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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis Capitulation Can't Continue
Ian Malley CannaZine
Friday 04 Jan 2008 Chief Constable of North Wales Police Richard Brunstrom has again caused a storm in a tea cup after he called for the legalisation and regulation of all drugs, and this time he goes one step further, saying the legalisation of drugs is "inevitable" within ten years. In fact the only people who disagree are the politicians who run the country? Those who have no idea what its like down at 'ground-zero', on our council estates, where the Police spend a high percentage of their operational time. Perhaps they should watch "Shameless" on Channel 4 TV? "Growing "this actual plant" helped me kick a 20 year alcohol habit, without the need to visit a doctor, or a drug dealer in almost 4 years (to date)". I can grow two plants - harvest 14 ounces, which will last me over 9 months at the rate I consume the stuff, but of course I don't pay any tax on it, which is the real issue here. I realise there are people who are not going to agree with cannabis nor (like peanuts) it with them, but for those of us who have had a positive experience - a life changing experience as a result of cannabis? What about us? But while other Chief Constables and previously unheard of back benchers jump on the Brunstrom Bandwagon and call for his head "on a platter", let me remind you of some other high profile people who actually back Richard Brunstroms calls for legalisation, because Mr Brunstrom is far from being a lone voice in the battle against drugs. Hypocrite: Ex President of the US "I did drugs but you can't"..Clinton Bear in mind if you will, these people deal (or dealt) with the drug issue daily, unlike politicians, who quite frankly, don't! Tom Wood is a former Scottish deputy chief constable as well as being the former "drug tsar" of Scotland and is clearly a "man in the know" when it comes to drugs. Way back in 2006 Mr Wood was quoted as saying; "Enforcement should no longer be the number one priority but should be placed behind education and deterrence in the war on drugs," a war which he described as "long lost". Hypocrite: I did drugs but you can't..Hazel Blears - Labour Tom Lloyd (retired), the former Chief Constable of Cambridge, says pretty much what Richard Brunstrom says. He just used different words; "This is about taking the control of drugs in this country, out of the hands of criminals and into the hands of responsible authorities." 'Here here' Mr Lloyd. Jim Duffy was Chairman of the Strathclyde Police Federation, who are responsible for 98.5% - around 7000 Police Officers, in Scotlands largest Police Force and regular followers of cannabis news in the UK will recognise Strathclyde as one of the busiest Police forces in the battle against the Vietnamese organised crime rings. Image Hypocrite: I did drugs and I quite liked it, but you can't..Tim Yeo - Conservative According to Mr Duffy "We should legalise all drugs currently covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act – everything from class A to C, ……….. We are not winning the war against drugs." Mr Eddie Ellison, now sadly deceased, is a man I was fortunate enough to meet and during Mr Ellison's long police career, he was the former Head of Operations with the Metropolitan Police drug squad in London. Mr Ellison was outspoken for a number of years on the drug issue, making comments such as "Legalisation provides a better policy to support, educate and reduce harm. Eliminate the motive for over half society's crime, reduce the profits, power and danger of the criminal supply chain. Quality control the product and exchange condemnation and persecution for compassion and understanding." Commander George Grieve of the Criminal Inteligence Unit at Scotland Yard passed a similar message. "If the (drug) problem continues advancing as it is at the moment………Either you have a massive reduction in civil rights (the case currently in the UK), as you try and drive the problem underground, or you have to look at some radical solutions." Isn't that all that Mr Brunstrom suggested? Hypocrite: I did drugs but you can't - Vernon Coaker, ex Minister for Drugs & Crime Reduction - Labour "Making drug abuse a crime is useless and even dangerous … Police are losing the drug battle worldwide". This, according to Raymond Kendall - Former Secretary General INTERPOL. There were certain sections of the press who seemed to take exception to Mr Brunstroms claims that "the legalisation of drugs is inevitable within 10 years". But in all honesty he's not the first senior Police Officer to have said as much. According to Colin Phillips, former Chief Constable in Cumbria, "It's inevitable, in due course, that (Cannabis) legalisation will happen." As if that wasn't "direct" enough Mr Phillips continued, "I wouldn't want my 12 year old daughter being able to light up a joint of cannabis. But I wouldn't say anything and I wouldn't do anything at all, if I was around a friend's house and someone lit up a joint." Hypocrite: I experimented with cocaine (but you cant). Now I hope to become Mayor of London - Boris Johnson - Conservative Something which happens every day, and on every street in the country. In London, former Chief Constable Brian Paddick became the subject of a witch-hunt when he introduced a new brand of policing in the racial tinder-box that was the Borough of Lambeth in the 80's. Mr Paddick who by his own admission has been on the end of bombardments with rocks and petrol bombs in the Brixton riots, brought about a "relaxed" policy on policing cannabis offences amongst a pre-dominantly black and Asian population, reasoning there were other, more pressing issues to deal with. The people of Lambeth, black and white, respected him hugely for it and still do to this day. Furthermore Mr Paddick was the first Chief Constable to take to the Internet, to communicate directly with the citizens he served as the most senior Police Officer in Lambeth. But instead of being congratulated and decorated for introducing some ground-breaking new methods for law enforcement, the fact Mr Paddick was gay, became the single most important factor in the Lambeth scenario and he was forced to resign from the force as a result of a homophobic witch-hunt, (my words, not his)! I could go on and on! Legislation Before any wholesale legislation changes take place we need to stem the flow of rhetoric and lies regarding drugs, and stick to facts. Advising people whats best for them based on a blue-print of harm reduction and tolerance, rather than the regular method of "catch them doing it and lock them up", just because the word "drugs" was involved. Hypocrite: Labour Health Minister Patricia Hewitt claimed to have experimented with cannabis as a student, (but you can't) For over 8 decades, (ever since a lie was told to US congress which brought about the prohibition of marijuana), we've tried that very method and history shows with absolutely no doubt at all, it just doesn't work. It never has worked, as in the case of alcohol prohibition for instance, a law which was eventually rescinded - but not before thousands of US citizens were either imprisoned, or killed in the ensuing "turf wars" fought amongst organised crime gangs. Does that scenario ring any bells?! It never will work; 2007 witnessed for the first time, children as young as 13 years of age being treated in South Wales, 20 miles from my own home area, for heroin addiction. Europe In Holland the government have found the best way to find out what's going on in the drugs market, is to run it themselves and as a policy, it works and works well, as Hollands enviable position of having the lowest amount of drug addicts in Europe quite clearly illustrates and this, regardless of the train and plane loads of cannabis tourists which hit the Dutch coffee-shops year on year. Rather than drugs being a problem to the Dutch, its actually become a major tourism revenue stream. Now that's some radical thinking! Across the rest of Europe and its not only the Dutch who have chosen to tackle the problem with some radical solutions. In Portugal, in Germany, and in Belgium, the respective administrations have made allowances for the choices of their people, whilst still managing to appease the United Nations draconian policies on drugs, which are a strictly enforced condition of joining the UN in the first place. Clearly, that's no longer an issue as the 4 EU member states mentioned earlier have successfully managed to circumnavigate these rules for the good of their respective citizens, and recent EU joinee the Czech Republic, announced similar measures regarding cannabis only recently, so that makes 5. Lead us Mr Brown So I call on our leaders in Whitehall to lead us. And if you are unable or unwilling to make some tough choices, step aside and let the Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats take the helm. The Great British public wants action on the drugs issue and we want it now. While the enforcement agencies chase their tails closing cannabis factories, the country as a whole is under attack from "Class A" drugs. Hypocrite: GB PLC's senior-most law enforcer, Cabinet Minister and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith smoked cannabis as a student, but you can't A foe which is a "shape-shifter", and not as easy as a cannabis farm to intercept. United States In the US, a prescription drug epidemic is underway in schools and in colleges. With the way information passes around the world in a heartbeat, via the likes of Facebook, MySpace etc its only a matter of time before our 13 and 14 year olds become addicted "en masse", to opiate derived painkillers such as tramadol and hydrocodone, both of which can be found readily in mum or dads medicine cabinet in the family home. So they don't even have to leave home to "score drugs" anymore. Meanwhile the drug results displayed by the Home Office regarding drug seizures etc, predominantly relate to cannabis and the Oriental farming of it and with this I feel we're getting closer to the real reasons cannabis remains illegal. No cannabis results = no drug results to speak of If we took cannabis out of the frame, the glaring failings of a country which doesn't know how to A. deal with the drug issue whilst B. appeasing the powerful and rich alcohol, pharmaceutical and oil industries, two of which are directly responsible for major UK social issues such as alcohol dependency and prescription drug abuse, would become all to apparent. And to be FRANK, thats no longer a good enough reason to keep jailing otherwise law abiding citizens, who decide to consume cannabis, instead of taking a belly full of cheap beer and smashing up their town centre, (or another citizen), whilst in a blind drunken rage. As a recovering alcoholic myself, (four years dry), I have first hand experience of this, as do my two, long suffering ex-wives. If communication on the drug issue is refused further perhaps its time all of the ministers who admitted their own drug dalliances back last summer, were asked to step down, in the same vein as most of the UK's citizens would lose their jobs if a similar drug-use history were to come to light? Simply put, its time for the hypocrisy to stop, and for that to happen we need coppers like Richard Brunstrom, like Brian Paddick and like Eddie Ellison in place, to help implement some radical solutions to a problem which successive governments have capitulated on time and again. Radical solutions are needed, like some of those suggested by Chief Constable Brunstrom earlier this week. Set up in February 2007, the Canna Zine is the first-in-the-world news agency dedicated to the global issues surrounding cannabis and hemp. To post your free cannabis or hemp press release, sign up for a free account on http://pr.cannazine.co.uk , post your news release, and the Canna Zine will do the rest. Canna Zine - more 'evolution' than revolution! A new era in postitive response communications. Canna Zine - Daily zine for the global cannabis scene - join us! http://cannazine.co.uk Thanks to Mark Palmer from the Legalise Cannabis Alliance for his valuable assistance in the creation of this article. -- LCA FORUM invites YOU: http://www.lca-uk.org/lcaforum/ http://astore.amazon.co.uk/webbooks05
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