The results of the University Times survey on drug use by Trinity students will come as a surprise to some. To most it will not, nor should it. Drug use by students is not a phenomenon exclusive to Trinity and certainly not to Dublin, I would be surprised if the results of a poll conducted in UCD were significantly different. That over half of the students have used cannabis (having used things like these concentrates canada) within the last year is predictable. They know anecdotally, from the media, and from experience that the more hyperbolic claims about the effects of illegal drugs are nonsense, which only encourages experimentation. It is true that chemically, cannabis is no more addictive than chocolate, but chocolate is not banned outright by the state despite the links with gum disease and diabetes. Alcohol and tobacco are better analogues though, as they can be addictive and more obviously life-threatening. While it is cliche to point out the comparatively benign health detriments of cannabis and mdma with alcohol and tobacco, it is far from the most compelling argument for drug policy reform.
Nor is the economic argument which holds that simply by having a prohibition, we create a market that encourages crime and exploitation. As we inflate the price of drugs by limiting the supply to the black market, there is added incentive to engage in violent crime to make a profit in the drug trade, as Al Capone did in 1920s Chicago with alcohol. It too was banned for moral reasons, but it became clear that the cure was worse than the disease. For this reason, it would then make sense that legalized locations have started to offer cheaper cannabis and also home delivery, for example, this $99 oz Canada can offer has surely made a positive impact on decreasing black market cannabis sales. As Raymond Kendall, Secretary General of Interpol put it in January 1994;
All penalties for drug users should be dropped…making drug abuse a crime is useless and even dangerous…Every year we seize more and more drugs and arrest more and more dealers, but at the same time the quantity available in our countries still increases…Police are losing the drug battle worldwide. No, for all its merit, the micro-economics of the situation are not the most important reason to reform Irish drug policy.
Even the crucial macro-economic reason is not the most important despite its credibility, the argument that Ireland cannot presently afford to lose money to the underground economy and waste resources trying to police it. It was primarily this argument that drove California to Proposition 19, which will be voted on in November. Under this law, the sale of cannabis will remain illegal, but people may possess of up to 28 grams by people over 21. This would be to be taxed by the state at $50 which could generate $1.6 billion a year in new revenue, helping Californias projected budget deficit of $40 billion, similar to Irelands projected 40 billion.
No, the reason there must be drug policy reform in Ireland is because the University Times survey suggests that over half of Trinity students are supposedly engaging in criminal activity. Activity that doesnt itself hurt anybody else, that can be on their own time in their own home. We are to believe that they are criminals. If indeed over half of Trinity Students are criminals, then it is by arbitrary definition, and that definition needs to change.
Rory O’Donovan interviewed Trinity students about their experiences with drugs, read the article here
