Sir, – The recent overdose spike saw an effective and swift response by the HSE throughout Dublin and Cork which undoubtedly saved lives (News, January 5th).
However, the drug contamination crisis is much more far-reaching than most people may think.
The Irish Times reported (News, November 6th, 2023) that more than half of edible cannabis products were contaminated with high-risk novel substances unrelated to THC, the main “drug” naturally within cannabis.
Cannabis is the most used drug after alcohol globally, and the most used illicit drug in Ireland, yet the response to this crisis has not been at all effective.
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The only countries that have successfully tackled the problem of contaminated cannabis have been the ones that have taken the bold step to legalise it and bring the market into regulatory control.
The conversation around legalisation has been uniquely quiet in Ireland compared with most other European democracies, such as Germany, Malta and Luxembourg. I fear that the catalyst for cannabis legalisation to become a more important topic of discussion will be due to a tragedy linked to the currently contaminated black market supply.
I only hope that sense prevails before then. – Yours, etc,
RYAN McHALE,
Dublin 17.