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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: A daily cannabis user from Kent has spoken frankly about the drug and why he thinks weed should be legalised Vicky Castle Kent Live Wednesday 20 Jun 2018 Calls to legalise cannabis for medical reasons are growing and more voices are joining the conversation, including one regular user from Kent who has spoken anonymously about the reality of cannabis consumption. Yesterday (June 19), former Conservative party leader William Hague made headlines for demanding cannabis is fully legalised, even for recreational use. Canada's become the second country ever to leaglise recreational marijuana, following in the footsteps of Uruguay who legalised it in December 2013. Medical cannabis has recently come under the UK spotlight as Home Secretary Sajid Javid ordered a review after Billy Caldwell, 12, came close to death when denied the drug for his epilepsy. Mr Javid said: "We need to look more closely at the use of cannabis-based medicine in the healthcare sector in the UK. "But let me be absolutely clear that this step is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use." But one young professional thinks otherwise Wishing to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, the young professional from Folkestone is articulate, intelligent and funny. The 28-year-old owns his own home, is married, has a good job in the public sector - and smokes weed everyday. He told Kent Live: "It makes you relax and takes your mind off work and other worries. It helps you focus. I get bored easily and like my mind being stimulated in a different way. "I first started smoking cannabis when I was 16. A friend from school said his parents were going away for the weekend. He had only tried smoking weed once and asked would I like to join him. We rolled a few horrible-looking spliffs and lit up. "We giggled about pretty much everything. He played the piano and I played my guitar. The music seemed to sound better than normal. Then I walked home, crossed the road without looking and was almost hit by a car. "I have been smoking cannabis ever since. I've stopped for a few weeks at a time at various points since. That’s one of the good things about weed – it can be habitual, like anything, but it isn’t chemically addictive and I haven’t found it hard to stop." He's not worried about the health effects. He said: "There are health issues with any kind of smoking, obviously. Beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence of terrible long term effects. "I was a big drinker at university. My family are big drinkers. My dad died from liver cirrhosis when I was a teenager. So I figured that if I was going to use a mind-altering substance regularly, weed would be one of the healthier options. "It helps you focus. So if you’re playing sport, you really concentrate on what you’re doing and enjoy the technical aspect of it. If you’re watching TV, you get really into the programme, analysing every detail. Ultimately, mundane parts of life seem to become a bit more interesting." But he wasn't afraid to shine a negative light on the drug He added: "My memory recall is terrible when I’m smoking it. I can’t remember song titles or band names, for example. But sober, my memory has remained remarkably good. "If I’ve had a massive session the brain feels a bit slower, but generally you wake up without noticing. There are down sides. The increased focus means you are unable to pay attention to anything else. "You can’t juggle tasks and actions. You can’t remember things. You can over-think what you’re about to say and you don’t talk as much to the people around you." Ultimately he says it should be decriminilised He said: "Luckily, it's never got me into trouble with the police. I've smoked in public a lot and it's never been an issue. "The war on cannabis is lost. It’s too easy to buy, too easy to grow and too popular. I can’t think of any measure that would reduce general consumption. So you’re losing money trying to fight it, and from not taxing it. And there’s a whole section of people out there unemployed and dealing weed. "I have no problem with that but if you legalise, they have to get proper jobs, pay taxes and contribute to society more meaningfully. "On top of all that, medically and socially it is much less harmful than tobacco or alcohol. So all in all, logic suggests it should be legalised and taxed." https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/daily-cannabis-user-kent-spoken-1696633
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