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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Planning idea from the Legalise Cannabis Alliance
Don Barnard Press Release
Wednesday 08 Dec 2004 Press release/Planning idea from the Legalise Cannabis Alliance "Talking to Frank" and "Frank talking" is not the same thing! Cannabis Party says the state does not have the absolute right to supervise? If society is to achieve any success in its effort to reduce the personal and social damage through cannabis [some drugs], we must continually re-examine our own understanding and attitudes to substance use, misuse and abuse? How can society come to a consensus on how best we deal with cannabis, If Pro-cannabis political party websites critical of government strategy/policy are blocked from access (CENSORSHIP) in schools and colleges! And, government [no one] wants a transparent dialogue on cannabis law reform? Abstracts from [OPEN LETTER] To: Caroline Flint MP [Home Office Minister responsible for drug misuse-use]: "I accept the Government has the unenviable job of balancing the rights of individuals on the one hand and the greater public health and welfare considerations on the other. But, you appear to be saying, prohibition of the cannabis plant is cast in stone! And, the State has the absolute right to supervise." "Clearly your rationale in justifying prohibition to protect children has a tremendous appeal, but it's important to remember this obsession with children using cannabis is a new thing. Until about 10 years ago, no one gave a toss about kids and cannabis - prohibition was aimed firmly at adults. In a sentence, I think this protect-the-children rationale is pervasive, pernicious and one of the worst reasons for supporting prohibition." "No good reason has be given or can be given for continuing punish cannabis users or those who grow a few plants for whatever purpose". Can we please get on with what needs doing, namely - Seek a better way founded in: common sense, science, compassion, health and human rights. "LCA http://www.lca-uk.org and ENCOD http://www.encod.org willing to support any policy-making process towards a coherent strategy. We can only hope you will consider this of sufficient import to meet us (re-schedule your diaries) to formulate the central questions to be addressed that society as a whole can come to a consensus on how best we deal with cannabis." End quotes. Don Barnard Legalise Cannabis Alliance press officer. "I wouldn't mind so much if Labour and the Tories, 'new' tough-on-drugs policies announced recently were genuine attempts to deal with a serious issue. But they're not." Said, "Both Tony Blair MP (I'm Tory Plan B) and Michael Howard want a huge expansion of drug testing, drug rehabilitation facilities and prisons to lock up the non conformist."..."You cannot get a Rizla between them. I find this so sad. It's almost as if every ones life will so depended on an unsafe chemical test of their body fluids." See Latest cannabis policy of 3 Main Political Party [1] "What Labour and the Conservative fail to do is explain [justify] their desire to put people in prison for cannabis possession or growing a few plants for personal social and/or medicinal use. Said Mr. Barnard" The LCA consultation Document INTERNATIONAL LAW - RISK MANAGEMENT- EFFECTIVE POLICING CANNABIS: CHALLENGING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM - A Public Discussion Document Presented by Don Barnard & Alun Buffry for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (ISBN 0 9535693 4 9) is designed to assist in the enquiry. Full report can be read at: http://www.lca-uk.org/challenge.php Editors/Researchers note: "A Braille copy of The Challenge has been sent David Blunket - No response!!!! Correspondence between the LCA and Caroline Flint MP [Home Office Minister responsible for drug misuse-use] is at http://www.lca-uk.org/challengehomeoffice.php 50 MP's have been sent the Challenge requesting comment. See http://www.lca-uk.org/challengempletter.phpand A few MP's replied See. http://www.lca-uk.org/challengempreplies.php The majority of Drug Action Teams in the UK have been supplied the link to the Challenge - 2 replied! A copy was sent to David Watson David. Scottish Drug Unit Watson2@scotland. gsi. Gov. with a request he forwarded it to Scotland DAT's - He refused! There is a petition for you to draw to the attention of your audience: We the Undersigned support the spirit and the wording of the document entitled Cannabis: Challenging the Criminal Justice System" ISBN 0 9535693 4 9 produced and published by the LCA. Inviting anyone who supports the Challenge in principle at http://www.lca-uk.org/phPetition/ To view signatories to date http://www.lca-uk.org/phPetition/signed.php3?lang=eng&start=683&many=50&orde rby=ID&logic=#namelist I hope you find this of sufficient import to bring it to the attention of MP's/Statutory Authorities (everyone) and allocate a few column inches/pages/air time to their responses. Exclusives are available in some areas - I am only a phone call away! Kind regards Don Don Barnard Legalise Cannabis Alliance, (Cyfathrach Cyfreithloni Cannabis) PO Box 198, Norfolk NR3 3WB http://www.lca-uk.org/ 07984 255015 donbarnard@lca-uk.org 1] Main Political Party policies: LABOUR ".....Central to our thinking is the importance of protecting the health and welfare of the British public. We have taken the view that prohibition is the most appropriate means of doing this. The Government has no intention of either decriminalising or legalising cannabis (or any other currently controlled drug) for recreational purposes. In response to the Home Affairs Committee report on The Government's Drugs Policy: Is It Working? we stated that "We do not accept that legalisation and regulation is now, or will be in the future, an acceptable response to the presence of drugs" and that includes cannabis. Our view is that cannabis is a controlled drug for good reasons. In recommending the reclassification of cannabis, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which, as you know, advises the Home Secretary on such matters, asked for it to be clearly understood that cannabis is unquestionably harmful. It has a number of acute and chronic health effects and can induce dependence. It clearly makes sense therefore for it to remain a controlled drug whose unauthorised production (including cultivation), supply and possession are and will remain illegal..." [letter from Caroline Flint MP to Don Barnard 14 September 2004] See: http://www.lca-uk.org/challengehomeoffice.php CONSERVATIVE: "Mr Howard believes that the Home Secretary's decision represents the worst of both worlds. The reality is that he is giving control over cannabis to the drug dealers, with the police turning away. He has failed to explain why it is right to tell one set of people that it is half permissible to take cannabis, but to tell another set of people they may be put in prison for 10 years if they sell it." [Ian Philps Office of the Leader of the Opposition to Alun Buffry]. LIBERAL DEMOCRATS: "The position is complicated by the UN Conventions on drug trafficking (known as the Vienna Conventions), which require signatory countries like the UK to make selling cannabis a crime. Our policy of legalisation is thus subject to securing international agreement to renegotiate the conventions. In the meantime we advocate a policy of not prosecuting people for personal use, cultivation for personal use, or social supply of cannabis. [Christian Moon Head of the Policy Unit Liberal Democrat HQ to Alun Buffry] www.libdems.org.uk END
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