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UK: Call for cannabis to be made legal
Jessie Bould Shropshire Star
Tuesday 12 Mar 2002 Churchgoers and clergy in parts of Shropshire and Powys have controversially voted for the decriminalisation of cannabis. It is the first time a diocese of the Church of England has voted to support the decriminalisation of the drug. The move was part of a raft of measures on drugs supported by the Hereford Diocesan Synod, which covers south Shropshire, including parts of Bridgnorth, Herefordshire, and parts of Powys and Worcestershire. After a day of debate on Saturday members of the Church of England's most rural diocese supported a resolution from their Council for Social Responsibility by a margin of four to one. The synod, which has members from both the clergy and non-clergy, also called for a Royal Commission to look into all aspects of drug culture and to press the Government for more resources for drug addicts. More than 130 people attended the debate, which followed two weeks of intense media attention on Hereford and its drug problems following the release of pictures of the death of Rachel Whitear from Ledbury, Hereford. Today Jackie Boys, social responsibility officer for the diocese, said members had heard that only 13 per cent of government expenditure on the war against drugs was spent on detoxc facilities and treatment, while 62 per cent was spent on enforcement. "If we just pronounce to young people 'thou shalt not' we are writing ourselves out of the script," she said. During the drugs debate synod members heard from five young people aged between 12 and 17. One teenager, who did not want to be named, said: "Cannabis is seen by our generation as just like having a glass of wine with a meal. It's something to relax you."
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