so, what's the craic with the head shops after all the hoo-ha?!?

Elevator

one of the staff in my local Irish Head Store told me the word is "the new blanket ban is unconstitutional" and as far as he knows it cannot
be enacted!

is this true? it is crazy how the media hasn't had a thing to say about this subject lately or has the "danger" to Irish kids/society been eradicated?

overall, we are but sheep on this island of ours and the media is our shepard, one weeks it's the head shops,
next it's nama, calelly etc etc!!

nothing gets sorted at this rate.

make poverty history, cheaper drugs now!!

genericguy

our gangland criminals now have an increased product range and are getting back on their feet now that the competition has been crushed by our alarmist and reactionary leaders.

Sykk

The two closest me have closed... Couldn't care less about anything on the planet so not sure what the story is with the rest.

derfderf

Headshops kept larry murphy in jail, now look what's happened. He everywhere.

W.Shakes-Beer

Can we not all just shut the fúck up about headshops?

fonecrusher1

Sick to fcuk of hearing about them.

ronnie3585

I for one want to hear more about the hoo-ha?

Gone Drinking

YESSSS, i haven't read a head shop thread in aaaggggesss!!

mink_man

hoo-ha??????

It's actually great not having to hear about THE EVIL HEADSHOPS every 5 minutes from some muppet down in bogtown.

Drugs are still as easy as ever to get.

thebigbiffo

head shops raped my mum

rubensni

This act has been signed by the president (14 July), so it's "the law" but no part of it has been commenced by the minister, so it can't be used by the guards yet, if it ever will be.

As for the constitutionality of it, sections of it might well be beyond the pale, as traditionally drugs are seen as a health issue, where as this bill brings the sale of whatever "substances" - and this is defined broadly - under criminal law and screws with the burden of proof to such an extent that selling petrol may well be an offence under it as you would now have to be certain the customer isn't going to go home and sniff it. As for the section banning grow kits, etc, that is such a non-runner it might as well be a joke:

A person who sells any object knowing that it will be used to cultivate by hydroponic means any plant in contravention of section 17 of the Act of 1977 shall be guilty of an offence.

In other words, when the Gardaí show up all you tell them something along the lines of "I taut they wuz growin tumatoez wit dem hidrofonics, guard." and there's not a thing they can do about it.

Even if it was struck down as unconstitutional, the Minister of Health could schedule whatever "highs" they're selling in the head shops under the misuse of drugs act and outlaw them that way like they did with mephodrone and BZP before it.

Anyway, who is going to challenge it? Nobody has been charged under it, so you'd be going out of your way to take an action and it would cost millions. It's PR dressed up as law designed to shut up the middle aged Live Line brigade who can't stand the fact that it seemes everyone is younger, happier and better looking than them. It will all be forgotten as soon as the next moral panic comes along. I nominate sexting. Terrible so it is. Terrible. :pac:

Elevator

as far as I know if someone takes a high court action against something they can apply for free legal aid to assist them

correct me if I'm wrong but as of last sept when I researched it it was so

*runs off to find the link through citizensadvice.ie

edit. it seems I am wrong in this regard

legal aid for criminal and civil cases only