Dirt Pixel

Received a letter from Revenue this week. In April 2023 they seized 10kg of incoming greenhouse flower, destined for our kitchen's & tea mix. Go on then, add it to the mound. However now, in September 2024, the State has decided to begin ALL NEW HIGH COURT PROCEEDINGS against myself and our company. A fresh Plenary Summons in the High Court. A fresh legal case organised and issued by the State - fresh paperwork, time, resources, barristers, money. Tax money, don't forget. Now you take a step back and think about what's actually happening here. We've been at the forefront of this thing for coming up on 5 years. Our case is, according to all the legal people concerned, the most comprehensive example of the CBD cannabis issue in Ireland. There's a lot of moving pieces involved behind the scenes, evidence, affidavit's, there's a broad spectrum of reference points to thrash this thing out & get on with things, let the industry develop. It's the longest standing challenge in the Country. Not to mention the sheer volume of product seized and the relatively high levels of publicity which surrounded the Little Collins case. Yet we can't get a Hearing. The State steadfastly refuses to meet us in Court head-to-head on this front. We've seen not one but two cases put before us, the first of which was not even a trading entity. Both of those cases lost, the first not surprisingly, the second - involving Denise Lynch from D Hemp shop in Cavan, who is a warrior and whom we have the utmost respect for - under a ruling numerous people with knowledge in the matter have described as, well, horseshit. But they won't hear the Little Collins case. Oh no! Our Hearing due for October was bumped just days before the D Hemp Hearing in July. I'd never seen our solicitor, who has been on this since Day 1 and is as calm a bloke as you could encounter, so angry or upset as when that happened. They won't hear our case but they WILL begin all new proceedings against us. They WILL continue to kick the Little Collins can down the road and ignore the plain facts, the plain as day common sense truth of the matter, which they so expertly danced around and obfuscated in Denise's own hearing -- Namely, that CBD cannabis - hemp cannabis with <0.3% THC - is NOT DANGEROUS TO HUMAN HEALTH. It never has been dangerous to human health and it never will be. This is the crux of the whole argument. And the State can not, will not ever prove the product is dangerous, no matter what semantic wonderland they conjure up. And they know this very well. Everyone knows this very well. Do you think, if what we and others have been selling for over half a decade now, were dangerous - someone would have noticed by now? There might have been complaints, letters to TD's, hospital admissions, dodgy lab results and the like? Curious isn't it! But the State aren't playing the common sense game. They're playing the control game. Have been the whole time. In 2017/2018, a grass roots cannabis industry sprung up in this Country right under their noses. And ever since they have been seething about it! They want total control of the industry before it begins; they want to dictate the rules of engagement and walk their international pharma buddies through the door, keys to the kingdom waiting inside. The rollout of the CBD legislation in Ireland doesn't stop at hemp, the State knows this. It's a stepping stone and not far down the path from hemp is adult-use, hence they're desperate to get this thing on their own terms. Desperate to control and dictate who can play and who cannot. Once cannabis is legal federally in the States, the pressure will only mount further here for real tangible change. They do not want an industry which supports small-to-medium businesses, which supports local growers, entrepreneurs and micro-farms, equal opportunity for responsible retailers no matter the size. They want to build a soft landing for the big boys to plonk their arses and suck up ALLLL of the milkshake! Package it up in plastic and spit it out the other end, syphon that value-chain offshore and force-feed an inferior product to an obedient audience. But that is not the cannabis industry Ireland wants or deserves. The blue sky potential here must be channeled locally. There are so many different facets and angles to the plant which could animate a thriving native industry, running on it's own internal combustion, to the benefit of the Irish people, economy and environment. We firmly believe the next great Irish exports could be cannabis products. Homegrown, house-made. With informed, responsible legislation, the plant doesn't need to be hidden behind a medical aura. It's a flowering herb. We've been consuming it for time immortal. Don't strangle the life out of something positive for this Country before it's even begun! And don't take the piss with us! Everyone knows you're out of touch on the cannabis issue and anyone who knows what's happening with CBD knows just how ridiculous the whole thing is. Remember: we will never give up! We ain't going anywhere. 🌿🌿🌿