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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Declan Wade, CISTA candidate for Woking
Surrey Mummy Monday 04 May 2015 CISTA exists in order to push for the decriminalisation of cannabis. This would be of enormous benefit to all of us; not just to the users of cannabis but also to society at large. The benefits of decriminalisation are already evident in countries more enlightened on this issue than ours – consequently we are able to adapt the best of foreign policies to the best benefit of Britons to ensure we protect and help the most vulnerable. Following decriminalisation and the introduction of taxation on cannabis sales, Colorado raised approximately GBP 30million for state coffers from a total population of 5 million (about the same as Surrey, East and West Sussex, and Kent) and saw 10,000 new jobs created. That is GBP 30million more for education, for healthcare and other public projects. Rather than vast sums of your money wasted by punishing users through the criminal justice system, we argue instead to eradicate criminality and alleviate the suffering of some of the most vulnerable by investing in treatment and in education to ensure responsible use and prevent abuse. Prohibition and criminalisation does not eliminate demand, and if supply is criminalised you get criminal suppliers. Bringing cannabis into the open with reputable traders licensed by government and paying their taxes just like any other shopkeeper will in fact make our streets safer by reducing the revenues of organised gangs. That would mean less opportunity for unscrupulous dealers to push customers onto stronger and more expensive drugs. It would mean fewer drug dealers on our streets. Meanwhile in half of US states as well as a number of European countries cannabis can be prescribed to help desperately ill people deal with the symptoms of a variety of chronic illnesses, from cancer to multiple sclerosis to epilepsy to glaucoma. It will not cure these deadly ailments, but will help patients – usually elderly - to alleviate their pain and nausea and so improve the quality of the final chapter of their life. It is our hysteria about cannabis which prevents us from being able to offer our own people this option. Put simply, cannabis decriminalisation matched with regulation and licensing (including minimum-age controls) will deny money to criminals, raise money for social purposes including education, and benefit those with serious illnesses. This policy should therefore be of interest to everyone who would like to see a better, safer and fairer Britain, and I encourage those who would like to find out more to look at our website. http://surreymummy.com/declan-wade-cista-candidate-for-woking
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