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Tag Archives: cannabis

‘Pot luck’ cannabis plant grows in garden

A CLOUGHLEIGH man has told Ennis District Court that it was “pot luck” that a cannabis plant happened to be growing in the garden of his home. Matthew Reddan, 27, with an address at Shallee Drive, pleaded guilty to a charge of cultivating a cannabis plant at his address on June 14 last. Defence solicitor John Casey told the court that his client had possession of a cannabis seed and decided to plant it. “He put it in a pot and it grew in the pot outside. He might’ve even forgotten about it,” he said. Mr Casey told presiding Judge Patrick Durcan that the court often hears cases whereby lighting and other equipment is put in attics to facilitate the growth of cannabis plants. In his client’s case, the cannabis was grown outside and it was just “pot luck” that it grew in that environment. Judge Durcan asked “was it a case of Jack and the beanstalk?” Garda Inspector David …

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‘Morally obliged’ to disobey drug laws

  A 53-YEAR-OLD West Clare man has told a judge that if he can be accused of committing a crime, it is ‘bananas, unjust and absolutely absurd’. John O’Regan of the Kilkee Bay Apartments, Kilkee made his comment before Judge Patrick Durcan convicted him of cultivating cannabis without a licence and unlawful possession of cannabis at his home on April 7, 2016. At Kilrush District Court, Judge Durcan fined the defendant €250 for the cultivation and took the unlawful possession offence into account. Mr O’Regan told Judge Durcan that because he is obliged to oppose unjust drug laws, he will not be paying the fine. He said, “Judge, you are as fair minded as they come but I am very sorry and I cannot pay the fine.” In a search of Mr O’Regan’s apartment in April 2016, gardaí found 13 mature cannabis plants. The cannabis was for his own use and the defendant told that the court that the relevant law “is unjust and all citizens are morally obliged to disobey it”. …

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Drugs found in car

Gardaí from the Clare Divisional Drug Unit, based in Ennis, stopped and searched a car in Bunratty last night (Wednesday). The car was stopped shortly after 7pm and during the course of the search gardaí discovered cannabis herb with an approximate street value of €5,000 (subject to analysis). The driver of the car, a man (39 years) was arrested and is currently being detained at Ennis Garda station under the provisions of section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 as amended.

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Lending support to the Medicinal Cannabis Bill

A MEMBER of the Kilkee Cannabis Club has written to the county’s four TDs, asking them to support the Medicinal Cannabis Bill, which is to be debated in Dáil Éireann today (Thursday). The Dáil will study the report on Scrutiny of the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016. John O’Regan is backing Ireland’s Cannabis Party in its fast protest outside Leinster House from today up to November 16, in support of the Medicinal Cannabis Bill. Organisers say the fast is being held to highlight the need for medicinal cannabis to be legalised and regulated. Mr O’Regan, who lives on the Kilrush Road in Kilkee, said, “It is our intention to highlight the desperate plight that parents with sick children face. One such person was even contemplating a hunger strike to try to help their child. This fast is intended to remind people of the lengths a parent might go to, if their child is denied a medicine due to …

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Revenue seize cannabis at Shannon Airport

Revenue officers at Shannon Airport seized 1.1kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €22,000 on Thursday when, as a result of routine profiling, they stopped and searched a passenger who had arrived on a flight from Tenerife. In announcing the siezure today (Friday), Revenue said the drugs were discovered in the checked in baggage of the passenger, a 31-year-old Lithuanian man. He was arrested by gardaí and detained at Ennis Garda Station. Separately, yesterday, Revenue officers carried out a search under warrant of a house in Cahir, County Tipperary, and seized over 2,500 cigarettes, branded ‘Richman’, ‘John Bull’ and ‘M1’. The cigarettes have a retail value of almost €1,500, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of around €1,300. These operations are part of Revenue’s on going operations targeting the illegal importation, supply and sale of drugs, tobacco products and alcohol in the shadow economy. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding the smuggling or …

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Council supports medicinal cannabis use

LEGALISING the prescription of medicinal cannabis is an idea whose time has come, according to Clare County Council. At Monday’s meeting, Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy put forward a motion that the council “ask the Minister for Health Simon Harris to prioritise legislation legalising the prescribing of medicinal cannabis in Ireland, where those suffering and in need, as highlighted by the recent walk of Vera Twomey across the country, will have their lives hugely improved.” Ms Twomey had walked from Cork to Dublin in an attempt to draw attention to the issue. Her motion was supported by Councillor Ann Norton. “For a lot of people, medication doesn’t take away the severity of the pain,” she noted. Regarding medicinal cannabis, she said it could be “legalised and monitored like other drugs”. She added that many patients already use the drug illegally and can be fined up to €2,500 for a first offence and imprisoned for subsequent transgressions. While she said she wouldn’t …

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Man in custody after drugs find in Ennis

Gardaí targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs in Ennis have seized cocaine and cannabis following a planned operation today (Thursday). Shortly after midday, members of Clare Drugs Divisional Unit discovered a significant quantity of cocaine, with an estimated value in excess of €60,000, and cannabis, with an estimated value in excess of €20,000, pending analysis, in an open area near Clonmore Road. Follow up searches and investigation are currently taking place and a man in his 30s has been arrested and is currently in custody at Ennis Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking ) Act 1996.

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‘Test tube’ cannabis grower in court

A self-taught cannabis grower who was cultivating plants in his bedroom in a “sophisticated way” without the use of soil, was interested in the science of the process, Ennis District Court heard last week. John Conneely of Shandangan, Corofin pleaded guilty to the cultivation of cannabis plants at his address, having cannabis for sale or supply and possession of controlled drugs on May 25, 2015. At a sitting of Ennis District Court on Thursday last, gardaí outlined that eight cannabis plants and 450g of cannabis valued at €9,000 was found at the defendant’s home. The defendant alleged he was cultivating for personal use only and that the way the drugs were found – separated out into different jars – was not for selling purposes but rather to separate out the flavours. Solicitor for Conneely, Stiofán Fitzpatrick, said his client, who he described as reclusive, is in his 40s and lives at home with his parents. He left school at 14. …

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