13/02/2008 00:00:00
Press Release: Where is my Private Life?
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Press Release from The Legalise Cannabis Alliance:
February 13 2008
No Embargo
Where is my Private Life?
Human Rights Law dictates that every person is entitled to a private
life without interference from the authorities unless they have good
reason. Those reasons are specifically given in International
Legislation.
The criteria where our Right to a Private Life can be put aside are that
what we are doing is that there is a risk to public health, public
order, or the Rights of others – as well as in the interests of law.
But the fact that an act may be illegal, is not enough on its own.
The law alone is not enough in order to prevent unjust laws being made
at the whim of a leader or Government. A law cannot be made, for
example, banning cabbages, and that then used to force entry into
private dwellings looking for it, when, despite its legal status, the
possession posed no risk to other people or the public. It is an
internationally-agreed safeguard against Tyranny.
No so, apparently, for Neil Morgan in Wales, where police have
continually raided his isolated dwelling in the woods and arrested him
for growing a few plants for his own use: not cabbages, but cannabis.
Alun Buffry, a spokesman for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, said: “Mr
Morgan’s case is particularly interesting as nobody else was involved,
there is no allegation of supply, and he lived so far away from anyone
else in a wood in South Wales.
“Moreover, in a previous court appearance in Swansea, police stated
that although what he was doing was illegal, they did not consider it to
be a criminal activity! Nobody was at risk of harm and nobody’s own
Rights were being effected.
“Nevertheless, Morgan has been taken to court and is about to appear
again this time at Crown Court in Cardiff on February 14th. This time
he may be sent to prison – for what?
“If Mr Morgan is not entitled to his private life in that situation,
then none of us are. It means that police can force their way into
their homes without good reason, and get away with it. The police are
breaking the law and in some countries the prosecution would be
disqualified. In Britain it appears there is nowhere we can go for a
Private Life – even miles from our nearest neighbours”
Neil Morgan has openly admitted that he grows cannabis for his own use –
but the system seems set in concrete and he has made very little
progress gaining support for his defence.
Ingo Wagenknecht, an ex-Green party European election candidate in East
Anglia who stood on a policy of legalising all drugs in 1999 and 2004,
commented on Neil Morgan’s case: “This is British injustice at its
worst, highlighting the irrelevance of Human Rights legislation under an
abomination of a Labour Government hell-bent on looking tough on drugs
whilst punishing those who do no harm to others. Neil’s harassment by
the police, who were not acting on behalf of any victim, as well as the
great costs to the taxpayers, will hopefully be recognised by the jury.’
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Previous Press Report
http://ccguide.org.uk/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12623
UK: Man claims right to smoke cannabis (Neil Morgan)
Neil Morgan 01639 730195
Ingo Wagenknecht IngoWagenknecht@lca-uk.org
Alun Buffry AlunBuffry@lca-uk.org
Legalise Cannabis Alliance http://www.lca-uk.org/
Po Box 2883, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 9EE
lca@lca-uk.org
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Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13280
Author:
Legalise Cannabis Alliance via UKCIA
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