CANNABIS 'WILL BE LEGAL ONE DAY'
Source: The
Scotsman
Pub Date: Thursday, 18 Sep 2003
Subj: UK: Cannabis 'will be legal one
day'
Author: John Ross
Web: http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/
Cited: Biz Ivol
CANNABIS 'WILL BE LEGAL ONE DAY'
THE campaign to
legalise cannabis will inevitably succeed, according to Biz Ivol, the Orkney
woman who attempted suicide after the collapse of a court case, when she was
accused of supplying the drug.
Mrs Ivol will
make her claim in a message of support to the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) Party's
annual conference on Saturday. Although her crippling multiple sclerosis has
prevented her attending in person, she has sent a tape which will be played at
the opening of the event in Norwich.
In the address,
she says pressure from users and the food and drink industry, which is keen to
make products using the drug, means the campaign is certain to succeed.
She says
attitudes to cannabis are best summed up in one word - "b****cks" -
and adds: "It appears socially acceptable to get p****d out of your mind
and behave violently, but not acceptable to get stoned and mellow."
In June, Mrs
Ivol, 55, from South Ronaldsay, a long-time campaigner for the legalisation of
cannabis for medical purposes, went on trial on charges of cultivating,
possessing and supplying the drug.
She admitted
sending out cannabis-laced chocolates to fellow MS sufferers, but pleaded not
guilty to supplying the drug on the grounds that she believed she was doing
nothing wrong. The case was later dropped because of her deteriorating medical
condition.
Mrs Ivol
subsequently attempted suicide by taking an overdose, but has since been
released from hospital.
In 1997, she was
admonished at Kirkwall Sheriff Court for using medicinal cannabis.
She will tell the
conference, dedicated to the full legalisation of recreational cannabis, the
drug needs the same controls that alcohol and tobacco are subject to at
present.
"The
cannabis and cocaine trades are in the hands of criminals, in the same way that
criminals controlled the sale of alcohol in America during prohibition.
"Britain
already has homebrew alcohol produced for personal use. Cannabis is a God-given
herb. Growing your own cannabis for personal use would satisfy the needs of
both medicinal and recreational users. As with alcohol, commercial cannabis
production should be controlled by Customs and Excise."
The LCA was formed in 1999 to bring the cannabis issue on to the political agenda.