Subject: Ire: Stagg says cannabis should be legal



Source: The Examiner (Ireland)



Pubdate: 4 November 1999





Stagg says cannabis should be legal

by John Downing, Chief Political Correspondent



EMMET STAGG wants the Government to consider decriminalising the use of

cannabis.



The former junior minister's suggestion has drawn an embarrassed silence

from the Labour Party who stressed this approach is not party policy. A

party spokesman said all further questions should be directed to the

Kildare TD.



Mr Stagg said a recent youth survey showed 60% of people under the age of

24 use cannabis as their drug of choice. He said there is a higher level of

cannabis use than of alcohol use among this age group.



Under current circumstances this kind of cannabis use places people in the

market for very hard drugs as well as this, their drug of choice, he said.



Speaking in the Dail he addressed the junior minister responsible for drugs

policy, Chris Flood, who was handling replies at question time: "Would he

consider decriminalising the use of cannabis? It is not sustainable to have

60% of the young people of the country in criminal capacity," Mr Stagg said.



The junior minister's reply left no scope for doubt: "Under my watch, I

will never consider putting forward the proposal that cannabis be

decriminalised".



Mr Flood said he had heard various arguments advanced for Mr Stagg's

proposition over the years and was aware there was a debate in progress. He

believed that cannabis could, in some circumstances, be a gateway type drug

leading to other drug abuse.



He said the long term effects of cannabis use were yet to be determined and

opinion was divided on these issues. There is no question of moves to

decriminalise cannabis.



"We would be sending the wrong signal in my opinion to the young people of

Ireland," Mr Flood concluded. But Mr Stagg said that by that standard the

government should ban tobacco and alcohol as their harmful effects were

clearly documented.



Afterwards, he said he had been expressing a personal view. "I have merely

posed the question for debate. I believe it is time we had a real debate in

this country on this issue.



"Everyone who knows me knows I smoke too much and take very little alcohol.

I don't touch cannabis."



The Labour TD is the first elected member of either the Dail or Seanad to

broach the issue of cannabis de criminalisation. He is also one of the few

politicians to take this stance.