Ray Walley

Professor of General Practice @UCDmedicine Board Member EuropeanDoctors 2019-2027 Health advocate Unhappy at X + moving to @walleyray.bsky.social

[Ray Walley @WalleyRay]

.”GP organisation opposes legalising Cannabis” #CADrugsUse ⁦@CitizAssembly⁩ ⁦@MythsCannabis⁩

[Paladin @learnpaladin]

In 1845, Ireland’s potato crop failed. Then again the next year, and the year after that.

One million people died. Another million fled.

And all the while, ships kept leaving Irish ports loaded with food.

History hits harder when it’s told right. Paladin 📜

[Intl. Academy on the Science & Impact of Cannabis @IASIC3]

🚨 NEW STUDY: Cannabis Involved in Most Substance-Related Emergency Visits Among Teens and Young Adults

A major new study from Washington University School of Medicine, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, raises serious concerns about cannabis-related health harms among young people.

Researchers analyzed more than 5 million substance-related emergency care encounters from 2016–2023.

🔴 84% of adolescents ages 16–18 who received substance-related emergency care had at least one encounter involving cannabis.

🔴 Young adults ages 19–24 experienced the fastest increase in the proportion of emergency encounters involving cannabis.

🔴 Researchers also identified concerning increases in cannabis-related hospitalizations involving psychosis and severe vomiting (CHS) among younger patients.

⚠️ High-potency THC is a particular concern for developing brains.

Importantly, cannabis involvement does not necessarily mean cannabis caused the emergency visit. Nearly half of cannabis-related encounters also involved another substance.

The findings highlight the importance of recognizing cannabis-related health risks, particularly among adolescents and young adults.

📖 Read the study announcement:
https://t.co/nKhts9U7cU
Source: American Journal of Psychiatry, November 4, 2026.

#IASIC #CannabisResearch #THC #YouthMentalHealth #CannabisPsychosis #CannabisUseDisorder #PublicHealth

[Ray Walley @WalleyRay]

@bourdamo @iseult Sssssh they will hear you

[Alan @A1an_M]

London cabbies lined up on Westminster bridge ready to take veterans home, free of charge, from the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall. 👏👏👏

[James Melville 🚜 @JamesMelville]

Nimrod. Sir Edward Elgar.

Played at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph, Whitehall, London.

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.”

#RemembranceSunday

[BUCHANAN: Dublin Time Machine @RobLooseCannon]

Today in 1960, 9 Irish soldiers were killed in an ambush by Baluba tribesmen in Niemba, Katanga. They were deployed as United Nations peacekeepers to stabilise the newly independent Republic of Congo as Katangan rebels attempted to secede.

Lieutenant Kevin Gleeson, leading a platoon of eleven men from the 33rd Infantry Battalion, was tasked with securing a station and repairing a bridge over the Luweyeye River. The soldiers encountered the damaged bridge and a roadblock set up by Baluba tribesmen, who had mistaken the Irish peacekeepers for Katangan rebels.

The platoon had left much of their support weaponry, including Bren machine guns, in their vehicles, which were now inaccessible. When Gleeson and Sergeant Hugh Gaynor approached to investigate, they were quickly surrounded by about 200 tribesmen armed with bows, arrows, machetes, and clubs.

Following their UN orders not to fire unless fired upon, the Irish soldiers attempted to communicate peacefully. Gleeson greeted the tribesmen with “Jamba,” a friendly term in Swahili, only to be struck by an arrow. Almost immediately, a hail of arrows rained down on the platoon.

Under intense pressure, Gleeson ordered his men to return fire while he laid down cover to help them retreat. But the numbers were overwhelming, and he was killed while defending his troops.

A fierce battle ensued in the thick jungle terrain, with the Irish soldiers severely outnumbered. Lacking sufficient ammunition, they fought hand-to-hand as tribesmen continued to advance, determined to eliminate any survivors. The fighting was swift and brutal, leaving 25 tribesmen and most of the Irish peacekeepers dead.

Amid the confusion, Trooper Anthony Browne went missing, and his body would not be found until 1962. He was later posthumously awarded An Bonn Míleata Calmachta (Military Medal for Gallantry), the Irish Defence Forces' highest honour. Privates Joe Fitzpatrick and Thomas Kenny survived the ambush by managing to hide; Fitzpatrick was rescued the following day, and Kenny was found two days later by Irish Army personnel.

The massacre left a deep impact on Ireland, where almost 500,000 mourners later lined the streets of Dublin for the soldiers' funeral cortege. While the name "Baluba" became synonymous with savagery in Ireland, this incident did not reflect the whole of the Baluba people, who, like the Irish, had endured years of oppression under colonial rule and had resisted Belgian control through rebellions in 1895 and 1917.

For the Irish Army, this mission underscored the serious challenges of being deployed overseas, particularly in environments for which they were ill-equipped and unprepared. The soldiers wore woollen uniforms and hobnail boots unsuitable for the tropical climate and carried outdated weapons. Additionally, no interpreters were assigned, compounding the miscommunication with locals.

The survivors, Fitzpatrick and Kenny, returned to Ireland traumatized and largely unacknowledged. Decades later, after a campaign to recognize their bravery, Fitzpatrick was awarded a commendation in 2007, which Kenny declined.

The remains of the 9 soldiers were interred with honours at Glasnevin Cemetery, but the events of Niemba continued to cast a long shadow. Misreported details of the ambush caused further anguish for the survivors, whose accounts were initially dismissed or altered. It was only in 1998 that medals were awarded posthumously to those who died serving as peacekeepers.

The names of those who died so brutally attempting to bring peace to the people of the Congo are :

Lt. Kevin Gleeson, Carlow, aged 30
Sgt.Hugh ‘Sonny’ Gaynor,Leixlip, aged 29
Cpl. Peter Kelly, Templeogue, aged 25
Cpl. Liam Dougan, Cabra, aged 34
Pt. Matthew Farrell,Jamestown, Dublin, aged 22
Tpr. Thomas Fennell,Donnycarney, aged 18
Tpr. Anthony Browne, Rialto, aged 20
Pte. Michael McGuinn Carlow, aged 21
Pte. Gerard Killeen Rathmines. aged 27

[🇮🇪 This is Ireland 🇮🇪 @ThisIsIreland3]

An fiery sunset behind An Tiaracht (The Westerly) of the Blasket Islands 🌅🔥

📍Dingle, County Kerry - Ireland 🇮🇪

📸 Mark O'Sullivan

#Ireland #Dingle #Kerry #Sunset #Blasket #Antiaracht

[Bertha madras @madras_bertha]

Addiction for profit by bribing politicians! The DEA has descended into depravity by partnering with drug-dealers instead of arresting them.

[Allen Frances @AllenFrancesMD]

We learned nothing from the disastrous #OxyContin tragedy.

Big Pharma/Venture Capital/Biotech startups are pouring billions prematurely hyping ketamine/psilocybin/MDMA.

Long term efficacy unclear & safe only in highly controlled/very expensive settings.

Result will surely be massive increase in very dangerous street use.

[Susie Dent @susie_dent]

If the world is getting a little too much may I recommend the inexplicably obsolete word ‘latibulating’, from the 17th century? To latibulate is to find a cosy corner somewhere and hide in it.

[Bertha madras @madras_bertha]

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Sandoz abruptly stopped producing human grade LSD and psilocybin in 1965, 1966 for clinical trials: adverse reactions were so high, outcomes so poor that the reputation of Sandoz and trial clinicians plummeted.

[Ray Walley @WalleyRay]

@JamesMelville Good Connemara roots is what is normalising him - a great leader and role model for kids

[Juez Central @Juezcentral]

Un día te tomas una foto con ella y con David Beckham en la escuela.

Años después es tu novia, te casas con ellas, tienes hijos. Ganas el Balón de Oro y le dedicas el premio:

"Para mi esposa, tú eres mi mejor amiga. Tú querías este premio más que yo. Hemos pasado por altibajos. Lo hemos logrado. Siempre quisiste lo mejor para mí. Te sacrificaste por mis sueños. Esto no habría sido posible sin ti. Te amo"

Harry y Kate🫀

[UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague]

A goal worthy of a Ballon d'Or winner 🏆

#ballondor

[Harry Kane @HKane]

Wow. 🏆

[Ray Walley @WalleyRay]

No different in Ireland

[Dr Monique Ryan MP @Mon4Kooyong]

Australians are buying health products and services online faster than our regulators can keep up: commercial telehealth, weight-loss prescribing and now largely unregulated injectables. Our emergency departments are already seeing more and more anaphylaxis, and other serious health issues related to these agents.

In August, I wrote to the Health Minister calling for a parliamentary inquiry into telehealth services and online prescribing of peptides, medicinal cannabis, Ozempic, and other medications.

Today’s reports highlight how urgently we need that sort of inquiry, and why its scope should cover all of the online healthcare market.
https://t.co/GeLKvR6Y81

[John Ludden @johnludds]

The greatest letter of all time...

[Kevin Sabet @KevinSabet]

In Italy this week, and Italy gets it.

Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni shared the same message we’ve been sharing for years. Speaking to the recovery community here in San Patrignano, she said today’s cannabis has THC levels on average 30 times higher than a few decades ago, and that calling it soft is irresponsible.

A world leader saying what too many won’t. Grazie, Italia.

[Smart Approaches to Marijuana @learnaboutsam]

Two University of Mississippi students died in September with one of kratom's chemicals in their blood.

Kratom is sold at gas stations and corner stores. It hits the same brain receptors as opioids, and one of its compounds can be 13 times stronger than morphine.

States with industry-backed "kratom consumer protection" laws saw more than four times the rate of life-threatening outcomes and deaths compared with states that banned it.

@KevinSabet in @cityjournal: states don't have to wait for Washington.

https://t.co/8oN0JmsLGz

[Elaine Farrell Photography @_EFarrellPhoto]

A two hat morning scratching for light at sunrise ..
Doolin harbour to the sentinel light of Inis Oírr, Aran Islands. #StormBoelo #doolin #ireland
https://t.co/Ou69byWS62
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