An Irish farmer who provided cannabis oil to help hundreds of sick people has avoided jail time for cannabis possession but will have to stop supplying the medicine to the people who need it.
By providing cannabis oils at cost or for free, James Sinnott was able to help hundreds of people over the years while being the main supplier in the southeast for a decade. He said he was trying to help the seriously ill in a country where medicinal cannabis is barely accessible, and said the current rules in place are driving patients towards illicit suppliers to get the medicine they need.
“I have helped hundreds of people over the years,” Sinnott said. “And over 10 years, I never made one penny out of it. The way I looked at it … if I made money out of it, I’d be bringing nothing but bad luck on myself. I charged €250 for 22 milliliter vials. And that is the minimum I could make it for — allowing for a €50 margin on each vial so I could produce more for people who couldn’t afford it.”
At the court hearing, Sinnott’s lawyers provided testimonials from a number of individuals who felt the cannabis oil provided by Sinnott helped deal with medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, cancer and people with brain tumors. Although he was growing cannabis, Sinnott ended up being charged with three counts of cannabis possession following three searches over a 24-month period, beginning in 2018. The seized cannabis products had an estimated value of €35,000 ($50,400). The judge imposed a suspended jail term provided the farmer remains on good behavior
Sinnott said he first became involved in the production of cannabis oil after his father developed cancer and the person they were getting cannabis oil from moved away. In addition to supplying cannabis oil, Sinnott also gave some of his customers plants and taught them how to create the oil themselves, saying as many people as possible should know the process of creating their own oil.
In November 2022, an Irish lawmaker introduced a bill to legalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use. Gino Kenny’s bill would amend Ireland’s Misuse of Drugs Act and would allow adults aged 18 or older to possess up to seven grams of cannabis and 2.5 grams of cannabis resin for personal use. Kenny referred to the bill as a decriminalization measure and the plant would remain illegal and the cultivation and sale of cannabis would remain illegal, but criminal penalties for low-level cannabis possession would be eliminated and would amend Ireland’s unsuccessful total cannabis prohibition policy.
“[E]ven though it is illegal in Ireland, we can see that the use of cannabis has increased. Ireland has one of the highest usage rates of cannabis in the EU,” Kenny wrote in an op-ed explaining the legislation. “Almost 30% of adults between the age of 15-64 in Ireland have said that they have used cannabis at least one in their lifetime, whilst 17% of the adult population has used cannabis in the last 12 months – over double the European average of 7%.”
Irish authorities have recently issued a warning about cannabis edibles after a string of hospitalizations in the Tipperary region regarding an emergence of synthetic cannabinoids in Jolly Rancher candies. The Health Service Executive (HSE) National Social Inclusion Office said there was a high level of risk associated with THC edibles being sold illegally in Ireland as they don’t contain THC, but a synthetic cannabinoid. A number of products seized and analyzed by Forensic Science Ireland were found to contain only synthetic cannabinoids and not THC as indicated on packaging.
