Storm of the Capital: Belfast City Hall

TGRM members sparked an impromptu demonstration at the grounds of Belfast City Hall, highlighting the valid mandate for cannabis relegalization in Ireland and the UK.

"Disobedience… is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.

- Oscar Wilde in "The Soul of Man under Socialism" 1891

This quote scares a lot of people - especially when it comes from an Irish man.

Cannabis Activism (Cannactivism) in the North of Ireland / Northern Ireland, can often feel misdirected. Not only is our devolved NI government collapsed; but the authority to amend cannabis prohibition laws is clutched by the British Government in London. To where and to whom do we voice our dissatisfaction?

Inaction for fear of reaction

Our politicians refuse to recognise the mandate for drug policy reform in Ireland and the UK. The North of Ireland is notorious for upholding draconian and discriminatory legislation, so “freeing the weed” gets little to no mention. Parties act out of fear of losing seats if they were seen to sympathise with cannabis activists - despite the declining number of people who say they would oppose relegalization.

Liberal leaners often state how cannabis relegalization is “inevitable”, but many fail to suggest the next steps or plan of action.

Status of Cannabis in N. Ireland

- Class B Drug

- Possession: Max 5 years and unlimited fine

- Intent to Supply: Max 14 years and unlimited fine

- PNSI: Saw a 3% increase in drug arrests in 2020/2021 (up to 8,428)

- “Cannabis is the most seized Class B drug” – PSNI

- “Herbal form is the most commonly seized form” says PSNI, but “seizures of other forms have steadily increased”

Cannabis was rescheduled to a Class C drug in January 2004 – recommended by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in March 2002. The change was designed to enable police forces to concentrate their resources on more serious offences. Arrests for cannabis fell by one-third in the first year of the rescheduling.

It returned to Class B in 2009 under Gordon Brown’s Government. This came in the run up to elections, when Labour were being accused of being “too soft” on crime. A surge in “reefer madness” had crept into the press and politics.

Storm of City Hall

When deciding where to spark up the first doobie of the night before our Friday night boogie, TGRM members felt inspired to stage a protest at Belfast City Hall. After a pint of Irish stout at Kelly's cellar (a popular meeting point before disobedience), TGRM members strutted up Royal Avenue to publicly defy cannabis prohibition across Ireland.

TGRM member storming the gates of Belfast City Hall

Once at the gates of city hall, the smell of the protest allured passers-by. TGRM members listened to their experiences with cannabis and their opinions on relegalization. We shared the puff with a group of Spanish tourists, who couldn’t understand why it was so difficult to source cannabis in Belfast, despite smelling it around the city.

The act of smoking a joint in front of City Hall seems small and insignificant – but until cannabis is relegalized; every joint, every bong and every brownie is an act of revolt. TGRM will continue to demonstrate the local mandate for relegalization of cannabis (and psychedelics) in the UK and Ireland.

Further Objectives

In addition to cannabis relegalization, our storm of city hall was motivated by further objectives we’d like to see implemented:

- End to censorship

- Removal of pay toilets

- Reestablish Ireland’s hemp farming industry

- Justice and accountability for people, families and communities impacted by cannabis prohibition

- Reform of local attitudes and education surrounding cannabis use

** To protect our demonstrators, we've hidden their identity **

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The Grassroots Movement (TGRM) is a community for open, non-censored conversations around cannabis, psychedelics and the pursuit of high vibrations. Read more on our mission here.