could be used as medicine due to the
dangers it posed.

"Regular cannabis smoking produces a drug dependent personality and drags
smokers into continual sedation, separating them from reality."

Her calls are backed by anti drugs groups and the National Youth Council of
Ireland and Junior Minister responsible for drugs, Chris Flood. But Paddy
draws a comparison between the reaction to the decriminalisation of
cannabis and the furore which met Dr Noel Browne’s Mother and Child scheme.

"The outrage surrounding the scheme was due to the clergy who saw it as a
backdoor to contraception. But it was just about looking after the health
of women. It’s a similar situation with marijuana. There’s isn't a shred of
evidence to show that cannabis is a backdoor to dangerous drugs."

Under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, cannabis is a controlled drug and its use
is prohibited, except under license from the Minister for Health. Licenses,
however, are only granted for the purpose of research, forensic analysis or
as essential material in the manufacture of other drugs.