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UK: Cancer sufferers among those campaigning inside Sutton Park for controversial 4/20 meeting Ashley Preece Birmingham Live Friday 20 Apr 2018 Organisers of today’s cannabis 4/20 gathering in Sutton Coldfield say many of those attending have life-limiting illnesses and are campaigning to legalise the drug for medical use. There are five meetings in the UK on Friday, including an event in Sutton Park between noon and 6pm. The motto is ‘let’s get together and feel all right’ with drug users expected to light a cannabis joint at 4.20pm. Speaking about today’s meet-up, UK Cannabis Social Clubs chairman and diehard campaigner Greg de Hoedt told BirminghamLive : “The 420 protest is taking place on April 20 because adults of a consenting age are tired of the unjust drugs laws that unfairly criminalise a subculture in the UK. “People will be gathering to send a message that cannabis culture is a part of British culture. “Cannabis consumers, by the government figures, total as many as five million and the majority are British-born citizens.” Greg added: “People can legally intoxicate themselves with alcohol costing the nations taxpayers millions in healthcare and policing and strains on public services. “Alcohol is also responsible for between 25 to 50 per cent of domestic assault, which not something you can say about cannabis. “How is it just for cannabis consumers to be policed more harshly when they are not creating public disorder or concern? No victim, no crime! “Many of the attendees will be patients that are campaigning for the medical use of cannabis to be made legal and have been protesting at Parliament this year already for the Elizabeth Brice Bill that MP Paul Flynn has put forward. “Patients with MS, Crohn’s Disease, diabetes, fibromyalgia and even cancer will be there to break the law at 4.20pm when everyone will light up to both protest cannabis and celebrate the finer points, like its medical benefits annd its ability to bring everyone together - quite convenient when you need to make change happen.” Greg explains how the 420 movement started in California in the US in 1971, the same year as the drug war. “It was an innocent thing where a group of friends secretly refereed to cannabis as 420,” he explained, “as that’s what time they would meet up to smoke after extracurricular athletics class at school. “The tradition has lived on and now it’s celebrated on April, the fourth month on the 20th day.” The UK Cannabis Social Clubs scene has been running since 2011 and campaigns to create legal and regulated access to cannabis products for adults with the right to grow at home. There are over 150 clubs in the UK all campaigning for change locally from Brighton to Dundee and Belfast to Kent, people are motivated to create change. And according to chairman Greg, there are over 1,000 cannabis social clubs in Spain for private members over the age of 18 which operate under privacy laws. “Teesside Cannabis Club have the first fully operational CSC in the UK called Exhale,” Greg told us, “which the police are aware of and has been featured on The Kyle Files and the BBC with presenter and music artist, Professor Green”. Today’s Birmingham meeting will take place at the Town Gate in Sutton Park. A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We’re aware of an event due to take place in Sutton Park today. "Neighbourhood officers will be in the area to monitor the event and will deal appropriately with any issues that arise." Here’s what you said… Andi Baker : “Personally I’d have to be honest and say there just going to sit down and have a smoke peacefully, I'm more concerned about knife and gun crime that is escalating costing lives.” Lorraine King : “If that's what they want to do, carry on, but NOT in a public park where there are kids and other people around. Totally inappropriate.” Rob Pearce : “So long as they don't make a mess and respect the fact that there will be families around then it doesn't bother me at all. The law surrounding medicinal use is ridiculous.” Dawn Hetherington : “I've never smoked the stuff but I for one am pro legalisation! If you do some research on cannabis, you'll see that it can be used to cure/treat multiple serious illnesses naturally.” Maria Gleeson : “Does it really matter? Aren’t they just sitting in a park smoking? Why is it being portrayed worse than some of the people walking up and down broad street p*****d out their heads.” Hayley Jones : “I don’t see the problem as long as they are nowhere near the kids and they don’t litter.” https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/cancer-sufferers-among-those-campaigning-14553509
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