Dont get your hopes up!

[gfog]

You might have missed this news on monday :

"Don't charge cannabis smokers, DPP tells gardaÃ*
By Cormac O'Keeffe and Mary Regan
CANNABIS users and other small-time offenders could receive a caution
rather than a criminal conviction under a radical new scheme.

The Director of Public Prosecutions is understood to have advised the
Garda SÃ*ochána that it doesn't have to prosecute all minor offences
and could caution offenders instead.

The scheme, full details of which have yet to emerge, has received an
initial mixed response from people in drugs-related work.

The initiative, expected to be known as the Adult Cautioning Scheme,
is based on the highly successful Juvenile Diversion Programme.

Conditions attached to the scheme include:

Offences must be relatively minor, such as public order offences or
personal cannabis use cases.



The offender must immediately accept his or her guilt.

Cautions will be available for first-time offences.

Subsequent offences will result in prosecution, but there may be
exceptions.

Offenders must be over 18 years old.

The offences will still be criminal offences under the law and
cannabis possession for personal use will not be decriminalised.

Local superintendents will consult with the DPP on the operation of
the scheme, which is due to begin early next month.

The formal caution will be put on the individual's record, but he or
she will not have a criminal conviction.

It's understood that the cautioning scheme will only be available for
cannabis possession cases involving a small amount of the drug and not
other illegal drugs.

Public order offences such as public drunkenness and urinating in a
public place could be included in the scheme. There were more than
50,000 prosecutions for public order offences in 2004.

Garda figures show that over 60% of drug offences relate to cannabis
and almost 70% of all drug offences are possession cases.

Gráinne Kenny of Europe Against Drugs (EURAD), which has campaigned
strongly against all drugs, gave the scheme a cautious welcome.

"This scheme could be a good thing as long as guards do their job and
caution people. If they use this to do sweet all, then this is not a
good idea. They will have to show us they are cautioning people."

She said that while "you were tough on drugs, you were not tough on
the user". She said the Irish scheme was not similar to recent British
moves to downgrade cannabis.

Labour Party justice spokesman Joe Costello welcomed the shift away
from cannabis.

"Obviously we have to see the details, but if this cautioning scheme
is successful it would be useful."

Schizophrenia Ireland said it was "strongly opposed" to the move and
pointed to recent research showing a link between the heavy use of
cannabis and an increased chance in developing psychosis or schizophrenia.

Its director, John Saunders, said the move would "send out a signal
that it is harmless" and thereby increase its usage.

Eleanor Petrie of the National Parents Council described it as a
"dangerous move", which would make it more difficult to teach young
people about the risks associated with the drug."
http://www.irishexaminer.com/pport/...HuTLc4nqWo2.asp




THEN on tuesday night :




Controversial directive on cannabis offences withdrawn

Tom Brady

Security

Editor

A CONTROVERSIAL Garda directive that anyone caught with cannabis for
personal use should be cautioned rather than brought to court has been
withdrawn.

The Garda authorities last night sent a fresh directive to
superintendents nationwide removing cannabis use from the list of minor
offences that could be dealt with by a caution.

Further talks will now be held on the sensitive issue between lawyers
from the office of the DPP, senior Garda officers and Department of
Justice officials.

The new directive officially withdraws last week's order from applying
to offences against section three of the Misuse of Drugs Act, which
applies to possession of cannabis for personal use.

The initial order followed a recommendation from a working party drawn
from the DPP's office and the Garda force.

Last week's directive from Garda headquarters stated that cautions
could be administered by gardai when dealing with minor offences.

The order was due to have come into force from next Wednesday but
details were leaked at the weekend.

The contents of the directive were discussed at a meeting in Garda
headquarters yesterday between Justice Minister Michael McDowell,
Department secretary general Sean Aylward, Garda Commissioner Noel
Conroy and his operations deputy, Fachtna Murphy. Afterwards, the
minister, who was officially opening a new building to house staff from
the Garda international liaison office, told reporters that cannabis
would continue to be a criminal offence.

Mr McDowell pointed out that there were provisions in the Misuse of
Drugs Act which meant that first time possession of cannabis for
personal use could be penalised by a fine.

He warned that anybody who smoked a joint or took cocaine were on the
fringes of a world where gangsters were murdering each other.



FOLLOW UP : Wednesday no further news. Dail is back today after 6 week
break. All this done in a very underhand no public or political debate
whatsoever.

gfog Reviewed by gfog on 01-26-2006. Dont get your hopes up! You might have missed this news on monday : "Don't charge cannabis smokers, DPP tells gardaÃ* By Cormac O'Keeffe and Mary Regan CANNABIS users and other small-time offenders could receive a caution rather than a criminal conviction under a radical new scheme. The Director of Public Prosecutions is understood to have advised the Garda SÃ*ochána that it doesn't have to prosecute all minor offences and could caution offenders instead. Rating: 5

[gfog]

That proposal was withdrawn last night.

Pissing in public will be punishable by a caution now, but cannabis users will still be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Thanks, Mr. McDowell!

[kongo]

Minister McFool.If we smoke a spliff were on the same level as gangsters.Man get real!It has always been at the descretion of the garda so this shit is nothing knew but had it been in writing I think it would make a big difference.They chickened out!The commissioners were the ones that pushed it through,I hate to praise them but they know it makes sense.Politions on the other hand look at how it will effect therer voters majority not knowin a thing about freedom to smoke what the hell you want!Now if its drink or smokes you want they sell em!And you just know that they have there sticky little fingers elswhere too!

They can KISS MY GREEN ASS! Lmao!

I'm still smokin and no matter what law I always will!

Praise Rastafari!

[anycraic]

yeah fuck em all, the piggies squeal but i dont hear em