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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Political Case Results In Unreasonable Court Cases For MEPs
Don Barnard Press Release
Wednesday 30 Oct 2002 On Monday, 28 October, two elected members of the European Parliament appeared before court to answer charges of possession of tiny amounts of the cannabis plant. Chris Davies (MEP, Liberal Democrats, UK) and Marco Cappato (MEP, Radical Party) were on trial at Manchester Crown Court in Minshull Street for the civil disobedience actions enacted in Stockport last December. Their actions was to possess small quantities of the class B drug, cannabis, as a political gesture in support of Colin Davies of Stockport and his Dutch-style cannabis cafe, The Dutch Experience. Colin Davies was himself convicted of cannabis offences associated with the now- closed cafe and is now in prison serving the remainder of his three-year sentences. Chris Davies (no relation to Colin) and Marco Cappato were each fine 100 for possession of cannabis and ordered to pay court costs of 3585.25 and 2335.25. Total cost (including defence) Chris 5000 and Marco 3500 Other people who had also turned themselves in to Stockport Police with small amounts of cannabis, were arrested but proceedings were dropped. ALUN BUFFRY, National Coordinator of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, said: "I realise that by handing themselves in to the police the MEP's were inviting prosecution, but this case is just one of many thousands that are not in the public interest to deal with. "Although the costs against the defendants are substantial and seemingly higher than normal for this sort of case, we can be sure that the amounts do not cover all the costs involved with arrest, process, forensics and prosecution. It is still a gross waste of public funds. "Furthermore, police and court time has been spent on prosecuting what was essentially a political act for which there were no victims. "The law that bans the cultivation and possession of cannabis, even for therapeutic reasons, for the ordinary citizen, whilst allowing pharmaceutical companies (such a GW Pharmaceuticals) to grow the plant and produce expensive medicines from extracts, is wrong, immoral in principle and unworkable in practice. It infringes upon the Human Rights of people and is counter-productive to good policing and good government. "One can be sure that this sort of act of civil disobedience will continue and will become more widespread in the future, wasting more police and court resources - until the government pays attention and changes the law. "David Blunkett's plans to reclassify cannabis will have no positive effect and will not prevent such acts of civil disobedience. "The people of the UK deserve the protection of the law, not a police force engaged in attempting to follow outdated and unjustifiable control measures on our personal and private lives." Kind regards Alun Buffry National Coordinator Legalise Cannabis Alliance reply to:- alun@ccguide.lca-online.net 01603 442215 _________________ EDITOR NOTES: Background information: Chris Davies (UK Liberal Democrat MEP) was arrested on the 15th of December of last year for a civil disobedience protest aimed at furthering the campaign against cannabis prohibition, and protesting against the arrest of Colin Davies (no relation). On the 20th of December Marco Cappato went to lend the support of the Transnational Radical Party to Chris Davies, member of the Liberal Democrat group in the European Parliament. During a press conference that followed the hearing to Chris Davies, Cappato announced his imminent action similar to the one carried out by Mr. Davies and went to the Stockport Police Office with a small quantity of cannabis derivatives, a move that triggered his immediate arrest and custody. During the night, the police searched the rooms of Maurizio Turco MEP and of Ottavio Marzocchi of the Radical Party, that had joined Davies and Cappato in support of their civil disobedience action. On the January 28 Marco Pannella (MEP, Radical leader) enacted the same civil disobedience action but the police refused to arrest him. Mr Pannella has been condemned last week for another civil disobedience action committed in Italy, and has declared to prefer to go to prison for 4 months, refusing the alternative sentence of 8 months release on bail. On the 15/16 October Davies, Cappato and Pannella organised a conference in the European Parliament that launch the International Antiprohibitionist League, an association composed of legislators, organisations and citizens aimed at reforming the UN Drugs Conventions and current laws and policies on drugs. For more information: Marco Cappato's office in the EP: 0032 2 2847496, mcappato@europarl.eu.int For interviews: Marco Cappato, MEP: 0039 335 7110337 www.radicalparty.org Chris Davies MEP Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for the North West of England 0161 477 7070 F 0161 477 7007 e-mail amanderson@cix.co.u
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