Majority of CIT staff want cannabis legalised

A SURVEY conducted at Cork Institute of Technology has revealed that half the staff have smoked cannabis and 70% want it legalised.

The survey, carried out by CIT’s department of media communications, showed that half of the 85 staff quizzed admitted to smoking cannabis, while four said they were using the drug regularly.

Nearly three-quarters of staff, whose average age is over 50, wanted cannabis legalised, compared to a slightly smaller percentage among students.

A college spokeswoman said yesterday she was aware of the in-house survey but declined to comment on the grounds that the survey was “personally initiated by students and staff members”.

Some 200 students and 85 staff were surveyed and only 34 (12%) said they would vote against the legalisation of cannabis. A total of 22.5% said they used the drug regularly with a slightly similar percentage claiming they used it occasionally.

Catherine O’Driscoll, one of the students who organised the survey, said it took about a week to compile.

“It’s there but nobody seems to be dealing with the problem. There’s a law against it but it doesn’t seem to be enforced too much,” she said.

The argument about legalising the drug will rumble on in the college in advance of the arrival next Monday of Luke Flanagan, also known as “Ming the Merciless”.

The colourful Mr Flanagan, who has been convicted of possessing cannabis in the past, is a well known campaigner in support of legalising the drug.

He will be guest speaker at a debate focusing on cannabis which is to take place in CIT at 7pm.

Sharing the platform with him will be Fianna Fáil Cllr Deirdre Forde, Labour Senator Brendan Ryan, Fine Gael Cllr Peter Kelly.

“It will include an impartial, scientific discussion on cannabis by Eddie Fitzgerald, lecturer from the Biological Sciences Department,” Ms O’Driscoll said.

The event will be open to the public and is to be chaired by Ed Riordan, assistant registrar at CIT.