Largest garda operation in City
The largest ever Garda operation in the city, and one of the largest ever carried out in the country, is currently underway in Limerick City.
250 Gardai have raided a total of 120 housss in housing estates like Ballinacurra Weston, Southill, St. Mary’s Park and Moyross.
30 professional and business premises were also raided, and continue to be searched.
Items recovered include, documents, computers, drugs, guns and cash. Three people have already been arrested and are being detained at various Garda stations around the city.
The searches will continue for the rest of the day and may run into tomorrow also.
Solicitors offices and accountants were amongst the business properties searched today.
UPDATE: Some of the items seized today:
Documentation
Computer equipment
Cash, totalling in and around €100,000 in both Euro and Sterling
2 Firearms
Ammunition
Drugs, believed to be worth around €200,000 consisting of ecstasy and cocaine.
Three men in their 20s have also been arrested.
UPDATE: The three men who were arrested have been released without charge.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Lets hope they get enough evdience to send a lot of the scumbags down and take all the ill gotten gains from them.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I supoose if you are going to be involved in organised crime you need to have a good solicitor and an accountant. Lets hope an example is made of those who help these low lifes hide their drug money.
Well done gardaí.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I got a bit of a suprise at 7.15am this morning when entering Hyde Road from Childers Road. Two ‘Armed’ plain clothes gentlemen standing in the middle of the road. They were also one at the junction of Hyde & Careys road, and there were a lot of visitors to ‘Fortress D’ on Hyde Road.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Great stuff. 250 Gardai is still foggal for these bastards
May 8th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
A lot of activity as I passed Roxboro Barracks at lunchtime. Hopefully there are more seizures and arrests throughout the coming days.
Very interesting to see those solicitors and accountants offices coming under scrutiny. Probably a few “front businesses” will be shutting up shop before the day is out too.
Great work and keep it up. Well done, drive these bastards out of business.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
IS IT TOO MUCH TO HOPE THAT THIS IS THE START OF REAL CHANGE
May 8th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
you can never have too much hope.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
dont get too excited by this, smething will come of it i would think but it is unlikely to stop drug dealing and gun crime but of course it does instill confidence in people when they see a blitz like this because for too long now people have been wondering do the cops raid these people at all, so i hope there will be people charged and i hope the are important cogs in these gangs, i saw a lot of cops around these areas this morning and it certainly is a good feeling s, i commend them, take them doiwn ,
May 8th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
great work lets hope thats not the end of the Garda Budget for the year
May 8th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Word has it that a certain scumbag who was recently arrested with a gun has sung like a canary and given Gardai vital information leading to these raids.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Makes the Gardai look like they are doing something I suppose, but in essence they are still not really doing anything worth while. Raids and arrests etc, waste of time if there is no outcome. It gives them great media attention, but that’s about it.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Good work. Keep the fuckers under pressure!
May 8th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Gwan the gardai, I love hearing about things like this.
Trinity: why so negative when you don’t know if there is or is not an outcome? You remind me of a guy i know who’s miserable.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Hopefully it is the genesis of a real crackdown on crime & not a PR exercise.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I think this raid may lead to more arrests and hopefully a bit of CAB action..
May 8th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Surely the raiding of solicitors offices doesn’t bode too well for having a good outcome eventually. Shoot and foot are words that come to mind.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
It is good to see the Gardai do this. If they did a crackdown like this every week it would seriously disrupt the criminals. However, not all the houses raided are scumbags. Some people are being raided for simply being related or known to some of the criminals.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Just heard on the last word with Matt Cooper that a lot of these raided premises are as a direct result of the investigations of three CAB members who have been stationed in Limerick for the past year.
There was also a lot of undercover work carried out by the gardai as a result of their findings.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
investigation of or investigation by?
May 8th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
trinity. do you read the papers at all. theres been a lot of criminals taken out in the last couple of years millions worth of drugs seized dozens of guns found, twice recently the cops made big arrests in relation to guns , they also found guns in a mans ba ck garden.
theres about 50 0f limericks most dangerous people in jail doing lenghty sentences. now to ballynanty rovers if you are communicating with criminals then your not innocent because criminals do not mix with decent people, i go through these estates everyday and im never pulled because i dont talk to these criminals the cops are not stupid they know everybodythats involved, by the way i dont mean you personally.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Squid,
The three CAB members have been investigating certain criminal factions in the city for the past years. The gardai also carried out some undercover work during the same period.
The actions carried out today were done so on the information received from the above investigations.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
CAB were in the accountants office my girlfriend works in this afternoon, and in lots of other accountants around the city.
Unlike the gardai who seem to be only an annoyance to these guys, CAB can really upset them by freezing assets and seizing money, property and luxury goods these guys thought were safe because the were “legitimate”
May 8th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
any word on what businesses were raided?
May 8th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Only word is a number of solicitors and accountants.
I am not too comfortable about solicitors being raided. kinda put s the whole solicitor client privilage in jeopardy
May 8th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
If some solicitors are abusing that privilege it hardly serves the profession in general. I’m sure the Law Society will hardly be impressed that offices of its members have come under CAB scrutiny in this matter.
If, repeat, IF, any law firm or individual has been aiding the scumbags by helping launder drug money - and obviously helping themselves to a generous commission - then they should be not just fined and have their licence to practise withdrawn, but be locked up along with their clients.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
There comes a very well-known solicitor to my mind… You can read his name every week on the POST’s court page every week pleading for the unfortunate and misunderstood crimial scumbags…
May 8th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Squid,
A solicitor is no more entitled to conceal criminality than anybody else.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Depends on “which” solicitor..
May 8th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Just because yopu have a university degree doesnt mean you are an honest person. Much the same way that growing up in a diss-advantaged area does not make you a dishonest one.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Yeah I kinda agree squid,they must have very probable cause! Do already processed (I mean through the court system) documents that were obtained vai free legal aid belong to the state?
May 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
@ RoryK - let’s wait and see! I have my sources :)
Making big arrestes in relation to guns doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a significant outcome. The vast majority of criminals arrested end up walking free on some technicality or other. They haven’t always targeted the big boys, and unfortunately the law needs to be changed drastically to allow the Gardai more power, and get proper and lengthy convictions against these scumbags.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I know of one particular Solicitor (one of the largests firms in Limerick) whom, at one stage, had a well known gang member (murdered a few years back) doing some diy and painting work in his house.! These scumbags pay their legal fees, cash up front. I can see why various Solicitors offices were raided, however, that could turn out be a bad move.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Thats a lot of stuff found. My question is how much time will these crimmals get? I bet they have clever lawyers.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Newstalk Radio News:
Three men arrested earlier have been released without charge, Files being prepared for DPP.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
250 Gardaí and the only firearms they could find were 2 GUNS????
May 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Yipeeeeeeeeee, i have always said it what goes around comes around. I hope what Wille Keane said today was true this is only phase 1. Lets see.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Apparently CAB have a long list of properties where there is no explanation as to how the owners could have paid for them. Looks like a lot of houses are going to be seized.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Looks as if it was smoke and feathers , 2 guns 100,000 euro a few kilos of drugs , hardly a criminal wrecking fest
May 8th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
why are people surprised about accountants and solicitors being raided, they are after all humans like the rest of us,and with so much money floating around in the drug scene, its not surprising that sopme would be compromised,
May 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
there was also 200thousands euros worth of drugs found and 100 thousand sterling, i bet a lot of those visited gave vital informationt no honesty among crooks, so it has been a success.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
The real prizes here,in my opinion,are the computer records and the stuff taken from the accountants’ and solicitors’ offices. CAB will be trawling through these and will use the info to freeze assets and eventually seize them. This will take some time but in the meantime the scumbags are going to feel the heat and wonder who in their organisations are singing. I agree with people saying that a few guns and some cash and drugs is a poor return. These are incidental to the main stuff mentioned above and I would also say that the people who got caught with these are not the fizziest drinks in the fridge.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
The ERU permanently stationed here in the summer,cabs work starting to unfold,more visible gardai on our streets.Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
just read that the 3 arrested were released without charge…… htf does that happen when 100,000 worth of drugd were found… someone had to be caring for the drugs… why weren’t they charged ??
May 8th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
A major solicitors firm was raided a few years ago in Dublin, Hanaho and Co. They sued the cops and won about €100,000 because the cops had reporters tiped off about the raid and the reporters were at the office when the raid took place. But Hanaho and Co lost their case against the cops about the raid itself as it was deemed to be justified by the courts
May 8th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
“i go through these estates everyday and im never pulled because i dont talk to these criminals”
You can talk to them or members of their families without being involved, you can say hello in the pub without knowing what they do in their spare time.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Ikeano,RTE report that files are being prepared for the DPP. This is all going to take some time but is,I hope,a major move. Patience.
“Though the mills of God grind slowly,
Yet they grind exceedingly small;
Though with patience He stands waiting,
With exactness He grinds it all”-Longfellow.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
ikeano, it is not always as simple as ‘the person caught with the drugs is responsible’. there are certain people in this town that are being forced to keep drugs in their homes, by these lowlifes, people who want nothing to do with any of what is going on, but have no choice, as their families are being threatened.
Regardless of what was found, today’s events have surely put the frights on these scum, lets hope the guards and cab keep it up, and put some real pressure on them, then maybe the honest, decent people will be able to claim back just a little bit of our beautiful city.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Again, well done to all involved in this latest crack down.
When you combine;
Gang members attacking and killing members of other gangs.
Gang members killing each other within same gang.
Gang members getting arrested regularly.
CAB taking wealth away.
and now this type of major harassment from the Gardai you gotta ask how attractive is the drug trade to these people.
They don’t know when they will be shot or arrested. They can’t buy big houses or other luxury goods. I don’t know how I could get a good nights sleep with all that stress.
This recent pressure from the Gardai must be wearing them down.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I Cant understand Why pepole who are asserted under the offince of the state act are not brought to the specal crimle court as they dont need any edvence only the word of a garda to convict a person
May 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Re special criminal court
AFAIK they have to be suspected members of a group that is on a proscribed list. That means if the organisation they are a member of is not on that list, then they are outside the juristiction of the SCC
May 9th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Are you tilling me that as a drug dealer or supplery you are not on the proscribed list I would have tought they where on it as a matter of course as other people are
May 9th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Nope. The SCC was set up to deal with subversives in relation to the Northern Ireland troubles and not the drug dealers.
I’m not even sure if Al-Queda is even on the list.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:31 am
lawmakers are a funny lot. it was only made illegal to have a nuclear bomb in your possession in the UK last year.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Squid
There is not a list for the SCC. That is nonsense. The SCC was set up in the 1939 (there was provision made in the 1937 constitution) and has been invoked three times. The third being the seventies as you have correctly stated to deal with subversives.
Paul Ward was convicted in the SCC and he was not a member of any “prescribed organisation” nor were the killers of Josie Dryer but I can’t remember their names.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Anyone can be brought to the SCC if the DPP deems it ok. Only evedience (usually his beliefe) given by a Guard not below the rank of a Cheif Super. can be taken by the SCC and be used to convict somebody and then only members of a proscribed organisation. Usually the INLA or IRA. But this usually has to be backed up with some other evedience even a photo at a rally would be enough. That is why some of the TDs are now calling for gang membership to be proscribed, so as the same can happen to the gangs.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
wont other solicitors who were not raided that have something to hide now cover their tracks?
May 9th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Its good to see at least something is being done, i know 3 people that got raided yesterday just for knowing some ppl that kinda unfair esp when nothing to be found - more investigations and go for the top in my opinion.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
To the point,don’t read too much into the fact that a solicitor’s office had a visit. CAB could be looking for files going back a few years which related to property transactions which are done in the normal course of business. At that time the criminal element weren’t as prominent as they are now and transactions such as this would have gone through without query. I remember when I bought a house in 1980 I got a letter from somewhere wanting to know where I got the funds. I didn’t reply and that was that.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
DO YE HONESTLY THINK THIS WILL CONTINUE. THEY WILL STOP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
every gun off the streets is a potential life saved even if it takes 250+ garda……….. this is a sucess ……….
May 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Now if only people would stop buying drugs.. There must be a huge amount of people buying drugs from these leeches.
They should crack down on people buying drugs too.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I think its an excellent move forward.I am very Happy for limerick and all the good people that live there.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
HOW WILL I LIVE IF THEY STOP BUYING MY DRUGS!!!!! I AM NOT A LEECH. I WORK HARD FOR A LIVING. I JUST WANT TO EARN A LIVING LIKE EVERY1 ELSE.
HA!HA! GARDAI DIDN’T CATCH ME YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
less of your trolling mary. oh , and the capslock key is third from the bottom on the extreme left of your keyboard.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
But seriously, as well as convincing consumers not to buy drugs there is an alternative way of eliminating the gangs’ revenue stream. You could allow consumers buy drugs over the counter in a pharmacy.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
There is a huge amount of people buying drugs in limerick, there has been for a long time now. I’ve seen crack downs on young people who use drugs recrationaly and all that serves is to give a young person a criminal record early on in life. Also most young people don’t realise how much a criminal record especialy a drug possesion record will impact their lives at a latter stage. So should we criminalise people for buying recreational drugs or should we educate them? And don’t forget that alcohol and cigarettes are government sanctioned legalised drugs that you me and every other Irish person pays tax on so it might be time to take the illegal drug trade away from the criminal element and control it with taxation. No drugs no scumbags with guns
May 9th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Legalise drugs and we turn into a Pariah State.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I dont drink, i smoke a few joints at the weekend (and maybe an e or 6 over the course of the year)..should i go to prison even though I’m not causing fights in nightclubs/pubs/streets. I have a very good well paid job but enjoy a few joints in the comfort of my own home..should I and my kind be regarded as criminals because some cop says that a natural plant is illegal? I think not but succesive governments have succumbed to the drinks/tobacco/chemical industry to keep cannabis that way!! I agree that hard drugs like heroin and coke should be illegal but imo tobacco and alcohol are far more damaging to our society. I have to deal with people I’d prefer not to to get my smoke but why should i go to prison?
May 9th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I didn’t know yokes grew on trees. E’s arn’t a natural plant. you did say you enjoy 1 or six of them a year.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
true..you got me..although it is now regarded as safer than aspirin!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
ok LET ME PUT IT TO YOU THIS WAY, HOW MUCH IS A QUART OF HASH. 25 EURO
LETS SAY YOU BUY ONE EACH WEEKEND, THATS 25 x 52 = 1,300 a year,
ok, seven friends buy the same amount as you. that would be 1,300 x8 = 10,400.
For that ten grand your dealer has enough money to have someone killed. Ten thousand was the price paid to kill brian fitzgerald, and for 400 one could surely pick up a firearm to do it.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Good point Squid but would the occasional weed smoker be better off growing his own in that case. Cuts out all the gangland side of it. Plus you would know what ur smoking rather than the toxic stuff that is hash.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
ffs guys if u dont like calling to these guys,grow ur own,if u want to fell happy do something nice for someone,people are just looking for an effect when they use drugs,i should know im a recovering addict
May 9th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
“Legalise drugs and we turn into a Pariah State”
What about the our state now? Gun battles in housing estates, drug dealers driving around in 100000 euro amoured vehicals, gold dripping off their necks. You think we would be an outcast state if we legalised drugs and got rid of the scum better to be an outcast state with safe streets than what we have today! Take a look at the Netherlands legalized cannibas use there has not changed peoples consumption levels but it does keep normal people away from scum drug dealers. Drugs are illegal and it’s not making a difference. Why can’t something different be tried instead of the usual ‘just say no” and the all time favourite “any one that uses drugs is an idiot” Put down your pints and cigarettes before judgement and replies
May 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
rr,
you have to deal with people you’d prefer not to get your smoke?I am so sorry you have to deal with low lifes to maintain your drug habit.
Stop keeping those people in buisness and then the good people in the housing estates wont have to live next door to drug dealers! while watching your ass drive in after your well paid job and promptly leave letting them stay in the ghetto that you are helping make.
Why dont you travel overseas and pick up your supply? Oh No! you may get caught and loose your well paid job!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
And therein lies the rub.
The same people who describe themselves as “social” or “occasional” drug users completely disassociate themselves from the behaviour of the feuding drug gangs. Taking a “nothing to do with me, I only buy this shit from them” attitude.
“None are so blind…
May 9th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
(Squid) let me ask you this,cause from ur comments u seem like someone who is int he know?its a never ending story would u agree?there are no happy endings.drugs are always going to be available,even from ur gp.its addiction this is the core of the problem which brings us back to healthcare which brings us back to our goverment which in my view are as guilty for neglecting the problem for so long,and again for all we know these murders in recent years could have been ordered from other gangs in dublin making it look like its a family fued,this is an international organisation that we are dealing with…………………………….get my point
May 9th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Grow your own then nobody else is involved its the compromise for not having to deal with scum and their profits.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:45 am
I agree with upub…drugs/drink is a complex issue…and I don’t think it is fair to point the finger at rr for being a smoker of drugs.These criminals want money and power…remember what happened in the US in the 20’s, alcohol was illegal..what happened criminals made huge profits, they were killing each other over the power struggle and people went to ILLEGAL places to have a few pints or whatever..other counties have relaxed their laws around hash etc, they have taking the money and power from these people, people are going to use drugs whether we like it or not, every culture, society has used drugs and we are no different, and remember people alcohol is a very dangerous drug thats causes lots of damage…people conveniently forget this.. complex issue with no easy answer..
May 10th, 2008 at 11:23 am
ann ….good point…what if people were allowed grow a limited supply for their own use?
There is no denying that those buying drugs from the scumbags are part of the problem. So if the users get caught & loose their job so what? They are part of a business that gets people killed and communities destroyed.
The users are don’t care because the people suffering are not part of their circle and are living in socially isolated ghettos.
A kind of social apartheid methinks?
May 10th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Being optimistic is good n’all but unfortunetely no matter who gets arrested or taken out, there are 2 more to replace him.
You can’t and never will win
May 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Just say no does not work and will not work. People smoke pot, take pills do coke whatever..its part of our culture now. Its not going away..ever. Get real people. If alcohol was suddenly illegal and supplied by criminal gangs do you honestly think everyone would stop buying it?? NO chance. Whats happening here now is exactly the same as what happened in the US during prohibition. The holier than thou, “drugs are bad” people really need to take a good long look at the realities and wake up to them. Prohibition has failed and will always fail and like anything you tell people not to do, the more they will do it. People are not going to stop doing what they enjoy because some bunch of scumbags are hell bent on shooting the shit out of each other .. in the same way as people who use alcohol or tobacco enjoy those drugs.. The demand will not weaken and in fact its getting bigger all the time, and in turn the supply line increases.. there are lots of drugs in Galway, Cork, Waterford and there is little gang warfare in those cities. We are just uinlucky enough to live in a city where the scum are too dumb to do it properly.They’s prefer to kill each other like the total scum they are. Drugs are part of the problem but the main dealers in this city are the scum of the earth who would shoot each other if drugs never existed. They’d find some other excuse..its that mentality that is totally built into this city that needs to be stomped on. No matter how hard the government or cops try they will never rid this or any other city of drugs and thats a fact! It hasnt worked in any coutry in the world..even those where drugs are punishable by death..The sooner people cop on to that the better for all concerned.
What makes people think that drugs can be stamped out when billions are pumped into the “war” against drugs around the world every year…and every year the problem gets worse and worse. Even look at Afghanistan where most of the worlds heroin comes from…a country now under the control of the Us government (more or less) and the heroin supply is growing by the day..the drugs are not the problem, they’re only illegal a relatively short time (and if you look at the reasons why it makes very interesting reading)..its the “war” on drugs that is a complete farce and handing control of them to the scum we have running this town!
Me giving up my 50 bag of weed every couple of weeks is not going to make one damn of difference in the grand schemen of things!!
Wake Up FFS!!!
May 10th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I and my wife am a weekend smoker of hash…have a job morgage 2 kids mobile home in co clare..and have never been in trouble in my life…I refuse to believe that because I enjoy a joint “at the weekends” I can be held responsible for the actions of scum..booze has destroyed more lives in this country than any other drug…but it is legal…tax revenue is worth billions…statistics prove that “hash” is less of a problem in society than booze…should be made legal and free up garda time
May 10th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
if there would be a hash tax on the joints it would be as legal as tobacco and alcohol.
methinks too that alcohol os killing more people than weed (and i dont smoke - not even tobacco!). but maybe the weed growers have not a big lobby as the alcohol industry has!?
May 11th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Rover, there are no greater regrets than about decisions made that affect and influence ones kids. Can understand how you feel that your and your wife’s weekend recreational use is of no consequence to the drugs scene and is pale indeed compared to the habits of the many parents who drink heavily, but, if you were to look at it another way, if it is not something you are addicted to and if you could give it up, then you would greatly improve the kids’ chances of avoiding the drugs culture (they may not be able to control it like you and your wife do and may unfortunately find themselves in deep trouble) and also you would have some ground to stand on when they grow into teenagers and all hell breaks loose.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Roisin - “if it is not something you are addicted to and if you could give it up, then you would greatly improve the kids’ chances of avoiding the drugs culture”.
That is complete nonsense. Firstly I doubt rover is waving joints in front of his kids and secondly this will have no affect on their kids peers in years to come…somthing which as parents they would have very limited control over. Kids in first year of secondary school and younger are exposed to drugs on a daily basis,parents will never control that. NMy parents we4re totally anti drugs (because they knew nothing about them) but I still encountered them so that argument is nonsense.
Personally I would much prefer my kids to smoke a few doobies at the weekend than drink any alcohol. I’ve seen first hand the destruction it causes in family life and that is one of the reasons I choose not to use alcohol as my drug of choice. I have yet to see a cannabis user beat their wife, or their kids or some poor soul on the street. You do not see cannabis users puking all over the streets or figting with someone over a stupid comment passed or over who was first in the queue for chips. Many older smokers I know are at home enjoying life with their kids…and not boozing down the local.
Tom - you are right in your points about the alcohol and tobacco industry having much stronger lobbies than the pot smokers…but it extends futher than that in the case of marijuana. Manufacturers of the synthetic fibres we are so used to in todays society had a massive part to play in the criminalisation of cannabis. Hemp fibres were used in everything from rope to clothes to medicine until synthetics were developed. Powerful chemical companies lobbied the US governments (among others ) to criminalise marijuana as it would boost sales of their new chemically based products. Marijuana has been used for centuries for an astounding number of things, not just getting high. Buddah smoked it, the chinese used it as a bowel cleanser, one of the English queens used it for PMT (possibly Mary can’t remember off hand). Check out a The amount of money spent on this war on drugs also benefits many industries including gun manufacturers. Drug companies are also quite happy to have cannabis illegal as it cannot affect sales of their chemically devloped drugs..which in many cases have as many side effects as someone using coke or heroin. You dont hear about that though!
An interesting watch for people who know little about cannabis use except what they are fed by the governments is running on BBC3 recently and is being repeated regularly called “Should I smoke Dope”. Very balanced program about the current situation in the UK where the classification of dope was recently changed.
I don’t care if you agree with my way of thinking but at least make an informed decision and not believe the rubbish trotted out like..drugs are bad mmkay..The ignorance of some people about what drugs actually do and their effects is astounding and this is why proper education is needed not scare tactics.
I understand people are looking for people to blame for the current issues in the city but there is a bigger picture here and current tactics will not resolve it..something much more radical is needed and the government have a prime opportunity in Limerick to try just that..
However I feel that they will continue down their current path and we’ll be here in 20 years discussing the same issues but much worse. Police forces and governments with much more resources than this little island have failed to stop this happening in other places…people should really ask themselves WHY???
May 11th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
rr,
Peer pressure is entirely different from the example given by parents within the home. Parents example and what happens in the home is a kid’s strongest defence against peer pressure. I don’t think that parents can conceal drug use within the home from their kids. We all think we conceal all sorts of stuff from our kids but, as they grow, we find out that we were deluding ourselves. If you feel it, think it, say it, do it, they pick up on it and it becomes part of their make up.
If you are using drugs at home, what argument will you have when your kids come in with the unfocussed look about them and it’s not from cannabis? You may think that you can hand on an example of limited use of a certain drug to them, but even then, you will have to explain to them how it will affect their thinking, their choices, their driving etc., not to mention how to avoid getting caught.
It might be better to teach them of the natural highs to be had from outdoor pursuits, sports, volunteering, helping their siblings, staying connected to grandparents, literature, music, working and saving in order to travel etc. Kids should be a high in themselves for parents - seeing their parents getting a bit out of the heads on a regular basis is telling them that they are not enough.
Have heard similar arguments to yours about ’soft’ drug use from a lot of other people over the years. Many who continued the use have stalled in their careers or gone backwards. Many failed to maintain relationships. They don’t seem much bothered.
May 11th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
No offence now Roisin but thats a load of crap unless you have found some utopian bubble that the rest of us havent.
Lots of people get their natural highs from surfing etc and then go to the pub or quite often smoke a few joints or more. More often than not the people who enjoy sports like surfing, skate kids, musicians all enjoy a smoke or more..
I also quote Bill Hicks to you in regard to your reference to music..
If you don’t believe drugs have done good things for us, then go home and burn all your records, all your tapes, and all your CDs because every one of those artists who have made brilliant music and enhanced your lives? RrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrEAL fucking high on drugs. The Beatles were so fucking high they let Ringo sing a few songs.
I also hope people who drink at home in front of their kids (which is an entirely acceptable DRUG in Irish society) are taking similar advice as you are dishing out to a smoker but the evidence would suggest not. Look around any city in the country any night of the week and you’ll see that..Are you also aware how related alcohol is with sporting events, players and ocassions..
You seem quite happy to ignore the fact that alcohol and tobacco are drugs too…and you also seem to be quite happy to ignore the effects of those drugs too pointing at soft drugs instead. This is the attitude that will get us nowhere in resolving the problems. As much as anything this shows the lack of real education about drugs, their effects and the policies we have as a socitey around them,.
Until people get real this will go on and on..
May 11th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
alcohol is a legal drug, yes a dangerous drug for a lot of people but legal, hash cocaine etca, are illegal, thats the difference, its too late now to ban alcohol, but thats not a reason for legalising other drug,s
May 11th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
rr, I was posting on one issue - that of parents using ’soft’ drugs in the home. I know there are other very serious issues with alcohol, abuse of prescribed medication etc., but would be genuinely interested to hear your take on the questions I raised about how parents who are using could advise/counsel their kids. The Bill Hicks quote, I will ignore, if you don’t mind, because his “Hitler had the right idea, he was just an underachiever” comment took him off the radar for me.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
SO wally whats your plan…let the criminals keep control and shoot the crap out of each other. thats worked so far..hasn’t it? I mean at least give an alternative that hasnt failed for the last I dunno how many years..not just status quo…cos it is obviously failing!
Roisin - at work so will comment later!