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Ireland: Make Cannabis Legal Says Clare

The Irish Independent

Friday 29 Sep 2000


Subject: Ireland: Make Cannabis Legal Says Clare

Source: The Irish Independent

Pubdate: 29 September 2000



Make Cannabis Legal Says Clare
By Alan O'Keeffe

Psychiatrist Anthony Clare says cannabis should be de-criminalised but he
warns that it can trigger psychosis in some people.

He said people prone to psychotic illness seem to be made worse by alcohol
or cannabis.
But he said if there was a newspaper advertisement asking people to sign up
to demand that cannabis be de-criminalised, similar to appeals made in the
1960s, he thought he would sign.

Asked in an interview in Hot Press magazine if he would legalise cannabis,
he said: ``I'd listen to the arguments. But there should be no debate about
decriminalisation. It should just be decriminalised ... If you pushed me
really hard said `it's got to be legalised or not' I'd probably go for
legalisation.''

Professor Clare, medical director of St Patrick's psychiatric hospital in
Dublin, was asked if he ever recommended cannabis to patients, to calm them.

``No,'' he replied, and said: ``And I do have one major reservation about
cannabis being used in this context. And alcohol. There are some people,
prone to psychotic illness, who seem to be made worse by alcohol or cannabis.

``I'm not saying cannabis causes psychosis. But there are patients I
strongly advise not to smoke cannabis. It seems to trigger their psychosis.

``But I am also aware that we have legalised drugs that are quite complex.
Aspirin, alcohol, nicotine. So, obviously, there are vestiges of liberalism
about me. The public should be free to choose.

``And the public really are indicating that cannabis is a drug they regard
as a drug of recreation, no worse than alcohol.''

But he viewed hard drugs as a different issue and would be very uneasy if
there was any weakening in the legal position regarding hard drugs, he said.

 

 

 

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