My message to Adam Lotun, independent candidate in Corby by-election

my message to Adam Lotun, independent candidate in Corby by-election 

 I think you will make a mistake by limiting your call for law change to people with certain illnesses or conditions or by saying that they should get doctor's permission to be allowed to possess or use cannabis for their own use in their own homes.

TWO points - sick and hail people should have equal rights - the issue ought to be the question has their possession, use, cultivation - done any harm to or put at risk other people or their Rights, property etc - if not then they should all be left alone by the authorities - in fact they deserve the protection of the law when buying cannabis from licensed premises where quality is assured, credible information provided, and PROFITS taxed.

secondly, cannabis has a great vale as it relieves stress - it is a preventative medicine for all users - stress being one of the biggest causes of illness, violence, absenteeism and even premature death - why should well people be banned from such a substance?

I believe you would do well to STAND UP for all victimless cannabis users - in fact all victimless drug users - and also to promote the CANNABIS SOCIAL CLUB proposal:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cannabis-Social-Clubs-Proposal/145368762174099?v=info&edit_info=all#!/pages/Cannabis-Social-Clubs-Proposal/145368762174099?v=wall

Good luck in the election - please be our voice in the name of freedom of choice



Adam Lotun's Manifesto on Drugs

• It is my opinion that there should be a Royal Commission set-up to investigate, once and for all, the question of drugs use in our society, with it being clear that current prohibition through criminal sanctions is not working. In the interim, I call for an immediate suspension of all prosecutions for cannabis possession and use where it can be shown to be used for treating an illness where cannabis is recognised as a beneficial treatment, i.e. MS, Fibromyalgia, Cancer, Aids, neurological pain, Glaucoma & Epilepsy, (the list goes on). This can be done before primary legislation is passed by recommendations to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). It is morally wrong that a person should be persecuted and prosecuted for their choice in using what is proven to be a safe and effective alternative medicine for their illness, i.e. with Sativex, a tincture of cannabis plant extract that is licensed for medicinal use is so expensive that many PCT’s refuse to fund prescribing it. (Sativex is a cannabis derivative that is no different to what can be cheaply produced in any home kitchen).
• There needs to be more “honest” education in schools and public information about drugs and the changes in recreation drug use. Much of what is currently taught about drugs is propaganda, and not evidence based truths.
• There needs to be a change in the Law on Alcohol, so that the sale of Alcohol can only take place between 11am to 3pm and 7pm to 11am in local community public houses, clubs, supermarkets and off licences. There will be an argument for some venues that will continue to hold special all day licence, but this move will mean that local communities will not be subjected to drunken anti-social behavior at all hours of the day.
• It is my opinion that there should be smoking and non-smoking pubs and clubs, so that people can make their own choice as to where they go and what they choose to do or not do. Expanding the Royal Commission remit to look into all addictive drugs would help to ensure that a balanced view and cascading of educational information to support such ideas.

The Public Must Pay for An Unjust Law

"Does anybody really think that locking this man up will help him or anybody else.

"So he tried to overcome his grief with alcohol which made him violent, so replaced it with cannabis that made him non-violent, then he gets locked up?

"And how could the cannabis have been worth any money unless she intended to sell it, yet the Judge accepted it was not for sale!

"It is a shame that this man is locked up and it is a shame the taxpayer will have to pay - EVERYONE loses except the police and court officials of course, who earn part of their living out of this sort of injustice"

The Sentinel, September 14 2012

Grief-stricken son set up drugs farm after parents died

GRIEVING Daniel King has been jailed after setting up a cannabis factory in his loft.
The 27-year-old turned to drugs following the death of his parents, and grew cannabis plants at his Joiners Square home to avoid contact with dealers.
But police raided the Cornes Street property in December and found 22 plants and equipment such as heating lamps, transformers and hydroponics trays.
They also discovered that King had bypassed his electricity meter in order to power the farm.
King was jailed for 16 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after pleading guilty to producing cannabis and abstracting electricity.
Prosecutor David Bennett told the court that King's factory could have produced cannabis worth up to £3,500 in a single crop, while the stolen electricity was valued at £1,743.
Mr Bennett said: "At 10pm on December 14 police officers attended the address after being told there was a burglary in progress at the premises. They could smell cannabis, and saw a trail of cannabis leaves leading from the rear living room up the stairs.
"In the loft area they found a greenhouse-like structure with three hydroponics trays and 22 cannabis plants. The officers left the premises and when the defendant returned they arrested him in the street outside."
Mr Bennett told the court that at the time of King's arrest he had a suspended sentence of six months hanging over him.
This dated from a conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm from 2010.
Angela Berrisford, mitigating, said King had struggled to cope with the death of his parents and had suffered mental health issues.
She said: "His parents died in relatively quick succession and he has struggled to deal with that. His mental health deteriorated and he has suffered from depression and psychosis.
"What he realised following his conviction for assault is that he was drinking too much. Unfortunately he did not go back to get medical support, but effectively substituted the alcohol with cannabis.
"He didn't want to associate with the people who supplied him with cannabis, and so he decided to produce the cannabis himself. He undertook limited research on the internet, but a lot of the equipment was not set up, as he did not have the knowledge to work out what went where."
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones sentenced King to 12 months for growing cannabis, three months consecutive for abstracting electricity, and activated one month of his suspended sentence.
He said: "You clearly and deliberately set about establishing sufficient equipment at your disposal to successful grow a crop of cannabis in the loft of your home.
"But I accept that the cannabis was for your own use."

No Victim, No Crime

The issue about cannabis has always seemed simple to me - two points:

1.  If there was nobody harmed or put at risk, then why punish a person in possession or cultivating the plant cannabis?

2.  If the user / grower has no victims then they should be getting the protection of the law - just like victimless alcohol drinkers - not punished by it.

The Antigua Observer, September 14 2012 
Decriminalise cannabis? Public weighs in

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – OBSERVER Media has taken the debate about decriminalisation of marijuana to the streets of Antigua & Barbuda, getting the viewpoint of the people of the nation.
Walking the streets in town, surrounding Heritage Quay, OBSERVER media reporters asked the timely question, “What do you think about the prospect of decriminalising small amounts of marijuana on island?”
The responses from everyday people were as varied as those pundits, lawyers, detractors and politicians that weighed in on the debate last week on the Voice of the People.
A middle-aged woman working in vendor’s mall said that relaxing the laws that currently prohibit the use of marijuana could be a Pandora’s box for the nation, saying as a Christian, she cannot support such an initiative.
“I don’t think that it should be legalised in Antigua, not at all. I don’t believe in any type of drug … I know it does a lot to the brain because of smoking it and they are mixing it with other substances.”
She added that it might be the gateway to more crime in the nation, saying, “I do believe it will (cause more crime) when they smoke this drug. The high can be very dangerous. It is going to be very, very bad if they legalise it.”
However, a security guard in the area said that decriminalising the drug would help “heal the nation”, stating that is has healing purposes and a calming effect on the youth.
“I don’t think it is a threat to nobody’s life or any craziness about people getting crazy. They should leave it alone and don’t charge anybody for it. But ask people to use it accordingly, don’t smoke it but boil it (as a tea),” the guard said.