Cannabis health News reports
A dad-of-two, serving five years for supplying cannabis to help severely ill patients, has been moved to an open prison as his family prepare to launch an appeal against his sentence.
The family of Patrick Moore, who was sentenced to five years for the cultivation and supply of cannabis, have welcomed his move to an open prison just eight months into his sentence.
In December 2022, Moore, from County Limerick in Ireland, pleaded guilty to the charges and is expected to serve three years behind bars, the final two suspended.
Moore, who has been described as a cannabis ‘caregiver’, admitted to selling cannabis flower to friends and acquaintances, the funds of which were being used to produce oil which he provided to sick patients free of charge.
In certain jurisdictions, a designated caregiver is someone who is permitted by local authorities to supply cannabis for a registered medical patient.
The court heard testimonies from a number of families whose loved ones had been helped by Moore, including the parents of a boy diagnosed with leukaemia who had survived more than four years beyond his life expectancy.
A ‘disproportionate’ sentence
Following his sentencing, Irish politicians, TD Gino Kenny of the People Before Profit party and independent TD Violet-Anne Wynne, appealed to the authorities for Moore’s release, describing the sentencing as ‘disproportionate’.
Medical cannabis has been legal in Ireland for use in certain conditions since 2019, but less than 100 patients are thought to have been able to obtain a prescription through the Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP), which has received criticism for being too ‘restrictive’.
Meanwhile, an ongoing Citizens Assembly on drug use is expected to recommend the decriminalisation of cannabis and all drugs for personal use in Ireland.
Cannabis Health understands that Wynne wrote to Justice Minister, Simon Harris, who said he was referring the case to the Inspector of Prisons; and Irish President, Michael D Higgins, who responded with a holding reply saying he was ‘looking into it’.
Speaking exclusively to Cannabis Health, the family revealed that on Sunday 13 August, Moore was moved from Limerick Prison to the open prison, Shelton Abbey in Wicklow – although the grounds for this decision have not been communicated.
Open prisons are those in which the minimum restrictions are placed on prisoners and they are generally trusted to complete their sentences with minimal supervision.
Moore will now have access to a mobile phone on which he can contact his partner and two teenage children, and the freedom to move around the grounds as he wishes, providing he attends registration three times a day. He has a job working in the prison’s greenhouse and it is hoped he may be able to visit them at home for a weekend later this year.
Read full report
Irish cannabis ‘caregiver’ serving ‘disproportionate’ five-year sentence moved to open prison
Sean Hocking
Source link
