'I KEEP MY CANNABIS HABIT QUIET, BUT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO'

According to the most recent survey, more than a fifth of Irish people
have tried cannabis, with men and young people more likely to have
used the drug

RUTH IS A SUCCESSFUL marketing professional, living in Dublin with her
partner, who works long hours. Like the rest of us she likes to unwind
after a hard day. Unwinding for the 40-year-old means smoking
cannabis, which she does a few times a week. "Instead of going to the
fridge and getting a glass of wine I have maybe half a joint and then
go for a bath. I smoke frequently, but I don't smoke an awful lot, and
I have to say I enjoy my smoking. I consider it a real positive in my
life." Unlike Luke "Ming" Flanagan TD, who earlier this week announced
his decision to quit smoking cannabis in Ireland, Ruth has no plans to
bin her stash. She started smoking grass 20 years ago on a J1 trip to
the US and hasn't stopped since. Her cannabis supply is purchased in
bulk twice a year from a relation and stored in the freezer. "It
freezes well as long as it's sealed correctly," she says.

Ruth says 20 years of smoking marijuana has had no ill effects on her
health, although she has trouble remembering people's names. "I deal
with numbers an awful lot; I have to keep a lot of information in my
head for work, and I have to be very alert. I haven't noticed any
slowdown in my thinking over the years."

According to the most recent figures from the All Ireland Drugs
Prevalence survey, released three years ago, more than a fifth of
Irish people have tried cannabis, with men and young people more
likely to have used the drug. More than a quarter of those who tried
the drug said that at one point in their lives they smoked regularly.
Almost 90 per cent of recent users said they sourced cannabis from
family and friends, with most having been given the drug as opposed to
buying it from a dealer.

"I just find it very relaxing," says Ruth, who was once offered grass
by the man who came to fix her washing machine after he saw her
cigarette papers around the house. He has since become a regular
supplier. "People might argue that I could go for a swim or a run and
experience a similar level of relaxation, and maybe I could, but at
9.30pm, after a long day at work, I am not interested in going for a
run."

She knows several middle-aged men who keep their cannabis use a secret
from their wives. "It's fine for them to go out drinking eight pints
after a rugby match, or knock back a bottle of wine, but it's not okay
to smoke a joint. I know of guys having a smoke after work and driving
home stoned or escaping to the garage to smoke in secret."

Richard, a thirtysomething writer, describes himself as having been "a
terrible pothead" in the past, smoking joints almost every day. He
smokes less now but is still a firm advocate of the drug, which he
believes should be legalised.

"We all know dozens of otherwise sensible, law-abiding people who
really enjoy getting quietly stoned in the comfort of their own
homes," he says. "The idea that pot smokers are criminals or that they
might pose any threat is utterly laughable. The drug has the effect of
making people placid and reflective and compassionate, and all of
these things are desirable in societal terms.

"It is hypocrisy of the worst sort that we take exception to the
smoking of what is, after all, a plant when the two most widely abused
and dangerous drugs in our society, alcohol and nicotine, are both so
freely available."

THOSE IN FAVOUR of legalising cannabis often point to the medical
benefits for those suffering from chronic pain or to scientific
studies that show cannabis to be less harmful than either alcohol or
tobacco.

But Austin Prior, deputy director of the Rutland Centre, in Dublin,
says the "public myth" that cannabis is a relatively harmless drug
needs to be challenged. Over the past five years far more young people
have come to the centre with problems caused by cannabis abuse, he
says.

"There is a feeling abroad that it is a safe drug, that it doesn't
cause any problems. And while this might be the case for lots of
people using cannabis socially, we see people at the more extreme end
who have severe problems." Among the consequences for hard-core users,
he says, are "poor educational outcomes, memory loss, aggressive
behaviour and lack of motivation".

He upholds the view that it is a gateway drug. "Many of our clients
who come with other addictions started smoking marijuana first," he
says. "Another issue is the fact that with cannabis abusers it seems
to take longer for what we call the 'mental fog' to lift than it does
with other drugs. In our experience it also appears to have more
long-term effects on people."

Having read widely on the subject, even Richard has two caveats when
it comes to the drug. "The first is that I believe anybody who has a
predisposition towards mental illness should avoid it, as the illness
could be exacerbated by smoking. The second is that younger people
should be especially mindful and careful about smoking pot while the
brain is still developing.

"So instead of blanket prohibition a more intelligent way to channel
resources would be to get those two key messages across. There has
been a lily-livered failure on the part of politicians to confront the
electorate with the unpalatable news that the so-called 'war on drugs'
has not worked, and this should be acknowledged at some level."

Ruth expects cannabis to always be a part of her life. "I am delighted
to be a marijuana user, and it annoys me that I have to keep my dope
use to myself," she says. "I know people who aren't familiar with the
drug can often be judgmental about people who use it, so on a
professional level I do keep it quiet, but I don't think I should have
to."

In my experience Ming's doing the right thing

Luke Flanagan may have stumbled in to one of the best decisions of his
life. Like he, I smoked cannabis regularly during my student days and
beyond. I considered it a positive, calming influence in my life. I
rarely went to bed without having smoked at least a joint - although I
never went so far as to assume the identity of an intergalactic despot.

After college I worked nights in a 24-hour petrol station. Things went
quiet about 2am. So I would read, think my own thoughts and smoke.
Service was through a glass hatch, so refuelling taxi drivers wouldn't
notice if something illicit was smouldering in the ashtray. When I
knocked off I would watch kids' TV shows such as Saved By the Bell ,
USA High and Kenan & Kel while my friends headed off to work. It
wasn't the perfect life, but if anyone had asked I'd have told them it
was pretty damn close.

At 23 I gave up cigarettes. As cannabis resin is smoked with tobacco,
it seemed prudent to quit my beloved spliff too. This turned out to
one of the best decisions I've made. Much is made of the apparently
benign effects of cannabis: it's cheap, doesn't cause hangovers and
rarely causes users to misbehave in public.

But like an odourless gas seeping into your house, it is cannabis's
apparent harmlessness that makes it so insidious. If alcohol abuse
causes strains in a relationship, there are obvious red flags. But if
you're sitting on your sofa playing Playstation with your mates, all
laughing like hyenas, the alarm bells may not ring quite as loudly. In
fact, they may tinkle quietly for years without anybody noticing.

Only after I quit cannabis did I appreciate what a malevolent
influence it had exerted: how introverted, unambitious and paranoid it
had made me. What an unerring knack it had of making stupid seem
funny, dull seem profound and the biggest waste of my time seem like
an appropriate outlet for my talents.

I smoked my last joint in 2003. I was in a menial job, earning little
more than minimum wage. Within three years I was making a living
writing for several national publications. I had a suntan. I wasn't
terrified of talking to my neighbours.

If Ming stays off "the old ganj", as he calls it, where might he be in
four years? Minister Ming? Commissioner Ming? Chief Justice Ming? I
wouldn't bet against it.