'A Moral Duty To Disobey Unjust Laws': Irish Activist Convicted For Planting Weed In Public Spots —Including City Hall

Martin Condon, a prominent cannabis campaigner from Cork, Ireland, has been convicted of multiple counts of cultivating cannabis.

According to the Irish Examiner, Condon faced the Cork District Court after openly planting cannabis plants across various locations in Cork City, including outside City Hall and Mayfield Garda Station.

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Public Activism Meets Legal Consequences

Condon, who frequently documented his activism on social media under the banner "Martin's World," used these videos as a form of protest against the restrictive cannabis laws in Ireland.

His court case included several of these videos, which showed him planting cannabis in broad daylight while explaining his motivations. While watching one of the videos, Judge John King remarked, "It is laughable really that this is a crime."

Throughout his trial, Condon, dressed in a vibrant tracksuit adorned with cannabis leaves, defended his actions as a form of civil disobedience.

In court, he explained: “Basically, all of the evidence is of me holding a civil disobedience protest. I felt frustrated, I suppose, with the dead ends met when trying to obtain cannabis as a patient.” He suffers from worsening epilepsy and argued that his actions were intended to initiate a national conversation about cannabis access for patients.

Defense And Prosecution

Condon's defense team, led by solicitor Aoife Buttimer, framed his actions as a deliberate attempt to challenge what they consider unjust laws.

"There was nothing sophisticated about the offending. He didn't try to conceal it. He refers to it as civil disobedience protest," Buttimer argued.

Despite this defense, the court proceedings were rigorous. Inspector Clodagh O'Sullivan presented evidence of the video recordings, while Condon's defense highlighted that the plants he used were non-intoxicating hemp varieties.

"The cannabis plants I planted were all of the genus cannabis, but they were all hemp that would have got nobody high. They would have intoxicated no person," Condon said. “The risk to the public from these plants was next to non-existent. I was the only person at risk by my actions."

Moreover, he invoked Martin Luther King's principle: "I have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws," and expressed his intention to spark a national conversation and "have his day in court."

Verdict And Sentencing

Judge King ultimately convicted Condon on five of the six counts of cannabis cultivation. One count was dismissed due to the plant in question not being planted.

The sentencing has been adjourned until November 25, with a probation report to be prepared on Condon. Judge King queried whether Condon's activism had ceased, to which Condon responded that his worsening epilepsy had impeded his ability to continue his protest activities, which took place between April and September 2021.

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Cover image made with AI.