Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I want to go back to the decriminalisation model in an Irish context. We have to look to the past in order to look to the future. Senator Marie Sherlock referred the response I received to a parliamentary question a few months ago. It was very revealing and startling in terms of the adult caution scheme in regard to cannabis. It stated that from 14 December 2020 to 16 February 2024, 5,139 people were issued with an adult caution for simple possession of cannabis or cannabis resin. When I asked the same question in terms of prosecutions, and get ready for this, in the same period, 17,125 people were prosecuted for the same thing. The arbitrary nature of leaving it to the discretion of the police does not work. That is my fear in respect of decriminalisation in the Irish context because the establishment, from what I am taking from its sound bites, is that it does not want to go as far as changing legislation. It is very fearful and will leave it to the arbitrary nature of the adult caution scheme or something a bit broader than that.