Cork cannabis campaigner convicted for planting herb outside garda station and City Hall

Martin Condon: 'I felt frustrated, I suppose, with the dead ends met when trying to obtain cannabis as a patient.' File picture: David Keane

A cannabis campaigner advanced his cause with a trowel in one hand and a cannabis plant in the other planting the herb at locations across Cork City including spots outside Mayfield garda station, City Hall and the Bridewell.

There was perhaps an inevitability about Martin Condon being prosecuted for cultivation of cannabis. Far from making a secret of his actions, he planted the cannabis in the middle of the day, recorded his actions and posted them online.

His videos formed part of the prosecution case at Cork District Court where Judge John King was shown a series of videos under the banner, Martin’s World, in which he hunkered down, dug a hole, took a cannabis plant from a pot and planted it. Throughout each video he commented on why he was doing this.

"It is laughable really that this is a crime,” Mr Condon said to Judge King in the course of one video of him planting cannabis.

In Cork District Court after several gardaí gave evidence in the case and the videos were shown by Inspector Clodagh O’Sullivan, defence solicitor Aoife Buttimer called Martin Condon to give his own evidence in defence of his actions.

Mr Condon wore a brightly coloured tracksuit imprinted with cannabis leaves. He said from the witness box: “Basically, all of the evidence is of me holding a civil disobedience protest. 

I felt frustrated, I suppose, with the dead ends met when trying to obtain cannabis as a patient. 

He said he suffered from epilepsy — a condition which is worsening — which is preventing him from keeping up the level of activism shown in the video-recorded incidents of planting cannabis which were undertaken between April and September 2021.

Mr Condon of Kinvara Close, Ballyvolane, Cork, told Judge King that he was part of an organisation that campaigned for access to cannabis for patients who need it.

The defendant, who has an honours degree in herbal science, testified: “The cannabis plants I planted were all of the genus cannabis, but they were all hemp that would have got nobody high. They would have intoxicated no person. 

"A lot of the plants were male versions. The risk to the public from these plants was next to non-existent. I was the only person at risk by my actions.” 

Quoting Martin Luther King, he said that while he obeyed the law “I have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws”. He said his hope was to trigger a national conversation which he said he had succeeded in doing and also wanted to “have his day in court”. 

At the outset of the cross-examination, Inspector O’Sullivan asked the accused how he was, to which Mr Condon replied: “I wish I didn’t have to be here.” 

The inspector said: “It is an offence to cultivate cannabis without a licence and you don’t have a licence.” Mr Condon repeated: “One has a moral duty to disobey unjust laws.” 

Martin Condon said he suffered from epilepsy — a condition which is worsening — which is preventing him from keeping up the level of activism shown in the video-recorded incidents of planting cannabis which were undertaken between April and September 2021. File picture: David Keane

On six counts of cultivation of cannabis, Judge John King convicted Martin Condon on five counts. One was dismissed because the plant was simply left at the scene rather than planted.

Ms Buttimer said the 35-year-old father-of-four is a man with strong political views on the medicinal use of cannabis.

“There was nothing sophisticated about the offending. He didn’t try to conceal it. He refers to it as civil disobedience protest,” Ms Buttimer said.

Judge King asked if the behaviour had stopped. Mr Condon said he was unable to engage in activism because of his worsening epilepsy.

Judge King adjourned sentencing until November 25 and directed the preparation of a probation report on the accused.