Alliance fields candidates in 13 wards for local elections

Cannabis group to contest all city seats

Source: Evening News, Norwich

Pub Date: Wednesday, 12 May 2004

Author: Dan Grimmer dan.grimmer@archant.co.uk

Web: http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/

Contact: EveningNewsLetters@archant.co.uk

Cited: Legalise Cannabis Alliance http://www.lca-uk.org/

Howard Marks http://www.mrnice.co.uk/

Derek Williams http://www.nr23.net/

CANNABIS campaigners are preparing to stand in every Norwich ward in next month's local elections.

The Legalise Cannabis Alliance has put candidates forward for all 13 of Norwich City Council's wards and in one in Great Yarmouth.

Among its would-be councillors are a hospital worker, a college technician and a cerebral palsy sufferer.

While the party has fought in elections before, most notably when convicted international drug smuggler Howard Marks ran for election, this year's campaign marks the highest number of candidates for Norwich.

The Norwich-based organisation, a registered political party since 1999, is also planning to contest the European Elections in the region, challenging seats in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdon and Lincolnshire.

Among the candidates are:

* Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital medical records worker Patrick Cadman. The 48-year-old is standing in Mile Cross.

* Cerebral palsy sufferer John Wakelin, 37. He is standing for Lakenham ward and said the drug eased his pain without unpleasant side effects.

* Norwich City College technician Derek Williams, who is contesting Nelson ward.

He said: "I intend to stand as a purely representative candidate with no political agenda beyond representation, other than the cannabis issue.

"I see the job of councillor as being a community representative, rather than as some kind of political leader."

* Alun Buffry, national co-ordinator for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance. The 54-year-old is standing in University ward.

He said: "To some people thirteen may be a unlucky number, but for us we feel that thirteen wards will bring us nothing but good reports.

"My personal message is that I am fed up with being represented by career politicians who give more credence to their party leaders than the electorate.

"Although all our candidates have differing views on some issues, we agree that the ban on cannabis does far more harm and good, to society and to the environment.

"We are really a group of independents gathered together under the umbrella of the LCA, but we are all keen to find out exactly what people want and to represent them on Norwich City Council next year.

"To us cannabis prohibition epitomises many of the problems we face in society today, and offers a real solution.

"It is only the scare-mongering of the big party politicians that prevents people seeing that cannabis is far more than a recreational substance for a minority of people - it is a source of medicine, fuel, food, building materials, plastic, paper and more."