Press release

Sinn Féin Steps Up Campaign Against Head Shops Sinn Féin councillors are to submit a motion to the next meeting of the city council’s Joint Policing Committee calling for the establishment of a civic forum to address the problem of legal drug dealing in Cork city. The party has also announced it will be holding a picket outside the mmMad head shop on North Main Street at 1pm this Saturday.

Cllr Jonathan O’Brien stated: “We want the council to set up a forum to examine what steps can be taken at a local level to combat this problem. These might include changes in planning regulations to prevent existing retail units being changed into head shops, putting pressure on the landlords who are leasing their properties to these legal drug dealers, or Garda surveillance of the premises. The forum should include elected representatives, council officials, the Gardai, members of the business community, and any others with an interest in the issue.”

“Sinn Féin has consistently stated that the government’s proposed legislation, which will ban some of the products being sold in these shops, does not go far enough. Confirmation of this came at the weekend, with newspaper reports that head shop owners are already devising new products to get around the ban when it comes into effect in June. What is needed – and what Sinn Féin has proposed – is a comprehensive system of regulation for this area, which would put the onus on the owners of head shops to prove their products are safe.”

“In the meantime Sinn Féin intends to keep up the pressure on these legal drug merchants by every means possible. That is why, as part of an ongoing series of protests, we will be picketing the mmMad head shop on North Main Street this Saturday at 1pm. I would encourage parents and all those concerned about the impact of drugs on our communities to join us.” For further information contact Cllr Jonathan O’Brien @ 085-2133907 or Cllr Thomas Gould @ 087-3021551