Source: Evening News, Norwich

Pub Date: January 8 1998

Pub LTE: An unjust ban on cannabis

Author: Tina Smith

AN UNJUST LAW ON CANNABIS

The recent arrest of a prominent British Cabinet Minister's son, a journalist from the Daily Mirror and another man, for small cannabis offences, illustrates the ineffectiveness and the injustice of the law which bans the plant.

I the midst of a public house where considerable quantities of the

dangerous and addictive legal drug alcohol are openly sold, a small amount

of a plant product recently described as "remarkably safe" by Professor

Lester Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School, yet illegal, was sold.

Prosecution of this is surely the height of hypocrisy and nonsense.

So the lad did what probably a few million other UK people do each day -

pass a small amount of cannabis to someone who wants it.

The fact that the Daily Mirror journalist asked the youth to get some cannabis as a basis for the story makes the journalist herself the only one of the three so far arrested upon whom any allegation of harm could possible be laid.

The annoying thing is the cost, both economic and to police time - the costs

of the phone calls, the interviews, legal consultations with solicitors,

letters exchanged, forensic analysis, court expenses etc - will all come out

of the public pocket. To what end? Punishing someone for a crime without a

victim. A fine example of continuing British justice!

Now that the cannabis laws can be seen clearly for what they are, let's get

rid of them and the concept that the Nanny State is more capable to decide

what we can smoke or what we can eat.

Then maybe 1998 will see the return

of the missing 'feelgood factor' - the right to freedom of choice,

lifestyle, religion, speech and, most importantly, information.

Tina Smith

CLCIA

Norwich