Source: Hull Daily Mail, UK

Pub Date: 5 April 2002

Author: Carl Wagner

Note: Not the newspaper's headline

Ricky Gathercole has erred in his thinking when he asks whether burglars, flashers and thugs should be let off by police in line with my previous proposal that cannabis users should not be prosecuted. (March 29th).

The difference is that cannabis users have no victims to their so-called offences, whereas burglars etc do have.

Yes, the law is the law - that is why I am amongst many thousands campaigning to make cannabis legal. In the case of cannabis the law does nothing to protect people. In fact it does the opposite, leaving the commodity in the hands of criminals. Just imagine if those who choose to drink alcohol were forced to buy it illegally and faced prosecution for their choice of relaxant. And that, unlike cannabis, does cause untold grief, misery and crime for many people.

Exactly what are our laws meant to achieve? Are they there to protect us and our property, or to force choices upon us? It certainly sounds like Mr Gathercole may believe the latter.

People who use cannabis to their ill effect deserve the help or doctors not the force of the law. Those who enjoy smoking the plant and do no harm to anybody should be protected the same way as are those who consume other plants, whether as medicine, for food or for fun.

Mr Gathercole's last paragraph is indeed ironic printed on Good Friday. He said: "The law is the law is the law, and should be enforced as such and not given up lightly in order that self-opinionated law breakers can get away with it."

If we are to accept every law as justified simply because it is the law, we may end up with laws like those that crucified Jesus Christ, whom, after all,. was also classed as a law-breaker in His time.

Hull Daily Mail, 29 March 2002

In reply to Carl Wagners outrageous comments and unproven statement of facts, I would like to ask the following questions.

If we allow cannabis dealers and users to be let off with a simple verbal caution does it not follow that the natural progression is that the police should only give burglars a verbal warning in order to release more police time for catching bank robbers.

Should flashers and mild indecent assaults be overlooked so that more time can be dedicated to catching rapists?

Should thugs who beat up people be only warned so that more resources are available to catch murderers?

No, of course not. The law is the law is the law, and should be enforced as such and not given up lightly in order that self-opinionated law-breakers can get away with it.

Ricky Gathercole

Stoneferry Rd

Hull

Hull Daily Mail, 21 March 2002

UNENFORCEABLE LAWS ON CANNABIS

Research involving 150 frontline patrol officers who carry out stop and search operations for drugs has revealed that half of them have admitted using cannabis, and that many support a more liberal approach.

Over half also believed that cannabis legislation harmed relations between police and young people, and it was said that those arrested for possession were less likely to help the police to solve more serious crimes.

Recent Home Office figures show that 99pc of drug related crime affecting the community stems from heroin and crack cocaine addiction and yet 70pc of police time deals with cannabis 'offences'.

The cannabis laws are unenforceable and all recent polls show the public don't want them enforcing.

If present policy is to continue, the people of Hull deserve to know why it's appropriate to prosecute cannabis smokers instead of using valuable resources and police time to catch drunken thugs, violent criminals and muggers.

Carl Wagner

Hull