04/01/2008 00:00:00
UK: Cannabis Capitulation Can't Continue
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Chief Constable of North Wales Police Richard Brunstrom has again caused
a storm in a tea cup after he called for the legalisation and regulation
of all drugs, and this time he goes one step further, saying the
legalisation of drugs is "inevitable" within ten years.
In fact the only people who disagree are the politicians who run the
country?
Those who have no idea what its like down at 'ground-zero', on our
council estates, where the Police spend a high percentage of their
operational time. Perhaps they should watch "Shameless" on Channel 4 TV?
"Growing "this actual plant" helped me kick a 20 year alcohol habit,
without the need to visit a doctor, or a drug dealer in almost 4 years
(to date)". I can grow two plants - harvest 14 ounces, which will last
me over 9 months at the rate I consume the stuff, but of course I don't
pay any tax on it, which is the real issue here. I realise there are
people who are not going to agree with cannabis nor (like peanuts) it
with them, but for those of us who have had a positive experience - a
life changing experience as a result of cannabis? What about us?
But while other Chief Constables and previously unheard of back benchers
jump on the Brunstrom Bandwagon and call for his head "on a platter",
let me remind you of some other high profile people who actually back
Richard Brunstroms calls for legalisation, because Mr Brunstrom is far
from being a lone voice in the battle against drugs.
Hypocrite: Ex President of the US "I did drugs but you can't"..Clinton
Bear in mind if you will, these people deal (or dealt) with the drug
issue daily, unlike politicians, who quite frankly, don't!
Tom Wood is a former Scottish deputy chief constable as well as being
the former "drug tsar" of Scotland and is clearly a "man in the know"
when it comes to drugs. Way back in 2006 Mr Wood was quoted as saying;
"Enforcement should no longer be the number one priority but should be
placed behind education and deterrence in the war on drugs," a war which
he described as "long lost".
Hypocrite: I did drugs but you can't..Hazel Blears - Labour
Tom Lloyd (retired), the former Chief Constable of Cambridge, says
pretty much what Richard Brunstrom says. He just used different words;
"This is about taking the control of drugs in this country, out of the
hands of criminals and into the hands of responsible authorities."
'Here here' Mr Lloyd.
Jim Duffy was Chairman of the Strathclyde Police Federation, who are
responsible for 98.5% - around 7000 Police Officers, in Scotlands
largest Police Force and regular followers of cannabis news in the UK
will recognise Strathclyde as one of the busiest Police forces in the
battle against the Vietnamese organised crime rings. Image
Hypocrite: I did drugs and I quite liked it, but you can't..Tim Yeo -
Conservative
According to Mr Duffy "We should legalise all drugs currently covered by
the Misuse of Drugs Act – everything from class A to C, ……….. We are
not winning the war against drugs."
Mr Eddie Ellison, now sadly deceased, is a man I was fortunate enough to
meet and during Mr Ellison's long police career, he was the former Head
of Operations with the Metropolitan Police drug squad in London.
Mr Ellison was outspoken for a number of years on the drug issue, making
comments such as "Legalisation provides a better policy to support,
educate and reduce harm. Eliminate the motive for over half society's
crime, reduce the profits, power and danger of the criminal supply
chain. Quality control the product and exchange condemnation and
persecution for compassion and understanding."
Commander George Grieve of the Criminal Inteligence Unit at Scotland
Yard passed a similar message. "If the (drug) problem continues
advancing as it is at the moment………Either you have a massive reduction
in civil rights (the case currently in the UK), as you try and drive the
problem underground, or you have to look at some radical solutions."
Isn't that all that Mr Brunstrom suggested?
Hypocrite: I did drugs but you can't - Vernon Coaker, ex Minister for
Drugs & Crime Reduction - Labour
"Making drug abuse a crime is useless and even dangerous … Police are
losing the drug battle worldwide". This, according to Raymond Kendall -
Former Secretary General INTERPOL.
There were certain sections of the press who seemed to take exception to
Mr Brunstroms claims that "the legalisation of drugs is inevitable
within 10 years". But in all honesty he's not the first senior Police
Officer to have said as much.
According to Colin Phillips, former Chief Constable in Cumbria, "It's
inevitable, in due course, that (Cannabis) legalisation will happen."
As if that wasn't "direct" enough Mr Phillips continued, "I wouldn't
want my 12 year old daughter being able to light up a joint of cannabis.
But I wouldn't say anything and I wouldn't do anything at all, if I was
around a friend's house and someone lit up a joint."
Hypocrite: I experimented with cocaine (but you cant). Now I hope to
become Mayor of London - Boris Johnson - Conservative
Something which happens every day, and on every street in the country.
In London, former Chief Constable Brian Paddick became the subject of a
witch-hunt when he introduced a new brand of policing in the racial
tinder-box that was the Borough of Lambeth in the 80's.
Mr Paddick who by his own admission has been on the end of bombardments
with rocks and petrol bombs in the Brixton riots, brought about a
"relaxed" policy on policing cannabis offences amongst a pre-dominantly
black and Asian population, reasoning there were other, more pressing
issues to deal with.
The people of Lambeth, black and white, respected him hugely for it and
still do to this day.
Furthermore Mr Paddick was the first Chief Constable to take to the
Internet, to communicate directly with the citizens he served as the
most senior Police Officer in Lambeth.
But instead of being congratulated and decorated for introducing some
ground-breaking new methods for law enforcement, the fact Mr Paddick was
gay, became the single most important factor in the Lambeth scenario and
he was forced to resign from the force as a result of a homophobic
witch-hunt, (my words, not his)!
I could go on and on!
Legislation
Before any wholesale legislation changes take place we need to stem the
flow of rhetoric and lies regarding drugs, and stick to facts. Advising
people whats best for them based on a blue-print of harm reduction and
tolerance, rather than the regular method of "catch them doing it and
lock them up", just because the word "drugs" was involved.
Hypocrite: Labour Health Minister Patricia Hewitt claimed to have
experimented with cannabis as a student, (but you can't)
For over 8 decades, (ever since a lie was told to US congress which
brought about the prohibition of marijuana), we've tried that very
method and history shows with absolutely no doubt at all, it just
doesn't work.
It never has worked, as in the case of alcohol prohibition for instance,
a law which was eventually rescinded - but not before thousands of US
citizens were either imprisoned, or killed in the ensuing "turf wars"
fought amongst organised crime gangs. Does that scenario ring any bells?!
It never will work; 2007 witnessed for the first time, children as young
as 13 years of age being treated in South Wales, 20 miles from my own
home area, for heroin addiction.
Europe
In Holland the government have found the best way to find out what's
going on in the drugs market, is to run it themselves and as a policy,
it works and works well, as Hollands enviable position of having the
lowest amount of drug addicts in Europe quite clearly illustrates and
this, regardless of the train and plane loads of cannabis tourists which
hit the Dutch coffee-shops year on year.
Rather than drugs being a problem to the Dutch, its actually become a
major tourism revenue stream.
Now that's some radical thinking!
Across the rest of Europe and its not only the Dutch who have chosen to
tackle the problem with some radical solutions.
In Portugal, in Germany, and in Belgium, the respective administrations
have made allowances for the choices of their people, whilst still
managing to appease the United Nations draconian policies on drugs,
which are a strictly enforced condition of joining the UN in the first
place.
Clearly, that's no longer an issue as the 4 EU member states mentioned
earlier have successfully managed to circumnavigate these rules for the
good of their respective citizens, and recent EU joinee the Czech
Republic, announced similar measures regarding cannabis only recently,
so that makes 5.
Lead us Mr Brown
So I call on our leaders in Whitehall to lead us. And if you are unable
or unwilling to make some tough choices, step aside and let the
Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats take the helm.
The Great British public wants action on the drugs issue and we want it now.
While the enforcement agencies chase their tails closing cannabis
factories, the country as a whole is under attack from "Class A" drugs.
Hypocrite: GB PLC's senior-most law enforcer, Cabinet Minister and Home
Secretary Jacqui Smith smoked cannabis as a student, but you can't
A foe which is a "shape-shifter", and not as easy as a cannabis farm to
intercept.
United States
In the US, a prescription drug epidemic is underway in schools and in
colleges.
With the way information passes around the world in a heartbeat, via the
likes of Facebook, MySpace etc its only a matter of time before our 13
and 14 year olds become addicted "en masse", to opiate derived
painkillers such as tramadol and hydrocodone, both of which can be found
readily in mum or dads medicine cabinet in the family home.
So they don't even have to leave home to "score drugs" anymore.
Meanwhile the drug results displayed by the Home Office regarding drug
seizures etc, predominantly relate to cannabis and the Oriental farming
of it and with this I feel we're getting closer to the real reasons
cannabis remains illegal.
No cannabis results = no drug results to speak of
If we took cannabis out of the frame, the glaring failings of a country
which doesn't know how to A. deal with the drug issue whilst B.
appeasing the powerful and rich alcohol, pharmaceutical and oil
industries, two of which are directly responsible for major UK social
issues such as alcohol dependency and prescription drug abuse, would
become all to apparent.
And to be FRANK, thats no longer a good enough reason to keep jailing
otherwise law abiding citizens, who decide to consume cannabis, instead
of taking a belly full of cheap beer and smashing up their town centre,
(or another citizen), whilst in a blind drunken rage.
As a recovering alcoholic myself, (four years dry), I have first hand
experience of this, as do my two, long suffering ex-wives.
If communication on the drug issue is refused further perhaps its time
all of the ministers who admitted their own drug dalliances back last
summer, were asked to step down, in the same vein as most of the UK's
citizens would lose their jobs if a similar drug-use history were to
come to light?
Simply put, its time for the hypocrisy to stop, and for that to happen
we need coppers like Richard Brunstrom, like Brian Paddick and like
Eddie Ellison in place, to help implement some radical solutions to a
problem which successive governments have capitulated on time and again.
Radical solutions are needed, like some of those suggested by Chief
Constable Brunstrom earlier this week.
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Thanks to Mark Palmer from the Legalise Cannabis Alliance for his
valuable assistance in the creation of this article.
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Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13105
Author:
CannaZine via UKCIA
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