Caoimhghin Buckley had €5 of cannabis on his person when he was caught by gardai. He then had to wait well over a year to attend his court case. When he did get the chance to attend his court case he was up with 5 others

Judge Staines asked if he has stopped taking. He said he hadn't. The Judge pointed out that people think taking cannabis is harmless “but it's not. It can lead to depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. I would strongly advise you to stop using it. I also want to tell you that if you get another conviction for drug use then you will be going to prison.” She convicted and fined Caoimhghin €100 for his €5 worth of Cannabis.

Judge Catherine Staines must really believe that what she is doing is righteous, that she is saving this man from the Devils lettuce. The sad reality is thought that it is the Judge who Caoimhghin needs protecting from. I cant help but see the judges comments in the same light I view comments of the past about gay people. When gay relationships were prohibitited the authorities pushed out propaganda via the media which made claims that gay people are all pedophiles and want to rape your kids. (watch the gay propaganda here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmqNiFJyI28&ab_channel=MosesF )

Unlike the judge Cannabis would not take away this young mans freedom regardless of how much he consumed. Caoimhghin now faces the same situation I once faced, being labeled a criminal in society for cannabis use. For me at the time it was a hard pill to swallow thinking of how my ability to travel and secure a good job has now been drastically reduced. These thoughts were incredibly damaging to my mental health especially when I considered how this punishment also affected my kids as I am also less able to provide for them or take them to Orlando, Florida on a family holiday.

The judge has not only labeled Caoimhghin a criminal but she also threatened to send him to prison should he be caught again. This is wrong on so many levels but lets examine one possible scenario. Is it possible that Caoimhghin could be 1 of the many people who self medicate with Cannabis and may not even know it? That was certainly the case for me , when I tried cannabis for the first time I really enjoyed it but it wasn’t until many years later I began to realise why.

I first used Cannabis back at the age if 15 due mainly to peer pressure and a desire to be a part of the group as I had experienced a lot of bullying growing up. My Cannabis use helped me to engage with my thoughts for possibly the first time in a meaningful way & it allowed me to be more patient too. Cannabis never caused me any negative effects until 2 years after first trying it the Gardaí began to interfere with me. Still today I can happily say that cannabis has been a great and useful tool in my life and the only negative I have experienced is 100% due to the laws around this plant.

How many more lives will we allow Cannabis prohibition to ruin? Caoimhghin was not the only 1 before the judge that day for cannabis. No. Caoimhghin was punished a long side 5 others for personal cannabis possession on the day with the majority getting the “probation act”.