Source: Letter in Daily Mail, UK

Date: 12 January 1998

Author: Levi McCarthy

UNFAIR CHARGES

THE arrest and treatment of William Straw demonstrates the unfairness of the present law; it seems there may be one law for the rich Londoners and another for the rest of the country.

I know a man who was prosecuted for having less than half a gram (worth about £1.50). He had his house searched by police with dogs and was locked up and interviewed.

He had to wait many months before getting to court. To what aim? The cost of taking a man to a magistrate's court is apparently £200 to £300, and then to a Crown Court it is £2,000 to £3,000.

Was Mr Straw's house searched to confirm that there were no other drugs there? Is the pub landlord to be prosecuted for allowing his premises to be used for illegal drugs? Was the pub searched?

What is behind these senseless prosecutions? Could it be that many in the criminal justice system profit from the fees they charge? There seems to be no other justification for keeping a harmless and beneficial plant illegal.

Levi McCarthy

Norwich