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Letter: Drug comments were ‘ill-judged’ Peter Reynolds Northants Evening Telegraph Monday 16 May 2011 http://www.ccguide.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=16119 Cannabis farming is a big problem in Britain, but Judge Bray's words were, l believe, inaccurate and misleading. As a result, I have made a formal complaint to the Office for Judicial Complaints. Cannabis Law Reform is a UK political party which advocates a safer, more responsible policy of tax and regulation of cannabis. We are used to inaccurate and misleading propaganda from government ministers and tabloid newspapers, but I find it shocking that a judge should be so badly misinformed. Judge Bray said: "cannabis . . . is causing lasting mental problems" and an increasing number of young people are "suffering from psychosis". I simply don’t accept that this is true. These are baseless scare stories. Only last month, Professor Glyn Lewis, one of the world’s leading experts on the subject, said: "Ninety-six per cent of people could smoke cannabis regularly and not expect to experience psychosis . . . important to note that we cannot be certain that there is a causal link between cannabis use and psychosis". In fact, compared to alcohol, tobacco, or even energy drinks, cannabis is, as Professor Les Iversen, the government's chief drugs advisor, says, "one of the safer recreational drugs". Cannabis farms are a scourge on society, but they are caused by an irrational, unscientific and undemocratic law. At least six million people in Britain use cannabis regularly, and whatever we do, we’re not going to stop them. We waste billions every year on police, court and prison resources. Judge Bray is, of course, entitled to his opinion, but the administration of justice should be based on facts and evidence. The people he wants to lock up for longer are the victims of organised crime, often forced into the trade by threats of violence. It is our ridiculous, self-defeating laws that cause this problem. A properly regulated cannabis market would mean no criminal involvement, no theft of electricity, no human trafficking, no destruction of property and disruption of neighbourhoods. Then we would have some control over this huge market. There would be thousands of new jobs, sales would be from licensed outlets to adults only with guaranteed quality and safety. Our police officers and courts could concentrate on real crime. Authoritative research now proves that this policy would produce a net benefit of £6bn per annum to the UK economy. I would ask Judge Bray to excuse himself from any cases involving cannabis in future. I believe he simply isn’t the right person to be passing judgement in such matters. Peter Reynolds Leader, Cannabis Law Reform http://www.northantset.co.uk/community/letters/drug_comments_were_ill_judged_1_2684579
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