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Alliance's political censorship complaint
Essex Chronicle
Friday 21 Nov 2003 THE Tory-controlled Essex County Council has been accused of political censorship after a Braintree member of a group advocating an end to controls on cannabis found their website blocked in the county's 74 libraries. The Legalise Cannabis Alliance, formed in 1999, is a registered political party, which according to its website believes the "use of cannabis ought to be a matter of choice not law." The bar was discovered at a time of national debate about cannabis and the final agreement of the House of Lords that it should be reclassified as a Class C drug. Alliance member Don Barnard said: "The library confirmed that access to our website was barred and suggested we should go to the secure cornputer company they use to do this and get them to reclassify. "Our concern is that this is being done up and down the country. We are a registered po=ADlitical party and we are saying it is political= censorship. "We don't advocate the use of any drug whatsoever. We simply point out that there is an alternative to the present system of prohibition" A statement from the cabinet member for lifelong learning and libraries Cllr Bonnie Hart said: "Essex Libraries uses an internet filter, a Smart= filter which is used by library ser=ADvices in the eastern region. The reason we do this is we believe the majority of our customers expect us to attempt to ban the most extreme material on the in=ADternet." She said the service had a duty of care to protect children using library computers. "Legalise Cannabis is banned not because of its main= pages, which are a political cam=ADpaigning site but apparently because it provides information on where to buy and how to grow cannabis that is still an illegal activity"
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