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UK: 'Cannabis will always be smoked' says spokesman
Richard Evans South London Press
Friday 08 Aug 2003 CANNABIS is back in the news following the conviction of the national Green Party's drugs spokesman for cultivating the banned plant. Shane Collins, 41, of Brixton, was sentenced to six weeks in Brixton Prison last week, but this was quashed on appeal on Monday. He talks exclusively to RICHARD EVANS about the drug laws and his time in one of the worst prisons in the country... HIS case made the front page of The Independent and featured on London Tonight, while prominent Green Party figures expressed outrage at the length of his sentence. But as Shane Collins ploughed his way through three books in four days to pass his time in prison, he was completely unaware of the furore his incarceration was causing in the outside world. "I had no idea at all," he says. "I got out of prison and thought, 'I wonder if my mum's found out'. But then everyone I passed on the street seemed to know." His time inside has not diminished his desire to change the drug laws. He says: "[Cannabis] has always been smoked and always will be smoked. We need to sort out a way for people to get hold of it. "The Government prohibiting it creates an unregulated criminal market and any disputes tend to be settled with baseball bats and guns rather than through the small claims court. "It also mixes the supply of cannabis with the supply of heroin and crack cocaine. That is what's producing a low average age of addiction. "While there may seem to be a lot of [street] dealers in Amsterdam, they are predominantly heroin dealers. In Coldharbour Lane, no one knows who is dealing what." He points to the police closure of a cannabis cafe in Landor Road, Clapham, as proving his point. "Since it has been closed down, street dealing in Landor Road has mushroomed and that is just bad policing policy. "People go home and do not come out again because they do not feel safe being bullied into buying weed on the street. "We want cannabis cafes that are licensed and regulated. It would be a big income for Lambeth council if they were responsible for it. "We would like people to grow their own and also to trade and barter. We would like to see home delivery clubs. If it is imported from outside the country, we could make sure it is grown with suitable working conditions and is environmentally sustainable." This weekend, he is involved in a recycling and litter-picking operation at the Big Green Gathering festival, and he says that missing the festival was his first concern when the magistrate handed down the original six-week sentence. "I felt I was dropping everyone in it and suddenly I was looking at my cell ceiling," he says. Shane was unfazed by his stay at Her Majesty's pleasure, but is critical of Brixton Prison. "It was very overcrowded and we were locked up about 22 hours a day - really very little in the way of rehabilitation at all. "But I just read for four days so I had a pretty relaxing time. "Prison was not that pleasant but it was not unpleasant. I read three books in four days, which I haven't done in ages." He adds: "I also learnt a lot from being there. People do look out for each other. Tobacco is the addiction there. So many people's lives are spent trying to blag tobacco. "But I have to send my best wishes to lots of people in G-Wing. They were helpful and showed me the ropes. I wish them the best of luck with their appeals." He also paid tribute to Darren Johnson and Deputy Mayor of London Jenny Jones, the London Assembly members who spoke out against the original sentence. "Jenny and Darren have been incredibly supportive," he says. "I am extremely grateful to them and there is no other political party where that would happen." And his brush with the law has not blunted his own political aspirations. He hopes to stand in next year's election to the London Assembly. Does the punishment fit the crime? Should Shane Collins have received a six-month prison sentence? Have your say in our South London Press phone poll To vote YES call 090 156 430 51 To vote NO call 090 156 430 52
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