Arising from a proposal by the Mayor of Castlebar Cllr Michael Kilcoyne at last Thursday night’s meeting of Castlebar Town Council, that consideration should be given to the holding of a protest outside the two head shops in Castlebar, it was unanimously agreed by the members that a protest should be arranged as a matter of urgency, given the strong local opposition to these shops, situated as they are so close to two of the local secondary schools and two of the primary schools in the town.
All the members expressed outrage that the premises could operate uncontrolled and the substances they were selling could have a detrimental effect on people’s health if not fatal.
The fact that the HSE or the Food Health Authority could not inspect or control the selling of the products was abhorred.
The Mayor called on the landlords of the premises to examine their conscience and see how the health of young people might be affected by the operation of the shops.
The Mayor directed the manager to take whatever action was necessary under the planning legislation to ensure that the law was not being flouted by the operators of these premises.
Cllr Kilcoyne said: “This is an opportunity for parents and responsible adults to show their concern for the youth of the town and the county, who are being drawn into using products in the belief that they are legal and therefore OK.”
A protest will take place outside both premises on Wednesday February 17 at one o’clock. A large crowd is expected to attend. All the local councillors are giving this their full support and many parents and members of public are also expected to attend.
Meanwhile the Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny TD, has called on the HSE to liaise with local schools to highlight the dangers of the head shops and the products on sale in them.
The four Castlebar Fine Gael town councillors (Cllr Ger Deere, Cllr Brendan Henaghan, Cllr Noreen Heston, and Cllr Eugene McCormack ) organised a successful public meeting in Castlebar recently on the rise of head shops and identified a number of immediate actions that can limit their impact upon the local communities in which they operate.
Deputy Kenny said: “I recognise the serious public concern surrounding these types of shops operating in our communities; many often within a close distance of schools where large amounts of students pass by them on a daily basis. Therefore, I have sent a copy of a useful guide given to me by a healthcare professional warning of the dangers associated with the products on sale in these shops. This is action in the short-term that I have taken to highlight the dangers of these products; however, I also call on the HSE to act on this manner. They have the ability to conduct education programmes in the schools on this issue and highlight the associated dangers.”
