*Cllr Pat McMahon. Photograph: Eamon Ward
A LONG-SERVING COUNTY councillor has revealed this was the first year he was not offered drugs when visiting the United States of America.
Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) dropped the bombshell at Tuesday’s meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee (JPC) held at the Vandeleur Walled Gardens in Kilrush.
Speaking on the impact to different jurisdictions when drugs are legalised, the Newmarket-on-Fergus representative commented, “This year was the first year I wasn’t approached by someone selling drugs in New York City”. He added, “here we are where people are saying they are available here. They don’t have to worry about police”.
Superintendent John Ryan outlined, “Everything is illegal at the moment and that is the law we have, I’m sure other people are looking at other countries and what is happening there”.
Garda Morgan O’Donoghue following on from Cllr McMahon’s comments, stated, “I was recently in Boston and they have legalised cannabis there, I sincerely hope they never do here, the scent and smell throughout the entire city was disgusting, my impression of Boston has changed dramatically since they legalised the drug”.
Co-opted to Clare County Council almost five decades ago, Cllr McMahon is currently Chair of the Economic Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) and is the second longest serving councillor in the county.
A former shop owner, McMahon told The Clare Echo that the fact he would be wearing a suit when visiting New York City, generally on St Patrick’s Day trips, enticed drug dealers to approach him as they viewed people in suits as individuals with money to spend on drugs. He said he has been visiting the States for the past twenty years but that this year was the first whereby no dealers made approaches.
