7greeneyes
MedicalNLovingIt!
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Anti-cannabis policing promotes illicit drugs trade - harms sick & infirm hxxp://pr.cannazine.co.uk : According to the British Cannabis Lobby, any efforts to implement stricter police controls over people who grow and consume a small amount of cannabis for personal consumption is actually pushing British voters in to the hands of drug dealers, where they are often exposed to other far more dangerous illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. This, according to a Cannabis Lobby spokesperson, brings "the gateway theory" firmly into perspective.The Cannabis Lobby has been set up in light of the governments continued refusal to acknowledge there is a small minority within the British Isles, who choose for one reason or another, to use cannabis in a responsible manner and whilst the cannabis lobby acknowledges a number of these users are predominantly recreational, it is also keen to point out that many of its members use cannabis in the relief of painful, debilitating and sometimes terminal illnesses.The British Cannabis Lobby is demanding parity in the European Union rules concerning cannabis use for personal consumption Close AlliesSince 1996 the US state of California has allowed patients with a doctors recommendation to grow and consume cannabis and a number of Californian counties now officially sanction the growing of up to 99 cannabis plants, and the possession of up to a kilogram (32 ounces) of dried cannabis buds. If UK citizens find that surprising, its also officially written in Californian State law that a registered "care-giver", that is, an able bodied person who is able to undertake the sometimes heavy work involved with growing cannabis, is allowed to grow, and supply up to 8 medical marijuana patients at a time.In Holland its a similar story, with cannabis actually for sale in state licensed pharmacies, but as cannabis which is of a higher quality and purity than that which is grown by the Dutch government, is available almost on every street corner via Hollands famous coffee-shops, the pharmacy-supplied cannabis has few regular patients who use it. "But its nice to know its there if we do need it" says Ronald Van Veen, a 64 year old dutch medical cannabis patient from the Maastricht area of The Netherlands. UnliveableMr Van Veen, like 85,000 British patients, suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and he says, life is simply 'unliveable' without a plentiful and regular supply of high quality cannabis.He said, "For the most part I can deal with the day to day symptoms of this incurable disease. These symptoms include stiff and "heavy" limbs, made worse with the onset of winter, as well as the inconvenience of not being able to move around as an able-bodied person would"."But without a doubt" he continued, "its the tremors that are the hardest MS side effect to live with".A new millenium with the same old rulesAs far back as the year 2000, UK scientists showed the world what tens of thousands of current MS patients already know; that cannabis can prevent muscle tremor and spasticity caused by MS.The researchers, from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, tested cannabis on mice who had been given an animal equivalent of MS.Researcher Dr David Baker said: "The effect was really startling. It was a question of now you see the tremor, now you don't." Co-author Dr Lorna Layward, from the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society, said: "This is the first time that we have had any objective scientific evidence that cannabinoid compounds have a therapeutic effect on some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, including 'tremors'.""I've seen people with tremor so severe that they have to lie with their arms strapped behind their backs", Dr Layward continued. "The symptoms may be so violent that they can actually break limbs. People cannot feed themselves or get dressed by themselves. It affects their whole lives."ProhibitionWhilst the prohibition of cannabis doesn't look set to go away anytime soon, the Cannabis Lobby believes people above a certain age should be allowed to grow their own cannabis by virtue of special government policy guidelines, as currently exist in other European member-states such as Spain, Holland and Belgium, giving European drugs policy a "Common Purpose".Their spokesperson continued, "We know we are in the right here. All the doubts are gone. The fact is in todays society, global communications happen faster than ever, and the cannabis community is far more in control of what information they are exposed to"."So you can imagine how it must feel when only 40 miles from the eastern UK coastline, patients are allowed to grow and consume their own cannabis, whilst here in the UK doing the same thing is likely to see the cannabis growing patient having his or her door kicked down by a tactical policing squad. Arrest and a trip to court inevitably follows."We are now absolutely sure we have the infrastructure in place which would allow us to help and guide people in the safe growing and use of the Class C substance, he continued. Its already happening every day""The cannabis lobby has an age limit of 18 years, in fitting with alcohol consumption. We also strictly enforce a "no drug-dealing" rule, which is likely to see a member banned immediately for a single contravention of this rule, and perhaps most important of all, we see members every single day who are turning their backs on the illicit drugs trade in Britain, in favour of growing a small personal supply which comes with a number of advantages over dealing with street pushers."AdulteratedOver the last two years there has been an explosion of cannabis being sold which is adulterated with all sorts of contaminants in a bid to bulk up the weight of a shady drug deal and while politicians and the Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre may suggest medical cannabis is simply a ploy for the greater legalisation of the worlds most used illicit drug, nothing could be further from the truth so far as The British Cannabis Lobby is concerned."We don't campaign for the legalisation of cannabis", continued their spokesperson. "The fact is legalisation is some years down the road yet, but in the meantime we simply cannot keep on sending people to court and to prison for consuming a drug in their own homes, which is inherently safer than government sanctioned drugs such as alcohol or tobacco.""We've heard recently from the Beckley Foundation, who alluded to prohibition being the major contributing factor in the British war on drugs and noted social campaigner Father Peter McVerry said recently, that users of the illegal drug should not be targeted for prosecution."He told a conference on addiction and young people, "a clearer distinction must be made between class A drug abuse and recreational use of cannabis. There needs to be a difference in our response to those using a smaller amount of cannabis for recreational use or to help you get to sleep, and using drugs such as heroin or cocaine that are extremely harmful to yourself and can cause harm to others," he said. Easy TargetSo it would seem the facts are in, and so is the jury. Cannabis prohibition is causing British citizens untold harms and the pending reclassification of cannabis looks set to increase these harms unless the government steps up to the plate and issues new guidelines which sees responsible adults spared the attentions of exhuberant police forces keen to make up the arrest quota numbers on the back of cannabis users who are often seen by police as being an easy target.According to the British Cannabis Lobby these people who find their own benefits from using cannabis are not going to stop trying to improve their life-quality just because a government wishes to protect the investments of one or two chosen big industrialists and we would urge the Home Office as a matter of the highest priority, to come up with a solution which is based around public health as opposed to a prohibition based national drugs policy.To quote the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, "Anything less will prejudice the lives of future generations".And when this happens the British Cannabis Lobby will come looking for those concerned and expose them, as well as the damage they have carried out by their refusal to listen to medical evidence, and reason.hxxp://forum.cannabislobby.org The British Cannabis LobbyThe British Cannabis Lobby is currently seeking financial support as well as legal representation, to take this hugely important social issue to the highest office in the land. 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