Ireland to Consider Legalizing Cannabis

The Irish Parliament is set to consider legalizing cannabis for adult use next year under a new proposal by People Before Profit MP Gino Kenny, Forbes reports.

The proposal would modify Ireland’s 1977 Misuse of Drug Act to allow adults aged 18 and older to possess up to 7 grams of cannabis or 2.5 grams of cannabis concentrate. The bill does not contain regulated sales or even legal cultivation, commercial or home grow, so the existing black market for cannabis would remain the only option for consumers.

“The Bill is quite moderate. It amends existing legislation that dates back 42 years. Forty-two years is a very long time. I believe the existing legislation is out of date and out of time. We need a different narrative around drug reform.” — TD Gino Kenny, during a debate in Ireland’s lower parliamentary house, via Forbes

The legalization proposal needs to be approved by the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament, and debates are expected to kick off early next year.

Ireland currently allows for limited regulated access to medical cannabis. If the bill is approved, Ireland would be the latest European Union country to initiate significant cannabis law reforms but would stop short of regulating cannabis sales, unlike its fellow EU member states of Malta, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

An April poll found that 55% of adults in the European Union support the broad legalization of adult-use cannabis, with the majority of supporters also in favor of regulated retail sales and home cultivation.