THE DRUG LAWS
THAT LEAD TO A STATE OF CONFUSION
Source: Bath
Chronicle
Pub Date: Tuesday,
9 March 2004
Subj: The Drug Laws
That lead to a State of Confusion
Author: Emma Cooney
& Tom Bradshaw
Cited: Legalise
Cannabis Alliance http://www.lca-uk.org/
Web site: http://www.thisisbath.com/index.jsp
Contact: letters@bathchron.co.uk
THE DRUG LAWS THAT
LEAD TO A STATE OF CONFUSION
A shop selling
magic mushrooms, cannabis seeds and growing kits exposes the inconsistencies in
the drugs laws and throws up a host of questions about the fine line between
what is legal and what is not. The shop is totally legal, but could it
encourage people to sample cannabis, which is viewed by some as a gateway drug
leading to harder substances? Emma Cooney went to investigate
The best way to
describe it is to try it, said Bob Holland, handing me samples of mind-
altering substances in typical drug pusher fashion. But the owner of Bath's
novelty shop Appy Daze was not convincing me to try hard drugs, but offering me
a hit of laughing gas.
Sucking the gas
through a party balloon gave me a 30-second head rush, which made me giggle for
a few seconds.
He also showed me
bottles of herbal liquid ecstasy, which he said was the equivalent of taking
your first ecstasy pill, and a small tube-shaped container of a derivative of
the mint plant, which has intense hallucinogenic qualities.
He offered all with
the same recommendation: "The best way to describe it is to try it."
Most surprisingly
of all, was a refrigerator stocked with magic mushrooms for sale at prices
ranging from £8 to £15 in 10g or 15g bags.
Some of the
mushrooms can provide hallucinogenic experiences lasting for up to ten hours.
A huge selection of
pipes - or bongs - for "decorating the mantelpiece", a wide range of
hemp products, cannabis cultivating kits, including cannabis seeds "for
novelty purposes only", and books and videos on how to grow the drug "for
information purposes only", are also on sale at the Walcot Street shop.
Mr Holland uses
legal loopholes to sell cannabis seed, growing kits and magic mushrooms - which
are legal as long as they are not dried out.
Legalise cannabis campaigner
Chris Jones, who has his headquarters in the store and openly promotes cannabis
use, agreed the situation was laughable.
Mr Jones, 37, was
arrested for smoking a hand-rolled cigarette containing cannabis outside No 10
Downing Street last month.
It was part of a
protest to legalise the drug and he advises people to grow cannabis and smoke
it in the safety of their own home.
Mr Jones started
smoking cannabis when he was 14 and began growing the drug soon after.
He is campaigning
to become Bath's MP and sees legalising cannabis as a battle for civil
liberties and personal choice.
His campaign
platform is legalise cannabis and utilise it.
He said: "If
there were coffee shops selling cannabis for recreational use, the trade could
be regulated, as could the age of people coming into the premises and the
quality of drugs sold - and it would keep dealers out.
"Some people
do not enjoy the pub lifestyle and their recreational use of cannabis could
fund people who need it medicinally, who could be registered as patients."
The mind-bending
logic of the law states is not illegal to sell cannabis seeds, but it is
illegal to grow them.
And, despite the
law being changed in the past few months, it is still illegal to possess or
sell cannabis.
Also curious is
that magic mushrooms, which grow wild in many parts of the world, can be picked
and sold freely if they are fresh, but it is an offence to sell them dried.
The Home Office
says it is difficult to make something illegal that occurs naturally.
Police in Bath are
not happy about the shop, which some might say adds to the confusion about the
cannabis laws and makes a novelty of a drug that can be harmful.
But police officers
would be powerless if hordes of 16-year-old children came out of the store with
grow kits or bags of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Bath sector
inspector Paul Mogg said: "The sale of these items in an unprepared or
uncultivated state is not a criminal offence.
"We are far from
happy with the business in question but there is no action we can take at
present.
"We will,
however, continue to monitor the situation."
But Mr Holland is
adamant he operates responsibly and will not sell to youngsters in school
uniform or to 16 year olds with no clue about what they are buying.
He is aggrieved by
the inconsistencies in the law, which make alcohol and tobacco, from which
hundreds of people die, acceptable, but cannabis, which he argues is less
harmful, illegal.
He believes cannabis
would be safer if legalised, stopping dealers mixing the drug with more harmful
substances such as heroin to get smokers hooked.
Drug legislation is
in place to stop people harming themselves at a cost to society, but critics
argue this impinges on personal choice.
But for alcohol and
tobacco the balance falls the other way.
Bath Alcohol and
Drugs Advisory Service chief executive Vicki Morris said: "The shop is
controversial because it is trying to legitimise something which can be used
without any harm involved, but which can get people into problems if they do
not have any information on the risks.
"There is a
lot of confusion around cannabis. Alcohol is legal and causes more people
problems than any of the soft and hard drugs put together and with tobacco
smoking, hundreds of people die of heart disease and cancer.
"All substance
use is likely to be harmful if it becomes substance misuse.
"Anything can
be a gateway drug if people are vulnerable. People need to understand the
risks.
"BADAS does
not endorse people selling drugs because there is room for people to be very
irresponsible.
"Equally, we
would not endorse the sale of drink to people who are very intoxicated."
She added: "We
do not do a lot of work with people who are using cannabis or magic mushrooms.
That is not our standard client base, but people do get into mental health
problems with heavy cannabis use.
"Cannabis is
not just one substance. There are different types of cannabis and long-term use
of stronger substances can lead to problems, the same as with alcohol and
tobacco."
The shop also sells
a range of hemp products.
Hemp is cannabis
grown specifically for industrial use and contains very little
tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) - the chemicals that affect the brain.
It has virtually no
intoxicating effects when consumed.
It is illegal to
grow hemp without a licence and very few licences are given out.
But Mr Holland is
able to sell a wide range of hemp products such as fruit bars, teas and fizzy
drinks because they do not contain THC.
Anyone concerned
about drugs, or wanting more information, should contact national drugs
helpline FRANK on 0800 776600 or visit http://www.talktofrank.com/.