What an absolute breath of fresh air blind boy is, articulate, intelligent, compassionate and has a real care for the well being of mental health in our country. Everything he says here is spot on. Fair play.
I really appreciate that the interviewer wasn't trying to cut across blindboy and let him make his points, rare and refreshing on Irish radio! It's such a pity that our health service is so badly underfunded in all areas, when we have amazing healthcare workers 😞
The Irish healthcare system is not underfunded it is one of the most highly funded health systems in Europe like the NHS. The reason it is so bad is because it is managed completely by central government. They cannot even run a bar correctly in the Dail or have a functioning road transports system. How on earth would you expect them to completely manage a healthcare system from the very top to the very bottom. They do not even know how much money is being spent in each hospital because most of the expenditure is dublin central managed.
just drive through any town at 2am when they are throwing out people from a night club and to me its drink should be banned, anyone taking cannabis will not harrass you, puke on your street, start a fight for no reason, beat their partner. Just saying. Its simple legalise it and regulate it.
Forbidden fruit will always make it more appealing. I lived in Holland for 2 years and they have the lowest use of cannabis among teenagers in Europe. The facilities available to young people are amazing, loads of football pitches,sports centers and youth clubs. The Dutch use cannabis responsibly, many of my friends when i was there smoked very occasionally, they would buy a prerolled joint from the local coffeeshop after work on a friday and they would smoke it over the course of the weekend. It was such good quality that literally a few puffs on the joint would be enough to relax with and watch a movie and have a mellow night. Its tourists from countries where it is illegal that smoke it heavily,along with heavy drinking who are falling around and the Dutch hate that carry on. Best thing would be to legalize it,and make it available to over 21 year olds and be quality tested with clear literature stating the strength of both THC and CBD on the label. The genetics and sourse should be made note of as well.
Absolutely not legalise. It needs to be as a first step decriminalized so that people are not prosecuted for personal amounts and that would be the first stage.
Brilliant eloquent summary. I can't understand why this has 20% dislikes. The heavy-handed paternalistic attitude was a non-starter and the example of Prohibition alone should give us pause. Making cannabis legal isn't saying woo woo let's everyone smoke weed and make special vapes for kids to get stoned. It's about providing the safest and most supportive context for people to make their own decisions. When I was a teenager legal highs were rampant in Limerick and the effects on people were shocking. Even the psychotic THC weed is a downstream effect of the war on drugs; you don't get done for the strength of the weed but for the weight of it-another gross incentive that creates a more dangerous context. It's sad that people like Blindboy will be ignored and it's only when the money comes knocking at the door from across the ocean that the paternalistic attitude will give way to "let's copy America"/make money attitude (though without a doubt at that point it will be spun as a move of concern and compassion)
I have to disagree. Prohibition is often used in this argument and has been spun like it was an entirely negative action. Death records show that deaths from cirrhosis of the liver plummeted during that time. In other words, people did drink less. I would also argue that the increasingly permissive attitude to self indulgence and decadence through use of substances is a very American phenomenon. Americans have had a permissive attitude to drugs for generations at this stage. I lived in Canada for 5 years and blindboy gave a very one sided take on it. Many of the products there have thc strength up to 90%. I knew of adults who ruined their lives just on weed over there. The article was about teen use and he switched to adults making informed decisions. But kids are kids. They won't be making informed decisions. Just like teens quite quickly start drinking the hardest stuff here on nights out. They'll do the same with stronger cannabis and edibles. I worked in homeless services for 8 years and drugs are the great inequaliser. When drugs get into a community, they can destroy it. He framed self medication like as if problematic drug use wasn't a part of the problem. It's a bit vague to say if you ignore the self medicating issue (and self medicating is always a problem in itself, whereas he frames it like it's just a feature of something else) then the other problems should be solveable. If life were that easy! But having worked with people who consistently self medicate, once the drug use becomes habitual, it's impossible to separate the original issue with the drug problem. The drugs can ruin the chance of having a clear mind to attack the problem. I'm all for decriminalisation. I think legalisation is lunacy. If we're talking about the failures of prohibition, how do we ignore the failures of regulation? This island has an awful relationship with drink and it's strictly regulated. And getting lots of taxes has never lead to great mental health services here, it won't start now. Especially now that alot of the corporate tax loopholes, that he erroneously said US corporations may take advantage of, have been shut down. Instead, people will be yelling for better childcare, better general healthcare, more property grants, better access to education, better disability services, better housing. The list goes on. Other peoples' priorities won't be trying to get soek guy off the weed. They'll be thinking exactly what Blindboy said: They're a grown adult. They made their own decision with drugs. Let them deal with it. So to think a bit of tax from some weed is going to solve mental health services I don't think is in any way realistic. Last point, mental health services/addiction services are nowhere near an elixir. Can work for some people. They don't for alot of people. These services right now are lightyears away from being as effective as a typical treatment would be for some disease/illness. Developing a society more built on vices certainly isn't a better society or one that will advance in mental wellness. And his argument somehow linking taxes from weed as some solution to mental health is certainly not playing out in America where more kinds smoke weed and mental health amongst teens is in the gutter there.
Exactly, Who's to be more trusted to check an ID of a minor, a drug dealer of a registered shop with a licence to uphold? It's a non argument, prohibition never works
I have to confess that I had never heard of Blindboy before this came up on my Newstalk notifications but I found this discussion so refreshing and will definitely be subscribing to his podcasts. As others comments have said, it was informed and intelligent whilst not straying into being completely 'pro' or completely 'anti' cannabis. I would also compliment the interviewer for making sure that all sides of the debate were discussed but not constantly interrupting to be provocative. As someone who has experience of many of the issues discussed here, I can honestly say that careful use of what Blindboy describes as the old style 'hash', i.e. cannabis with a good balance of THC and CBD, used to be of far more help with some of my mental health issues (and other issues such a physical pain) than anything offered by the woefully inadequate mental health services in Ireland, or the legal drugs that they have no problem in prescribing - which can be both addictive and have side-effects just as bad, or worse, than cannabis.
majority of the world, trying to legalise and monitor it/tax it etc. Ireland "biggest threat to the mental health of the young" nanny state authoritarianism contnues
This is the condom train of our generation. As a person who suffers from ms I would like to use cannabis instead of a.d.d medications or antidepressants to help me with ms .I know Americans with ms and it changed there's life's for the better
Lived in Canada to be able to see the benefits of legalization for both consumer and seller. Safe sale of regulated product to educated consumer knowing what they want. No drug under age 18 is recommended but adults should have choice!
Moving straight to full legalization is not a good move. Everything on this issue needs to be carefully considered over the long term. The first step would be to remove criminal charges for those found with an amount that is for personal usage and that amount could be up to something like 1 oz or 30 grams. Cannabis is not completely harmless but at the same time it is not as bad as governments are making out.
That is not a good argument and you full well know that they would never ring fence anything in Ireland. Everything goes into a central pot and is then divided out among special interest groups hence why everything in Ireland that matters seems to be underfunded. You would be surprised to find out that Ireland spends more money on healthcare than any other nation in Europe.
In 40 years we have being following a model that never worked for any country on the planet. Decriminalised first, then open up government shop's to sell cannabis that simple. We have to pressure Gov to make peoples decisions for people. Ireland has a social and medical problem that can be fixed if the right logical law's are made and carried out. DECRIMINALISED. ☘️
I'm delighted to see this video timestamp is so recent. This needs to be brought to the forefront of discussion! Let the people decide. This is a republic after all ?! Right?!
Fully agree with his oppinion its safer to know what types of cannabis your getting this will also help people who want to try cannabis once off have a safe excperience
This man dropping straight fact after fact about the drug trade and it doesn’t just apply to cannabis it applies to every drug people use!!, YOU DONT HAVE A CHOICE IF YOU GO TO A DEALER!!! stop prohibition it does more harm than good and I’m an ex heroin addict listen to this man he knows what he’s talking about!Big respect for talking about it!!
Absolutely consistent sense from Blindboy. Shame it will take a big bag of money from abroad until it is inevitably decriminalised for recreational use. If it was done tomorrow quality of life in this country, money out of the pockets of criminals and the potential for safety among users would sky rocket. The idiots in government can't see the dollar signs yet but they will. They are happy to let people suffer unnecessarily until then. Nanny state.
I've reacted very badly to high THC strains when I've tried them in Holland, esp Sativa. Blindboy is right, the street weed here is not grown properly and it lacks what is called the 'entourage effect' of having adequate CBD\CBG to offset the THC. Under 18\21 yr olds won't have access to properly grown legal cannabis though, they'll still be getting it from the street dealers, maybe an education program on the dangers to the developing brain in schools would help?
What annoys me is that anti drug people,will hammer the users,yet not ask questions about how these drugs get into our country day after day. Small minded people ALWAYS hack at the branches of evil,yet are too cowardly to even acknowledge the root.
Ironically, marijuana is a term in mexico for a form of local tobacco that is nothing to do with cannabis. The term was made popular by the USA anti hemp campaign led by the paper manufacturing industry that used trees to make paper as they did not want hemp be used as it would effect profits for the paper mills. It also played into the racist,anti immigrant mindset of conservative white people, the movie reefer madness portrayed people smoking cannabis as jeckyl and hyde characters that turned into murderers and rapists after one puff on a joint. Remember Trump using that stereotype 90 years later with his anti immigrant speeches saying they are murderers and rapists. Reefer madness is actually hilarious to watch but its also extremly scary in a way when you see the underlying message. Hemp makes something like six times more paper per acre than the tree produced stuff and hemp can grow much faster, use less resources to produce paper of a much better quality. Thats just one use for hemp, all WW2 soldiers uniforms were made from hemp, it is harder ,more durable material and can be grown nearly anywhere and makes ropes many times stromger than manmade fibre. It has hundreds of uses other than smoking it.. Milled hemp seed is a superfood with more omega oils than fish, it
Not going to lie, Im not a cannabis smoker but what he says makes so much sense. When you go to places like Amsterdam you have an abundance of different types of weed you can use that suits all different types of people
people need to talk about the big elephant in the room regarding mental health...smartphones, social media, online porn, internet addiction, working from home, televisions, monitors, laptops....a life out of balance. disconnected from people, family, community and nature
None of those things are causing the mental health issues in Ireland. Depression is increasing for a number of reasons. The number one cause is economic market place. People are struggling with no real reward in sight for them. Working hard and getting rewarded creates a society that is more motivated. Right now Ireland does not reward people and many young people have no real economic outlook and once they become adults they realize this is the case and that is where the most uptake in mental health issues is occuring. There is an increase in children mental health issues and that is being caused by the pessimistic worldview that is being placed on them by adults. Telling children the world is going to end in 10 years time makes them develop in their golden years with that mindset and why people think that is not the case is beyond me.
Really love hearing an informed and intelligent side to this debate. We so rarely hear anything but 'it's great' vs 'it's terrible' in this country. Also, I always enjoy hearing Blindboy's take on things. Even if I disagree with his position, he'll constructively offer a perspective I hadn't previously considered
Could not agree more: Provisos for legalization - Tax by THC content Must be grown in Ireland (We don't want to create criminality in Ireland( Licensed growing aimed at deprived rural areas, e.g. East Clare, Connemara, West Mayo. As works in Rotterdam, you must be normally resident in Ireland to purchase, discourages drugs tourism.
I now live in the US and in my state (Pennsylvania), cannabis is legal for medical purposes, and we will be joining other states in legalizing recreational use as well this year. While studies are ongoing, marijuana has many medicinal properties and can assist with anxiety as well as pain management. We have a problem with opioid misuse here, and marijuana is much safer than opioid medication. The cannabis that is sold in the US is regulated by governmental agencies so consumers know the THC/CBD concentration and to ensure there are no harmful additives. Conservatives thought there would be a rise in anti-social behavior and people smoking everywhere in public, but this isn't the case. Most believe that as long as you aren't driving intoxicated or bothering anyone else, do what makes you happy. I hope that the government in Ireland may consider a different approach in the future.
Many times I had panic attacks smoking weed here. Quit for years. Went to dam and by mistake I got the strongest hash in the shop and guess what? Nothing happened, completely chilled out and safe experience, I did some more after and that was it. Regulation and choice. They should tax it and use the money to provide homes for the future generations of this country.
Blind boy is incredibly well informed and articulate's his perspective very well. Regulation is the only progressive and save option as outlawing it has done nothing at all
One of the best,most common sense, down to earth and we'll informed arguments for legalization I've ever seen. And politicians should take note that this has to come from a man with a carrier bag on his head and not from educated elected representatives.
I was self medicating with cannabis for 30 years before I got my ASD diagnosis and figured out why. At least now I get it on prescription in the UK and don't have to worry about the legality..
It's like I always say those who support anti legalisation of weed are supporters of drug gangs. Let me grow my own for myself and stop making us pay gangs for weed it's as simple as that why can't some people not see this as a good thing!?
Blindboy has the argument seen up. He's bang on the point looking at the bigger picture. I don't smoke as I grew out of it but I agree with him totally. We need it regulated. Booze is far more destructive yet legal?
Prohibition is only good for criminal gangs. Can’t the idiots in charge see this. It’s as though they want to keep supporting these gangsters. Time to grow up & do the right thing!…
So that is the question that should be at the heart of the discussion.Why are so many people self medicating? And what should we as a society do to tackle the issue? It's inevitable that cannabis is going to be legalised and decriminalised. But we need to be looking at the root cause of the issues that leads to self meditation. What are they and how can we help as a society in providing better intervention and therapeutic services.
The argument for legalisation imo is this if I buy a bag in Canada 50€ goes to a tax paying regulated company if I buy a bag here 50€ goes to the kineheans or some other scumbags
Smoked 20 years and I’m smoking now, I either take 56 painkillers a week for my back which I can get free or have to pay 200 for cannabis, used as a teenager and that is too young! I smoke a half oz a week I could go weeks without it and have gone over a year not smoking it’s gonna make you lose sleep for 2 days! If cannabis was legalised it would treat a lot more issues and the revenue and tax generated could fund all drug rehabilitation in the country and provide massive HSE funding
I used to enjoy smoking hash but had a really bad experience with weed that was just way too strong and it freaked me out to the point that I stopped smoking all together. Getting stoned is fun if it is under control and mild enough. its actually fun but if its too strong forget it. Its the same with alcohol if you get too smashed you will end up in ER puking over someone. Just take it easy.
This substance needs to be regulated I have a type of epilepsy that is resistant to pharmaceutical drugs an doctors have still have no choice but to follow protocol and keep prescribing the drugs that don't work on me
It's better to be safe than sorry and keep it illegal until the scientific studies into long-term cannabis use are fully established. Why repeat the same mistakes of legalising tobacco and alcohol?
Freedom/ tyranny Exploration/ comfort Different people like different things and if they have power will over take the other side,,, freedom is better though,,, it's right
One of the the most intelligent people in Ireland at this very moment wears a plastic bag on his head. But the self serving landlords sitting in the Dail and local councils get the front pages.
Jesus Chirst, the most sensible man in the country wears a plastic bag on his head.
What an absolute breath of fresh air blind boy is, articulate, intelligent, compassionate and has a real care for the well being of mental health in our country. Everything he says here is spot on. Fair play.
His podcast is amazing
In Canada they build schools and hospitals with the taxes from cannabis
I really appreciate that the interviewer wasn't trying to cut across blindboy and let him make his points, rare and refreshing on Irish radio!
It's such a pity that our health service is so badly underfunded in all areas, when we have amazing healthcare workers 😞
The Irish healthcare system is not underfunded it is one of the most highly funded health systems in Europe like the NHS.
The reason it is so bad is because it is managed completely by central government. They cannot even run a bar correctly in the Dail or have a functioning road transports system.
How on earth would you expect them to completely manage a healthcare system from the very top to the very bottom.
They do not even know how much money is being spent in each hospital because most of the expenditure is dublin central managed.
Decriminalised first then provide government weed from vetted shop's. This is possible and the safest way to buy and smoke weed. ☘️
just drive through any town at 2am when they are throwing out people from a night club and to me its drink should be banned, anyone taking cannabis will not harrass you, puke on your street, start a fight for no reason, beat their partner. Just saying. Its simple legalise it and regulate it.
Forbidden fruit will always make it more appealing. I lived in Holland for 2 years and they have the lowest use of cannabis among teenagers in Europe. The facilities available to young people are amazing, loads of football pitches,sports centers and youth clubs. The Dutch use cannabis responsibly, many of my friends when i was there smoked very occasionally, they would buy a prerolled joint from the local coffeeshop after work on a friday and they would smoke it over the course of the weekend. It was such good quality that literally a few puffs on the joint would be enough to relax with and watch a movie and have a mellow night.
Its tourists from countries where it is illegal that smoke it heavily,along with heavy drinking who are falling around and the Dutch hate that carry on.
Best thing would be to legalize it,and make it available to over 21 year olds and be quality tested with clear literature stating the strength of both THC and CBD on the label. The genetics and sourse should be made note of as well.
Amsterdam has turned into a nightmare for the locals due to trafficking, drug and crime gangs.
Legalise and regulate.... Its actually irresponsible not making it legal.
Absolutely not legalise. It needs to be as a first step decriminalized so that people are not prosecuted for personal amounts and that would be the first stage.
The greatest risk to young people's mental health is the housing crisis - Well said Blindboy 👊🏻🙏🏻✊🏼
It's coming lads. Look at how they're panicking, it's pathetic. Bring it on.
So happy that most Irish people aren’t buying the anti-weed propaganda...
First person to explain the situation in Ireland well
Take the control away from criminals
Blindboy speaking sense. Not many people do that these days. Thanks for giving him the platform and allowing him to speak without interruption.
You hit the nail on the head here blindboy.
Prohibition gives power to the criminals
It is not prohibition and cannot be compared to that.
Brilliant eloquent summary. I can't understand why this has 20% dislikes. The heavy-handed paternalistic attitude was a non-starter and the example of Prohibition alone should give us pause. Making cannabis legal isn't saying woo woo let's everyone smoke weed and make special vapes for kids to get stoned. It's about providing the safest and most supportive context for people to make their own decisions. When I was a teenager legal highs were rampant in Limerick and the effects on people were shocking. Even the psychotic THC weed is a downstream effect of the war on drugs; you don't get done for the strength of the weed but for the weight of it-another gross incentive that creates a more dangerous context. It's sad that people like Blindboy will be ignored and it's only when the money comes knocking at the door from across the ocean that the paternalistic attitude will give way to "let's copy America"/make money attitude (though without a doubt at that point it will be spun as a move of concern and compassion)
I have to disagree. Prohibition is often used in this argument and has been spun like it was an entirely negative action. Death records show that deaths from cirrhosis of the liver plummeted during that time. In other words, people did drink less.
I would also argue that the increasingly permissive attitude to self indulgence and decadence through use of substances is a very American phenomenon. Americans have had a permissive attitude to drugs for generations at this stage.
I lived in Canada for 5 years and blindboy gave a very one sided take on it. Many of the products there have thc strength up to 90%. I knew of adults who ruined their lives just on weed over there.
The article was about teen use and he switched to adults making informed decisions. But kids are kids. They won't be making informed decisions. Just like teens quite quickly start drinking the hardest stuff here on nights out. They'll do the same with stronger cannabis and edibles.
I worked in homeless services for 8 years and drugs are the great inequaliser. When drugs get into a community, they can destroy it. He framed self medication like as if problematic drug use wasn't a part of the problem. It's a bit vague to say if you ignore the self medicating issue (and self medicating is always a problem in itself, whereas he frames it like it's just a feature of something else) then the other problems should be solveable. If life were that easy! But having worked with people who consistently self medicate, once the drug use becomes habitual, it's impossible to separate the original issue with the drug problem. The drugs can ruin the chance of having a clear mind to attack the problem.
I'm all for decriminalisation. I think legalisation is lunacy. If we're talking about the failures of prohibition, how do we ignore the failures of regulation? This island has an awful relationship with drink and it's strictly regulated. And getting lots of taxes has never lead to great mental health services here, it won't start now. Especially now that alot of the corporate tax loopholes, that he erroneously said US corporations may take advantage of, have been shut down. Instead, people will be yelling for better childcare, better general healthcare, more property grants, better access to education, better disability services, better housing. The list goes on. Other peoples' priorities won't be trying to get soek guy off the weed. They'll be thinking exactly what Blindboy said: They're a grown adult. They made their own decision with drugs. Let them deal with it. So to think a bit of tax from some weed is going to solve mental health services I don't think is in any way realistic.
Last point, mental health services/addiction services are nowhere near an elixir. Can work for some people. They don't for alot of people. These services right now are lightyears away from being as effective as a typical treatment would be for some disease/illness. Developing a society more built on vices certainly isn't a better society or one that will advance in mental wellness. And his argument somehow linking taxes from weed as some solution to mental health is certainly not playing out in America where more kinds smoke weed and mental health amongst teens is in the gutter there.
Exactly, Who's to be more trusted to check an ID of a minor, a drug dealer of a registered shop with a licence to uphold? It's a non argument, prohibition never works
Cannabis legal status is not the same as prohibition and cannot be compared or used as an example.
I have to confess that I had never heard of Blindboy before this came up on my Newstalk notifications but I found this discussion so refreshing and will definitely be subscribing to his podcasts. As others comments have said, it was informed and intelligent whilst not straying into being completely 'pro' or completely 'anti' cannabis. I would also compliment the interviewer for making sure that all sides of the debate were discussed but not constantly interrupting to be provocative.
As someone who has experience of many of the issues discussed here, I can honestly say that careful use of what Blindboy describes as the old style 'hash', i.e. cannabis with a good balance of THC and CBD, used to be of far more help with some of my mental health issues (and other issues such a physical pain) than anything offered by the woefully inadequate mental health services in Ireland, or the legal drugs that they have no problem in prescribing - which can be both addictive and have side-effects just as bad, or worse, than cannabis.
It should be alcohol that's illegal in this country. Nothing good come from alcohol. It brings the worst out in everybody.
legalise it
majority of the world, trying to legalise and monitor it/tax it etc.
Ireland "biggest threat to the mental health of the young"
nanny state authoritarianism contnues
Really appreciate the discussion guys.
This is the condom train of our generation. As a person who suffers from ms I would like to use cannabis instead of a.d.d medications or antidepressants to help me with ms .I know Americans with ms and it changed there's life's for the better
Lived in Canada to be able to see the benefits of legalization for both consumer and seller. Safe sale of regulated product to educated consumer knowing what they want. No drug under age 18 is recommended but adults should have choice!
Moving straight to full legalization is not a good move. Everything on this issue needs to be carefully considered over the long term.
The first step would be to remove criminal charges for those found with an amount that is for personal usage and that amount could be up to something like 1 oz or 30 grams.
Cannabis is not completely harmless but at the same time it is not as bad as governments are making out.
Legalize it, tax it and ring fence the money for drug treatment, hospitalizations and mental health.
That is not a good argument and you full well know that they would never ring fence anything in Ireland.
Everything goes into a central pot and is then divided out among special interest groups hence why everything in Ireland that matters seems to be underfunded.
You would be surprised to find out that Ireland spends more money on healthcare than any other nation in Europe.
Well articulated points by Blindboy
In 40 years we have being following a model that never worked for any country on the planet. Decriminalised first, then open up government shop's to sell cannabis that simple. We have to pressure Gov to make peoples decisions for people. Ireland has a social and medical problem that can be fixed if the right logical law's are made and carried out. DECRIMINALISED. ☘️
Put him on every platform in ireland everyone needs to hear this
blindboys eyes are wide open, speaking facts
This is the first thumbs up I've given to this channel in months, this is a breath of fresh air
I'm delighted to see this video timestamp is so recent. This needs to be brought to the forefront of discussion! Let the people decide. This is a republic after all ?! Right?!
what he says about American-Irish laws and their origin is facts
Fully agree with his oppinion its safer to know what types of cannabis your getting this will also help people who want to try cannabis once off have a safe excperience
About time we heard this side of the argument....Blindboy is totally correct on every point he made,
This man dropping straight fact after fact about the drug trade and it doesn’t just apply to cannabis it applies to every drug people use!!, YOU DONT HAVE A CHOICE IF YOU GO TO A DEALER!!! stop prohibition it does more harm than good and I’m an ex heroin addict listen to this man he knows what he’s talking about!Big respect for talking about it!!
Absolutely consistent sense from Blindboy. Shame it will take a big bag of money from abroad until it is inevitably decriminalised for recreational use. If it was done tomorrow quality of life in this country, money out of the pockets of criminals and the potential for safety among users would sky rocket. The idiots in government can't see the dollar signs yet but they will. They are happy to let people suffer unnecessarily until then. Nanny state.
I've reacted very badly to high THC strains when I've tried them in Holland, esp Sativa. Blindboy is right, the street weed here is not grown properly and it lacks what is called the 'entourage effect' of having adequate CBD\CBG to offset the THC. Under 18\21 yr olds won't have access to properly grown legal cannabis though, they'll still be getting it from the street dealers, maybe an education program on the dangers to the developing brain in schools would help?
What annoys me is that anti drug people,will hammer the users,yet not ask questions about how these drugs get into our country day after day.
Small minded people ALWAYS hack at the branches of evil,yet are too cowardly to even acknowledge the root.
That everyone is saying "cannabis" rather than "marijuana" is progress I suppose.
Ironically, marijuana is a term in mexico for a form of local tobacco that is nothing to do with cannabis. The term was made popular by the USA anti hemp campaign led by the paper manufacturing industry that used trees to make paper as they did not want hemp be used as it would effect profits for the paper mills.
It also played into the racist,anti immigrant mindset of conservative white people, the movie reefer madness portrayed people smoking cannabis as jeckyl and hyde characters that turned into murderers and rapists after one puff on a joint.
Remember Trump using that stereotype 90 years later with his anti immigrant speeches saying they are murderers and rapists.
Reefer madness is actually hilarious to watch but its also extremly scary in a way when you see the underlying message.
Hemp makes something like six times more paper per acre than the tree produced stuff and hemp can grow much faster, use less resources to produce paper of a much better quality.
Thats just one use for hemp, all WW2 soldiers uniforms were made from hemp, it is harder ,more durable material and can be grown nearly anywhere and makes ropes many times stromger than manmade fibre.
It has hundreds of uses other than smoking it..
Milled hemp seed is a superfood with more omega oils than fish, it
Not going to lie, Im not a cannabis smoker but what he says makes so much sense. When you go to places like Amsterdam you have an abundance of different types of weed you can use that suits all different types of people
Not a fan of BBBC but happy to say I agree with his perspective here. The moonshine comparison is spot on.
Why not? He's fairly sound
Common sense.
people need to talk about the big elephant in the room regarding mental health...smartphones, social media, online porn, internet addiction, working from home, televisions, monitors, laptops....a life out of balance. disconnected from people, family, community and nature
None of those things are causing the mental health issues in Ireland. Depression is increasing for a number of reasons.
The number one cause is economic market place. People are struggling with no real reward in sight for them. Working hard and getting rewarded creates a society that is more motivated.
Right now Ireland does not reward people and many young people have no real economic outlook and once they become adults they realize this is the case and that is where the most uptake in mental health issues is occuring.
There is an increase in children mental health issues and that is being caused by the pessimistic worldview that is being placed on them by adults.
Telling children the world is going to end in 10 years time makes them develop in their golden years with that mindset and why people think that is not the case is beyond me.
Legalising cannabis would be amazing and help people get off so many different pharmaceutical tablets!
Blindboy should be called Wiseboy
The truth of the matter is, we all knew this already, but props to Blindboy to coming on and speaking !
THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW.
Really love hearing an informed and intelligent side to this debate. We so rarely hear anything but 'it's great' vs 'it's terrible' in this country.
Also, I always enjoy hearing Blindboy's take on things. Even if I disagree with his position, he'll constructively offer a perspective I hadn't previously considered
Nothing but intelligent articulate points put forward by Blindboy. Well done
Legalise it.
Could not agree more:
Provisos for legalization -
Tax by THC content
Must be grown in Ireland (We don't want to create criminality in Ireland(
Licensed growing aimed at deprived rural areas, e.g. East Clare, Connemara, West Mayo.
As works in Rotterdam, you must be normally resident in Ireland to purchase, discourages drugs tourism.
He's tuned in this lad
I haven't agreed with most of this guys statements but he is speaking pure and logic on this. Nice one
I now live in the US and in my state (Pennsylvania), cannabis is legal for medical purposes, and we will be joining other states in legalizing recreational use as well this year. While studies are ongoing, marijuana has many medicinal properties and can assist with anxiety as well as pain management. We have a problem with opioid misuse here, and marijuana is much safer than opioid medication. The cannabis that is sold in the US is regulated by governmental agencies so consumers know the THC/CBD concentration and to ensure there are no harmful additives. Conservatives thought there would be a rise in anti-social behavior and people smoking everywhere in public, but this isn't the case. Most believe that as long as you aren't driving intoxicated or bothering anyone else, do what makes you happy. I hope that the government in Ireland may consider a different approach in the future.
Many times I had panic attacks smoking weed here. Quit for years. Went to dam and by mistake I got the strongest hash in the shop and guess what? Nothing happened, completely chilled out and safe experience, I did some more after and that was it. Regulation and choice. They should tax it and use the money to provide homes for the future generations of this country.
Blind boy is incredibly well informed and articulate's his perspective very well. Regulation is the only progressive and save option as outlawing it has done nothing at all
What a sensible conversation
The only problem whit weed is the price of it !
I have no interest in using drugs but I can definitely see the sense in legalisation and regulation.
One of the best,most common sense, down to earth and we'll informed arguments for legalization I've ever seen. And politicians should take note that this has to come from a man with a carrier bag on his head and not from educated elected representatives.
WOW someone who actually is speaking the truth with facts.
Decriminalization, legalisation, regulation and self cultivation
Why don't the government want to make money off this multi billion dollar industry?
They could do the same with prostitution or slavery but it is not an argument to present.
I would be inclined to agree with everything being said here.
Give this man as much exposure as is possible.
Fair play for letting him talk!
How incredibly clever, articulate, progressive and kind this man is, would make me want to go out and vote if he were on the ballot
I was self medicating with cannabis for 30 years before I got my ASD diagnosis and figured out why. At least now I get it on prescription in the UK and don't have to worry about the legality..
It's like I always say those who support anti legalisation of weed are supporters of drug gangs.
Let me grow my own for myself and stop making us pay gangs for weed it's as simple as that why can't some people not see this as a good thing!?
90% of the people I know smoke or did before
Legalise. Blindboy hat tip To ya great man to talk sense
Blindboy has the argument seen up. He's bang on the point looking at the bigger picture. I don't smoke as I grew out of it but I agree with him totally. We need it regulated. Booze is far more destructive yet legal?
What a breath of fresh air.
It would be nice if someone in government read the comments under this video.
Why do they need to wait any longer to do the obvious?
👍I left Ireland 7 years ago for America only because marijuana is still illegal in Ireland.
Prohibition is only good for criminal gangs. Can’t the idiots in charge see this. It’s as though they want to keep supporting these gangsters. Time to grow up & do the right thing!…
prohibition here is ALSO good for the big pharma outfits Steve
So that is the question that should be at the heart of the discussion.Why are so many people self medicating? And what should we as a society do to tackle the issue? It's inevitable that cannabis is going to be legalised and decriminalised. But we need to be looking at the root cause of the issues that leads to self meditation. What are they and how can we help as a society in providing better intervention and therapeutic services.
Absolutely bang on
Very impressive interview. Omg 100% agree
The argument for legalisation imo is this if I buy a bag in Canada 50€ goes to a tax paying regulated company if I buy a bag here 50€ goes to the kineheans or some other scumbags
Brilliant x
Excellent, he makes some great points.
Blindboy is 100% right. It will be MNC/Big Tobacco that will get cannabis legalized, not any motivation to progress society or to fight injustice.
Smoked 20 years and I’m smoking now, I either take 56 painkillers a week for my back which I can get free or have to pay 200 for cannabis, used as a teenager and that is too young! I smoke a half oz a week I could go weeks without it and have gone over a year not smoking it’s gonna make you lose sleep for 2 days!
If cannabis was legalised it would treat a lot more issues and the revenue and tax generated could fund all drug rehabilitation in the country and provide massive HSE funding
His theory on how it will eventually become legal in Ireland is spot on haha
I used to enjoy smoking hash but had a really bad experience with weed that was just way too strong and it freaked me out to the point that I stopped smoking all together. Getting stoned is fun if it is under control and mild enough. its actually fun but if its too strong forget it. Its the same with alcohol if you get too smashed you will end up in ER puking over someone. Just take it easy.
The human animal has and always will use mind altering substances. Trying to control it is like trying to nail porridge to a wall.
This substance needs to be regulated I have a type of epilepsy that is resistant to pharmaceutical drugs an doctors have still have no choice but to follow protocol and keep prescribing the drugs that don't work on me
politicians in Ireland live in a bubble on nearly all issues, It makes me sick.
It's better to be safe than sorry and keep it illegal until the scientific studies into long-term cannabis use are fully established. Why repeat the same mistakes of legalising tobacco and alcohol?
Could listen to this guy all day .
Freedom/ tyranny
Exploration/ comfort
Different people like different things and if they have power will over take the other side,,, freedom is better though,,, it's right
Which study shows how harmful drinking is in this age group?
Amazing man this blindboy Ireland needs to listen
Blindboy for the dail
A voice of reason, in a sea of either ignorant people or morally bankrupt politicians. agreed with everything he said here.
He's bang on with every point.
I met this Chap @ the Cork International Airport, sound guys the Rubber bandits 🤘🏻😎😎🤘🏻
Everything he says is so true
One of the the most intelligent people in Ireland at this very moment wears a plastic bag on his head. But the self serving landlords sitting in the Dail and local councils get the front pages.
"There's only one weed in Ireland..." hmm ok go on then "do u want it or not" 🤣🤣🤣
Well said BBBC. 👍👍
Prohibition pays the bills, look at America
Incredible the the host let BBBC put his POV so clearly without interruption. Well done.