James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Witnesses may feel free to disagree on different points. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have another question that arises from something Mr. Minish said earlier. It was an interesting observation on plant-based substances. Is there an argument for considering materials that grow organically in the ground whether mushrooms, as he suggested, a herb or weed, rather than something such as cocaine, amphetamines or ecstasy which are produced chemically or in a lab, where there is an extra degree of processing or layer on top of that?

Is there an argument that perhaps one that is more naturally occurring, a fruit-of-the-ground type of thing, should have greater support or regulatory tolerance as opposed to one created for the purposes of influencing behaviours and chemical reactions?