Tag Archives: cannabis

NEW Clare TD Violet Anne Wynne has come under scrutiny since her election and a video has been circulating on social media in which her partner spoke about using THC oil from cannabis to deal with epilepsy, something that is illegal. Asked for her position on the issue, Deputy Wynne said, “We [Sinn Féin] have said that in cases where every alternative has been ventured and tried, we would be open to medicinal cannabis in those circumstances.” Deputy Wynne said that conventional medication had not worked for her partner but the use of THC made a difference. “My partner has been with neurologists for the last several years trying to figure out medication suitable for him, for his make up. We all have our individual differences and while medicine might work for the majority of the population, there are instances where it causes problems. “He doesn’t have any medical experience, just his own personal experience of his condition. For him …

AS part of an intelligence led operation Gardaí are currently carrying out a search at a premises at Tinarana, Killaloe. The Clare Divisional Drugs Unit are being supported by local uniform and plainclothes Gardaí, the Western Region Armed Support Unit and the Cork Garda Dog Unit. A significant grow house has been discovered with evidence of the production of Cannabis at all stages (nursery, mature plants, dried plants).  At this time, a large number of plants with an estimated street value of €900,000 are being examined. A female (early 20s), non-Irish national, has been arrested at the scene and is currently being detained at Ennis Garda Station under section 4 Criminal Justice Act, 1984. The search and investigations remain ongoing.    

ACCORDING to the Probation Services, alcohol is just as significant an issue as drugs, when it comes to those engaged in offending behaviour. David Kenny, regional manager, South West Probation Service, said alcohol, together with benzos, cannabis, unprescribed medication, pockets of opioid use, and heroin are the types of substances most commonly used among those who become involved in criminal activity. Among offenders seen by the Probation Services in Clare, they have identified alcohol, cannabis, and benzos as the types of substances that “are coming up the whole time”, and this is because “they are the most accessible”. Leah McGuire, of the Probation Service in Clare, said cocaine does present itself also, but while it is often thought cocaine is a drug for those with money, at the end of the day it comes down to what’s most accessible at any given time. That, she said, “comes in waves and troughs, and it comes down to what’s a good price …

IF you were an outsider with a reasonable sense of perspective and you heard about the introduction of the sugar tax, you’d think Ireland cared about its young people far more than it actually does. On May 1, cans of fizzy drinks went up by 10 cents and two-litre bottles by 60 cents, with the thinking being that this new charge –debated in the press and at political level for months – was a wonderful move to combat obesity. Yes, this caring, health-conscious society was taking concrete action to make sure its young people were going to grow up as close to the peak of health and fitness as possible. But on May 1, as the new charge came into operation and our policymakers lauded themselves, teenagers all over Clare (and undoubtedly everywhere else), were out buying cannabis, cocaine, benzos and heroin. The ability to ignore this inconvenient truth is absolutely staggering, with no coherent strategy to tackle the parasites …

KEEPING children away from drugs is proving extremely difficult, and there is frustration in some communities about a weak institutional response. A Shannon mother, who spoke to us, has recently discovered her 14-year-old daughter has been taking drugs. She says it is going to be very hard to keep her away from the suppliers. “Short of locking her in the house and walking her to school and home every day, there’s very little I can do to keep her safe. I know the area she is buying the drugs, she has to walk past this place, it’s called the Boreen. It’s a known fact that’s where young lads have been dealing drugs for years. The Guards know this. “Drugs have been out there for a long time, the Guards know this and they’re doing nothing. A couple of years ago the trees were cut back to try and discourage them but it didn’t. The street lights get fixed and they …

WATCHING a child being torn by addiction may be the most excruciating experience a parent can go through. That’s the view of a Kilrush mother who has lost a child who went through that struggle, and she has some very strong and informed opinions on the drug problem. “As a parent I think one of the hardest things you’ll ever see is your child being in a place where you can’t take that demon from them. You can do your best to help them as much as you can and let them know you’re there for them, but it’s probably the hardest thing you’ll ever watch,” she says. As well as losing her child, she has eight siblings who are addicted to drink and/or drugs, so substance abuse has really wreaked havoc on those around her and affected her own life. In recent years she has taken courses in addiction studies, allowing her understand the issues more fully. She believes …

AT the age of 18, Jack (not his real name) has been through rehab twice, and now attends four or five meetings of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous each week. The Shannon teenager started taking drugs aged 15, beginning a very rapid descent, after which he admits he is lucky to be alive. Now clean and sober for well over a year, he says his hometown is awash with drugs. Disturbingly, he believes the majority of teenagers in Shannon consume illegal substances. “If you went out and walked down the road and asked 10 people under 18 if they smoke weed or not – if they were being honest with you – I’d say at least six or seven of them would say yes.” The drugs are available from dozens of dealers, all over the town. “There are so many (dealers), I couldn’t even name them all. Literally every estate you go into four or five people are selling drugs. …

Drugs with an estimated street value of €250,000 have been detected and seized after Gardaí from the Clare Divisional Drug Unit stopped a car at Latoon South, Ennis on Friday evening, May 11. The detection was made as part of an ongoing intelligence led operation into drug trafficking in the Clare Division. During the course of the search of the car gardai discovered a quantity of cannabis herb (subject to analysis), the male driver a man in his 40’s was arrested and taken to Ennis Garda station where he is being detained under the provisions of section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 as amended. A follow up search was carried out at a house at Ballyclough Avenue, Ballinacurra,  Weston, Limerick by Gardaí a large quantity of cannabis herb was discovered. The approximate street value of the total amount of cannabis discovered was €250,000 (subject to analysis). Investigations are ongoing.