Anomalies in Ireland's drug laws and the huge demand for cannabis have led to a boom in the cultivation of the drug. In 2004, during the Celtic Tiger, only 36 people were prosecuted for growing cannabis. Last year there were 582 prosecutions, most small-time operations but included several dozen industrial-scale foreign-run operations.

Surveys have found that 18 per cent of Irish teens have used cannabis, placing above the 17 per cent European average. Six per cent of Irish teenagers have admitted to using drugs other than cannabis at some point in their lives...