Me, myself and I on top of Ben Nevis 1970

 

My favorite short stay holiday destinations

Taking into account my feelings of well-being and contentment, compay, food, sites to see:

Bruges (Belgium)

Verona (Italy)

Dal Lake, Srinagar (Kashmir)

Luxor (Egypt)

Lucerne (Switzerland)

Oporto (Portugal) 

Paris (France) 

Santiago de Compostella (Spain) 

Florence (Italy) 

Sighisoura (Romania) 

Cesky Crumlov (Czech Republic)

Budapest (Hungary) 

Venice (Italy) 

Barcelona (Spain)

Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) 

Haarlem (Holland) 

                            Check out my YouTube videos 

 

Prohibition of certain substances for certain people will never succeed

One only has to look at what happened in the US after they tried to ban the sale of alcohol.  Increased crime, deaths and corruption.  The reason for that was of course an increases in profits for those willing to break the law and protect themselves violently.  Also remember that the possession and home production for own use of alcohol was never a  crime!

Failing to learn from that, most countries introduces bans on not only the commercial production and supply of certain substances but also in many cases the possession even in small amounts.  Interesting that the cultivation of hemp even with very very low amounts of psychoactive compounds such as THC was also banned - in the UK it is still an offense to grow even one hemp plant at home - suggesting that the prohibition was not only an illogical attempt to stop people taking certain psychoactive substances but was also based on other motives.

Talking first about hemp: the ban certainly enabled large-scale investors in some industries to make greater profits through the production of synthetic and other alternatives.  Hemp had been used for many hundreds of years for the production of many essentials from paper to clothing, sails to ropes, artists materials to foodstuffs, building materials to fuels, and medicine.  These were replaced by the likes of wood-pulp papers, cotton and nylon, polyurethane and plastics, unhealthy fast foods, fossil and nuclear fuels, and pharmaceutical drugs.  None of the natural hemp products were in themselves dangerous and most were environmentally friendly in their production and destruction.  Also most could be handled locally.  None of those natural products could be used to "get high".

Now let's look at the potential risks from consumption of substances ("recreational use") where possession is banned, compared with other substances where possession by adults is allowed.

Some years ago the American Medical Association produced a chart comparing the potential for addition and toxicity of various substances deemed "legal" or "illegal".  Note here that it is the production, possession, supply that comes under prohibition law, that is the human involvement, not the substances themselves that are listed in the legislation.  Note also that some people are licensed to possess, supply or produce those substances that is banned for most of us - such as scientists conduction research, police, forensic scientists and court officials or other such as teachers in the course of their duty, employment or occupations.

This was how the AMA compared the substances 

Tobacco alongside heroin, highly addictive, highly toxic.

Alcohol alongside cocaine, quite addictive and quite toxic 

Caffeine alongside amphetamines, potentially addictive, can be toxic

Ecstasy - low lever of potential for addiction or lethal overdose

LSD - very low potential for addiction and non-toxic

Cannabis - no potential for physical addition and non-toxic.

NOTE: 

in consideration of addiction, they looked at problems such as withdrawal symptoms;  This has little to do with an individual's desire to repeat a pleasant experience and did not take into account any increases in likelihood of addition due to genetic predisposition or environmental factors such as social connections.

in consideration of toxicity, they looked at the number of "normal does" required to be taken at once likely to cause death.

Now let's  look a the social costs of prohibition, billions of pounds of taxpayers money spent annually; criminalisation of often otherwise law-abiding citizens; alienation of youth, health problems due to uncertain strength and purity; availability to young people (often at the schools and colleges and at home from older siblings, as well as unscrupulous profiteering street dealers); financing of criminal gangs and maybe even terrorists; boosting money-raising crimes such as burglary, theft, muggings, shop-lifting, small-scale dealing, cutting the drugs to boost profits and prostitution.

If those substances were sold through controllable outlets such as cannabis cafes ("Coffeeshops" such as in Holland), Private Member Cannabis Clubs (such as in Spain)  or Pharmacies and Off-Licenses, where quality control and dosage could be measured and sales limited to adults, although it could reduce the price of some drugs it would bring a decrease in fund-raising crime, decrease in problematic use (more noticeable and more likely that the user would consult a  doctor without fear of arrest), decrease in the number of deaths through overdose (the strengths and dosage could be controlled), increase in revenue through taxation, decreases in costs of enforcement, court cases and imprisonment, overall better health and safety at point of sale, dis-empowerment of drug gangs, improvement in social environment and less alienation of users of some drugs compared with users of other drugs.  

After all, few people, in the UK at least, object to anyone drinking moderately at home or down the pub, so long as they do no harm to others, so why should anyone object to anyone smoking a few joints of hash pipes or even taking other substances in the same situations?

My conclusion, for many years now, is that prohibition has little to do with protecting people from harm, and a lot more about controlling people's choices and money!

Please let me know in the comments whether or not you agree.

A short break in Switzerland: Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne

Bruges, Belgium

Mary Magdalen the 13th disciple and Gospel of Mary

 

The Gospel of Mary Magdalen, paperback book

Welcome to My Planet

WELCOME TO MY PLANET

This my planet, we call it Earth.

I’ve lived upon it since the day of my birth.

I’ll stay here, I think, until my end,

When Grace my last breath it does send.

On my planet, which is mostly sea

Earth, water, fire and air is all free,

It’s perfect for life beneath our great Sun,

In trillions of miles it’s the only one.

If I made the rules, all humans would be

Running their own lives and walking free.

But there is one thing that sadly I say,

Our worldly rulers have unholy ways.

I’m just being honest, not dragging you down,

But our elected elected leaders are usually clowns,

Sending troops to wars so pointless to die,

Leaving their families to fear and to cry.

Whist leaders are counting the cash that they store,

And the greedy bleeders still want more.

They wear their robes with such a false pride,

Taking the people for taxable rides.

Yet deep beneath that beyond even their sins,

Lies the peace and the bliss inside  within..

If only they’d let true wisdom show,

How to be grateful and let their Light glow.

For eight billion plus people now living here,

Each one has a soul, a life so dear,

Each one of us is given the chance,

To find peace within and our lives enhance.

Just ask and then let your true self be shown,

Turn doubtful beliefs into something known,

Rise above thought thoughts that do drift,

Be grateful for the Breath that is the gift.

Find your own light, hear the sound,

Feel the connection to which we are bound,

Enjoy your life on this planet Earth,

Each moment called now since the time of your birth!

 

Bergamo 2009

 

Bands I saw

Whilst studying at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, 1968-1971, I was able to see many performances usually for less than £1 a ticket.  I was also fortunate to be able to attend many "pop festivals" such as The Isle of White, Weeley Festival, Lincoln Festival,  where multiple bands performed.  These are just some of the ones I remember:

It started with Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger:  Tyrannasaurus Rex, Fleetwood Mac, Joe Cocker, Cream, Free, Bob Marley, Janice Joplin, The Doors, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Donovan, Grace Slick, Jefferson Airplane, The Incredible String Band, Third Ear Band, Principle Edwards Magic Theatre, Soft Machine, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, John Martin, Jimi Hendrix, The Edgar Broughton Band, Country Joe and the Fish, The Nice, Pretty Things, Blodwyn Pig, Richie Havens, The Faces, Mungo Jerry, Mott the Hoople, Pink Fairies, Barclay James Harvest, Caravan, Van der Graaf Generator, Colosseum, The Groundhogs, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Da Band, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, Marsha Hunt, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Ten Years After, Tiny Tim, Curved Air, Procul Harem, Steve Miller Band, Miles Davis, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Buffy Sainte- Marie, Nico, Ginger Baker, Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, Sandy Denny, Led Zeppalin, Hawkwind, The Eagles, Paul McCartney, The Band, The Who, Al Stewart, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, The Stranglers, Blondie, Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, UB40, Misty in Roots, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Little Feat, Cher, Bruce Springston, Canned Heat, Quintessence, Captain Beefheart, Chicken Shack, Deep Purple, Dire Straits, Dr Feelgood, Family, Foreigner, The Hollies, Lou Reed, Supetramp, Aswad, Tangerine Dream, Gong, Van Morrison, Wishbone Ash, The Four Stanleys.

Knowing versus Believing

Knowledge removes doubt: believing can lead to doubt.

If one knows, why revert to beliefs?

Beliefs can change, Knowledge brings clarity, understanding and certainty.

Without Knowing, how can there be true trust?

Without Knowing, trust will not grow.

Without trust, Love won't flow. 

Know Thyself.