Mr. Nick Glynn:

I believe it is probably both. There is definitely a culture of being part of the machine where there is a war on drugs as a police officer and to find a tiny bit of drugs is a success. Being honest, for many police officers the policing of the war on drugs is the most exciting stuff they do. I also hear police officers say, however, that they focus on cannabis because it is the easiest one to focus on. Dr. Ó Concubhair's comments on the different levels of harm is an important principle to keep an eye on when we think about what to decriminalise and legalise first. Police officers will say that it is illegal and they have to do something about it. Some of them will ask that laws be changed and that if cannabis were decriminalised, they could focus on other stuff that is more important. There are some who may be more conservative and traditional and would like to see the war on drugs continue even though we see the futility of it. There are others, maybe a younger generation entering policing, who have a more balanced and nuanced view and would be able to make that transition more easily. It is so encouraging that this committee meeting is being held because this is courage. To look at this as a very difficult and challenging issue and to have these conversations is so refreshing. It is great that Ireland is doing so.

I am in Germany at the moment and they are in the process of decriminalising and legalising cannabis. It has been a very tricky path for them. I was in Arizona last year, where cannabis is legal, and a person can go into a shop and just buy it. I spoke at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna a few months ago on a panel of five police people advocating for the use of MDMA to treat PTSD. There are so many benefits in changing course. Accepting that the initial steps are difficult, it is encouraging that we are exploring them.