European Parliament Member Shares Pictures Of His Cannabis Plants On Social Media
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) recently posted pictures of cannabis he is cultivating for personal use. Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, MEP for Ireland Midlands North West, shared the following image and message to X/Twitter:
I’ve grown two! This is the Shogun (sativa dominant) feminised plant. It’s a funny one. Over 6 foot tall. Over 4 foot wide. Spindly. Topped it in attempt to thicken it up. Made no difference. Just wants to reach for the sky. Can’t water it enough. They’ve a mind of their own! pic.twitter.com/bFtp5mtNxc
— Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (@lukeming) September 16, 2023
The social media post was overwhelmingly well received based on the replies to the tweet, although there were a handful of comments from people asking why the MEP was posting the content. MEP Flanagan is a long-time proponent of cannabis reform.
Some of the comments questioned how the MEP was not facing charges for the cultivation, however, as other platform users pointed out, MEP Flanagan is based out of Brussels where limited personal cannabis cultivation is not a criminal offense.
The discussion surrounding the social media post by a sitting MEP touches on a larger ongoing continental discussion regarding the need for cannabis policy modernization. What MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan is doing on his balcony is something that every responsible adult should be able to do, regardless of which European nation they are based in at the time.
Currently, only Malta and Luxembourg have passed national adult-use measures that expressly permit personal cannabis cultivation, possession, and consumption. Germany is currently working to pass a national measure, and regional pilot programs are being launched in Switzerland and the Netherlands.
European cannabis reform is taking on a different form in Europe compared to the Western hemisphere. Canada and Uruguay have passed national legalization measures with robust consumer options, whereas European reform is largely based on personal cultivation.
‘Cannabis light,’ which is cannabis containing a low amount of THC, is legal in many parts of Europe, however, those products are considerably different compared to what is available in truly legal markets such as Canada.