/h/FreeEagle592
Cannabis Legalisation & Taxation for Ireland
I saw Simon Harris wants to increase vape tax because it's raised €22 million in the first 9 months. Meanwhile Colorado has a population similar size to Ireland and sold over $100 million of legal cannabis in a single month. If Revenue want to raise more funds, legalisation and taxation is a no brainer. But... we're stuck with FG, FF, and even SF in opposition, all with no desire for cannabis reform. Absolute gowls, the lot of them.
This will not generate €200-400 million in year one. Colorado had a decade of regulatory build-up and a massive tourist base. Ireland needs realistic ramp-up projections—maybe €50 million in year three—or the whole fiscal argument collapses.
The Garda resources argument is the strongest reason to act tonight. Each prosecution costs up to €5,000 and 500,000 Irish adults use cannabis. That is €20 million a year chasing our own citizens through courts instead of focusing on actual violent crime.
Canada and Portugal both prove regulated markets reduce illicit violence and public health harm. Canada saw organized crime share of cannabis sales drop from 80% to under 30% in three years. That is the precedent Ireland is ignoring.
What about workplace impairment testing? Colorado’s DUI rates for cannabis increased post-legalisation. Ireland has no reliable roadside test for THC impairment. That is a loophole big enough to drive a lorry through.
A state-controlled model like Canada’s can fund addiction services, youth prevention, and mental health supports from the tax revenue itself. That is the win—regulated health funding from a currently unregulated market.
The tension here is real: the fiscal case is strong but political risk is high for any party that moves first. A cross-party commission with a fixed implementation timeline could bridge that gap—like the Citizens’ Assembly model already working for drug decriminalisation.