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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Mind if I smoke?
The News and Star, Cumbria
Wednesday 24 Oct 2001 A CARLISLE drugs campaigner claims the Home Secretary's decision to relax the law on cannabis has "burst the dam" - and full legalisation is now in sight. Alan Mason, 40, of Stonegarth, believes public opinion forced David Blunkett to announce on Tuesday that he intended to downgrade the drug from class B to C. The move, Mr Mason claims, has broken the commercial stranglehold which for decades has frightened successive governments into taking a tough anti-drugs line. He is currently using human rights legislation to fight a conviction at Carlisle Crown Court for cultivating cannabis. He admits that the plant can cause psychological problems. But he argues that, locked within its leaves, are a host of benefits which are far more worthy than merely "getting stoned." Its other, less well-known qualities include being an excellent substitute for oil, paper and cotton, as well as having a wide range of medicinal uses. But he claims that powerful lobbies, including petro-chemical firms and the pharmaceutical industry, felt threatened by the "wonder herb" and used their influence to ensure it remained underground. Brave Mr Mason said: "The authorities have known for years that prohibition was wrong. But they have had their hands held up their backs by big business." Complimenting the Home Secretary, who is blind, he referred to him as "a man of vision." "It was very brave of Mr Blunkett," he said. "The government probably hopes all the activists will step back and say 'That's good enough,' but it's only the first step." Meanwhile, Carlisle's former mayor and Legalise Cannabis Alliance candidate Colin Paisley called Mr Blunkett's announcement a "victory." Mr Paisley, 64, is unable to enjoy the drug himself because he suffers from hay fever. But he has been at the forefront of the campaign for legalisation since meeting Lezley Gibson, the Alston multiple sclerosis sufferer who was last year taken to court for using cannabis to alleviate her symptoms. He said: "This announcement is in line with public opinion. The consensus is that it should be legalised." But John Peacock, a user who has been fined several times for his habit, reacted with scepticism to Mr Blunkett's proposal. Mr Peacock, 35, of Waver Street, Silloth, said: "The situation is still ludicrous because it will still be illegal. The only difference I can see is that people will be more likely to do it in the open." He pointed out that because it will still be an offence to supply the drug, the trade will remain in the hands of criminals. "The gateway argument still remains," he said. "You will still have to go to someone's house to buy it - and that person might be selling heroin as well." And he hit out at the government for not fast- tracking the drug's legalisation for medical purposes. In last year's General Election, Mr Peacock became the Legalise Cannabis Alliance's most successful candidate, with two-and-a-half per cent of Workington's vote. He has been smoking up to three joints a night since a motorbike accident sixteen years ago left him with epilepsy. He said: "The tablets I was on had bad side effects, so a friend suggested I used cannabis instead. I haven't had a seizure since." He continues to advocate complete legalisation in order that tax from the sale of cannabis can be used to fund the health service and education.
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