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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Exeter’s first Cannabis in the park demo
Exeter Noise Saturday 24 Aug 2013 This is the first time that such a demo has been held in Devon and there was clearly some nervousness of what the outcome would be. Would the Police be heavy handed? Would the demonstrators forget what they had come to achieve and end up rolling around on the playing field in fits of giggles? In the end, nobody played up to being a stereotype. The demonstrators were happy to sit around in small groups, smoke, nibble, and chat to one another. And generally were far more pleasant than the folks who roll out the pubs on a Saturday night in central Exeter. The Police kept a safe distance around the park and were little more than flag posts in the corners of the field. And the organisers got on with what they wanted to do which was to explain to people what they see as the ridiculous state of the UK’s law in regard the prohibition of cannabis. And the whole thing does look very strange. I got to the park around 1pm at just the same time that a policeman tripped over a guide rope that was holding up the demonstrators tent. The policeman lent down and …well…became an active participant in helping to set-up the demo. The police then chatted to the organisers. I didn’t get everything they said but generally it looked to be on the lines of, ‘look…we really don’t want to know what you’re doing though we plainly bloody do, get on with it, don’t push it in our faces, don’t have kids here and if it gets out of hand then you’ll have to go’. Then the police bimbled away to their corner flags, the whistle blew (in the form of someone’s MP3 attached to an amplifier) and they were off. Little white sticks of fine cannabis lit up like candles on a cake and a haze of sweet smoke wafted through the park. Even the cameraman from the BBC looked to have a hazy smile about him. We’ll have to see the results of his news report on Spotlight but I’m quietly hoping that he goes all ‘Easy Rider’ with the editing. Once the BBC were out of the way, I chatted to the organisers about the potential downsides of cannabis: the high levels of chemicals that can induce psychosis in some people and the way that some people can become psychologically addicted. What surprised me was that they didn’t attempt to deny potential problems of the use of cannabis. They did argue that the current law prohibits control and, in doing so, essentially exacerbates the problem. I don’t know if I’m convinced of any benefits of smoking cannabis but I do know odd. And this situation is clearly odd. Today the police were duty bound to circle a group of people. A group who could all face a charge under an offence that carries a maximum five-year prison term for smoking something, which is arguably less harmful than tobacco and less socially problematic than alcohol. Whilst not far away on Fore Street a shop sells a legal high that could lead to someone’s death. What we may get is the usual media message that is short of facts and high on Daily Mail fury. Sometimes it’s worth going to these demos to find out for yourself. Even if you don’t end up agreeing with them. You can find more details via the United Kingdom Cannabis Social Club Facebook page and details on the uses of hemp (amazing stuff) on the Exeter Hemp Society Facebook page www.facebook.com/exeterhemp I tried to do an on-site audio recording of interviews but was defeated by a high wind. Note to self – need wind guard for audio equipment. http://exeternoise.co.uk/?p=104
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