‘Cocaine is in GAA every club, it’s frightening’ – Limerick legend Ciarán Carey

[Franko]

No issue with testing any county player who is in receipt of GPA funds

I think it's one of the Sports Council pre-requisites for doling out the loot

Taking that money confers a certain responsibility on a player IMO

Now, club teams is an entirely different thing entirely...

[RedHand88]

Genuine question. Why would legalising then help?

It doesn't. It makes it worse. I have no idea why people push this argument. Is it the tax revenue?

[Armagh18]

No issue with testing any county player who is in receipt of GPA funds

I think it's one of the Sports Council pre-requisites for doling out the loot

Taking that money confers a certain responsibility on a player IMO

Now, club teams is an entirely different thing entirely...

If the GAA really did want to make a stand they'd do random testing of club and county teams. Zero tolerance, anyone with illegal drugs in the system gets a year ban. How long does the likes of coke etc stay in the system?

[Milltown Row2]

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/suspected-cocaine-packages-discovered-on-co-donegal-beaches/a394763372.html

Was walking those beaches last week!! Bloody useless dogs of mine couldn't find them!!

[Armagh18]

Genuine question. Why would legalising then help?

It doesn't. It makes it worse. I have no idea why people push this argument. Is it the tax revenue?

imtommygun summed it up fairly well on previous page. Also can be argued that criminalising it has done feck all to stop the supply/availability. (Not saying I want it legalised but can see the reasoning

[Milltown Row2]

No issue with testing any county player who is in receipt of GPA funds

I think it's one of the Sports Council pre-requisites for doling out the loot

Taking that money confers a certain responsibility on a player IMO

Now, club teams is an entirely different thing entirely...

If the GAA really did want to make a stand they'd do random testing of club and county teams. Zero tolerance, anyone with illegal drugs in the system gets a year ban. How long does the likes of coke etc stay in the system?

Are we doing other banned substances for club players? how long would Anabolic steroids, give them a year ban also, anyone using ventilators to the scum bags

[imtommygunn]

Pretty sure there's a banned list that county players would get and would know about. Club players wouldn't get that at all. It gets very murky like you say.How do you work with exemptions etc. The administration and can of worms it would create fo rtesting club players would be huge. (For example I think I read you could fail drugs tests for taking things like lemsip max strength...).

[Saffron_sam20]

No issue with testing any county player who is in receipt of GPA funds

I think it's one of the Sports Council pre-requisites for doling out the loot

Taking that money confers a certain responsibility on a player IMO

Now, club teams is an entirely different thing entirely...

If the GAA really did want to make a stand they'd do random testing of club and county teams. Zero tolerance, anyone with illegal drugs in the system gets a year ban. How long does the likes of coke etc stay in the system?

Are we doing other banned substances for club players? how long would Anabolic steroids, give them a year ban also, anyone using ventilators to the scum bags

crazy, lads who are maybe young and dabbling get drug tested, banned from the club for a year, their parents find out and they are the tall of the town/ village. What is that gonna do for the lad, make them feel better or send them further down the substance abuse road.

We talk about the GAA being a community organisation but we are gonna ban lads/ girls from taking part and being involved because they took a recreational drug? seems a bit much to me

[Milltown Row2]

I generally talk out my ass here for the craic, but there is some waffle going on here, pub soccer teams in the south getting tested and lads looking club players tested also!! Jesus wept!

Be testing for alcohol next!

[shark]

I generally talk out my ass here for the craic, but there is some waffle going on here, pub soccer teams in the south getting tested and lads looking club players tested also!! Jesus wept!

Be testing for alcohol next!

100%
Testing of club players is not going to happen. It's not up to the GAA to fix societal issues.

[general_lee]

Genuine question. Why would legalising then help?

It doesn't. It makes it worse. I have no idea why people push this argument. Is it the tax revenue?

How does it make it worse?

Explain to me how diverting (wasted) resources from chasing, arresting, charging and prosecuting individuals for carrying small amounts of drugs to a more public-health based approach makes things worse?

You're literally freeing up hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds that can be put towards treating drug addicts, needle exchanges, funding educational programmes etc rather than pissing away time, money and resources on a battle you're never going to win.

[armaghniac]

Genuine question. Why would legalising then help?

It doesn't. It makes it worse. I have no idea why people push this argument. Is it the tax revenue?

How does it make it worse?

Explain to me how diverting (wasted) resources from chasing, arresting, charging and prosecuting individuals for carrying small amounts of drugs to a more public-health based approach makes things worse?

You're literally freeing up hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds that can be put towards treating drug addicts, needle exchanges, funding educational programmes etc rather than pissing away time, money and resources on a battle you're never going to win.

Even if you legalise some drugs then people will just move to other illegal ones and you can't legalise everything. There is a legal drug,  alcohol, but people always want more. 

[Mourne Red]

Genuine question. Why would legalising then help?

It doesn't. It makes it worse. I have no idea why people push this argument. Is it the tax revenue?

How does it make it worse?

Explain to me how diverting (wasted) resources from chasing, arresting, charging and prosecuting individuals for carrying small amounts of drugs to a more public-health based approach makes things worse?

You're literally freeing up hundreds of thousands if not millions of pounds that can be put towards treating drug addicts, needle exchanges, funding educational programmes etc rather than pissing away time, money and resources on a battle you're never going to win.

San Fransisco (California) - Thats why drugs shouldn't be legal

[Cavan19]

It would remove the criminality aspect of it on either side - i.e. taker and seller. It would bring in tax. Gone are drug gangs. Quality can be controlled etc etc as you do hear of people dying with "bad batches" etc.

(That's not me arguing it's right - legalising cocaine etc too far for me but those are arguments you hear. It wouldn't remove addiction problems which are a huge problem.).

They would still be about there would still be money to be made from it just look at cigarettes and diesel to name just 2 products that criminal gangs like to get their hands dirty with.

It something can be bought cheaper there are a lot of people who will buy it and not care about quality.

[Eire90]

I generally talk out my ass here for the craic, but there is some waffle going on here, pub soccer teams in the south getting tested and lads looking club players tested also!! Jesus wept!

Be testing for alcohol next!

some gaa clubs probably send goons around to local pubs to see if drinking