Canadian cannabis giant Aurora Cannabis has scored one of the first approvals for a medical cannabis product in the Republic of Ireland, the company announced this week.

Despite being known as “The Emerald Isle,” cannabis remains illegal for recreational use in Ireland, while medicinal use has only recently been legalized and approved for specific conditions as a “last-resort” treatment.

Prevailing attitudes in Ireland still consider the marijuana plant as dangerous, in contrast to the support of strictly controlled medical cannabis. Nonetheless, personal possession and consumption is treated as a minor offence. But could the Irish be softening its stance on cannabis and be in the early stages of legalization?

Prevailing attitudes in Ireland still hold cannabis as a dangerous substance, in contrast to the support of strictly-controlled medicinal marijuana.

Despite being known as “The Emerald Isle,” cannabis remains illegal for recreational use in Ireland, while medicinal use has only recently been legalized and approved for specific conditions as a “last resort” treatment. Prevailing attitudes in Ireland still consider the marijuana plant as dangerous, in contrast to the support of strictly-controlled medical cannabis. Nonetheless, personal possession and consumption is treated as a minor offense. But could the Irish be softening their stance on cannabis and be in the early stages of legalization?

Ireland is undergoing a hemp awakening with the number of cultivation applications soaring dramatically.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) received 77 licence applications by July 2019, compared to 24 for the whole of 2018 and just seven in 2016, reports the Irish Mirror. It says there are now almost 1,000 acres registered for cultivating crops of hemp and this is expected to rise to as much as 5,000 acres.

Ireland is set for an explosion of cannabis crops after the numbers seeking a licence to grow hemp more than tripled in just six months.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) received 77 licence applications by July 2019 compared to 24 for the whole of 2018 and just seven in 2016.

There are now almost 1,000 acres registered for cultivating crops of hemp, a form of cannabis, and this is expected to rise to as much as 5,000 acres.

Industry expert Kaya O’Riordan of CB1 Botanicals told a Teagasc conference that hemp could provide a lifeline for rural Ireland and create over 80,000 jobs.

She said we have a “very suitable soil and climate” for cultivating the hardy crops and should exploit this as the industry is set to explode globally.

It is inevitable that cannabis will be legalised in Ireland in the coming years. It may take five years or even longer for the prohibition to be fully lifted but it is an utter fallacy to suggest this country will resist the inexorable trend that has taken hold in the United States, Canada, Spain and other western countries.

Legalisation is coming, no matter what Irish policymakers may say about the prospect now.

Doctors and campaigners and those who work in criminal justice will argue it out. But they are not the only ones driving the agenda. Once blue-chip international capital begins swirling around an issue – and this has already begun here – the die is basically cast.

Irish officials announced on Aug. 2 that the nation would be taking a public health approach to first and second offenses for the simple possession of small amounts of drugs.

The plan was announced late last week by Minister for Health Simon Harris, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan and Minister of State Catherine Byrne. Byrne is also responsible for the nation’s national drug strategy. While the three didn’t completely see eye to eye on the details, they announced approval to develop a health-led approach.

To understand the plight of Ireland’s family farmers, consider:

• Just 13% of small Irish farms are operated on a full time basis.

• More than one third of small farms in Ireland have a standard output of €8,000 or less per annum.

• 38% of small farmers state that farming is their sole income.

• The average age of farmers in Ireland is 67 years old, while only 7% of Irish farmers are under 35.

With indicators like those, from a TEAGASC national farm survey, one would imagine that our political establishment would be welcoming hemp and its advocates with open arms. Alas the opposite seems to be the case.