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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Let's Have Tolerance
Steve Clements York Evening News
Friday 19 Aug 2005 'LET'S HAVE TOLERANCE' In 1998 Viscountess Runciman reported to Parliament that Cannabis should be moved from schedule 1 to schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs act to enable its use as a medicine. They went on to say that a defence of duress of circumstance on medical grounds be allowed for possession, cultivation or supply. Seven years later we see the High court rule that 'medical neccessity' as a defence is no longer admissible in court, a month later the MS support group THC4MS who have openly supplied Cannabis chocolate to hundreds of sick people, free of charge, have been charged with 'conspiracy to supply cannabis'. This will leave many people suffering and probably resorting to the black market to obtain toxic street resin to try and combat their symptoms thereby fuelling crime contrary to anybodies benefit. In fact one of the accused is herself an MS sufferer facing potentially 14 years in prison. Any prosecution should be brought 'In the public interest'. What is in the public interest in taking medicine away from people who have asked for this help or to prevent them growing a plant for their own use forcing them to suffer and to turn to dealers to obtain an adulterated alternative. Who is the victim in this crime? The fact our Government are able to do this is more like an authoritarian dictatorship than an understanding and caring free democracy, Whatever your views may be on the recreational uses of cannabis it's medical uses are beyond doubt and denying these to people is torture. I find it corrupt that our politicians play these games with peoples lives on the basis of protecting the financial interests of pharmaceutical companies who force many far more dangerous drugs into our lives . Remember that hundreds of people a year still die from Aspirin and the like, available in every corner shop in the land. The runciman report states: The evidence strongly indicates that the current law and its operation creates more harm than the drug itself. (Ch.7, para.75, Police Foundation Report of the Independent Inquiry on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, U.K., 1999) Judge Francis Young Of the US Drug enforcement agency stated 'Marihuana in it's natural form is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man' The evidence of the medical benefits of cannabis use is overwhelming and growing almost daily, after all it was in our chemists until 1971, when American pressure on our Government had it removed on the grounds that it had no medical value. MS, AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, chemotherapy, bowel disorders, sleep disorders, appetite stimulation, chronic pain, the list of the uses of this plant is endless. There is no risk of overdose from this natural source of healing. Dr Lester Grinspoon, associate professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School says ' there is no risk with marihuana that justifies denying it's use to adults for any purpose' The Government continually refuses to enter into a debate on the subject and despite recent reports on the disastrous failing of government drug policy they do nothing but pander to the bizarre rantings of certain tabloid newspapers. I have spent many hours studying cannabis and all associated research for many years and have no doubt whatsoever that this is one of the most useful and safest medicinal plants known to man. The continuing tabloid misinformation hysteria is doing far more harm than good and is adding nothing to the debate aside from scaring many parents with teenage children, and yet the booze fuelled world continues unabated. Upto 25% of disabled people use cannabis, why should we want to prosecute them? For what purpose could this possibly serve? Tony Blair's failed 'War on Drugs' is now a war on the sick and defenceless, in an attempt to show he is tough on crime? A crime with no victim, a crime committed by millions everyday, a crime to ensure a huge minority have little respect for the law or it's makers. It's quite clear that drug policy is an out and out disaster, a fresh approach is required, surely ' tough on crime' is where control is taken on by the authorities rather than leaving it to the hugely profitable black market? The criminalisation of personal choice, to choose a safer alternative natural medicine than the parmaceuticals with terrible side effects is a crime against humanity for which Tony Blair is responsible. drug-related deaths per million population (in Holland) are the lowest in Europe. In 1995, the figure for the Netherlands was 2.4 as against 31.1 for the United Kingdom.
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