Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree that they are two separate issues. As Dr. McGovern said, they are related. If we decide to decriminalise the personal use of cannabis, for example, the reality is that people who are using it for personal reasons will obtain it from people who grow it in contravention of the law, operate outside of the law and are, invariably, but not exclusively, involved in illegal organised criminalised activity. This is the one difficulty I have. Are we not, therefore, creating a market for criminal gangs to sell their product? Is that not an unintended or unfortunate consequence of the policy of decriminalisation?