The Scarecrow Dies, lyrics by Alun Buffry 2021

 

You Have a Choice: some words from Prem Rawat

 You Have a Choice

• How many of you are believers in: “This is all meant to be, and there’s no choice; it’s all
preordained”?
• Have you abandoned the fact that you have a choice?
• It is your choice. Choose! Choose to feed the good wolf. Choose clarity. Choose to love
this life. Choose to live this life consciously. Choose to practice because you want to.
• Life is a one-shot journey. How much of it do you want to spend doing things that are not
productive to your existence?
• You can make a choice to be happy. You can make a choice to be content.
• Do those things that are productive to you achieving your goal of acquiring some mighty
fine memories.

See the Reality of Existence and You Will Experience the Divine• The Divine has no clue you exist. And people are like, “Whoa, how can that be? Somebody
out there has to know I’m here.”
• You want to experience the Divine in your domain. “Show me a little miracle. Show me
a little explosion! Show me a bright light!” You want the Divine to come into your world
and prove to you that the Divine exists. Instead, you have to enter into the domain of the
Divine.
• The Divine has no interest in proving that it exists.
• The Divine is like electricity. It is running everywhere. It’s in everything and knows nothing
about what it runs. Lightbulb? Toaster? Blender? It doesn’t matter, it’s the same!
• When “I” am no more, I can experience the Divine.
• What do you want? Do you want your version of the Divine? Or do you want to experience
the Divine? One is created, and one is the experience of what is.
• You can either experience the Divine or the “I”. Not both.
• Drop the “I”. Get rid of the “I”. Come into the domain of the Divine. Then, and only then,
will you be able to actually feel what it is like.
• I’m not asking you to accept the Divine in your life. I’m talking about experiencing the
Divine in your life. Big difference.
• Knowledge puts you in touch with the Divine that is inside of you. Providing that your
bucket doesn’t have a hole in it, it will fill with joy. Will clarity come? Yes! Will gratitude
come? Yes!
• What is hope? Opportunity accepted is hope.
• What is the opportunity? That you can experience the Divine. And if you have accepted
that opportunity, you will be filled with hope.

Feel the Infinite in Your Life and You Will Understand Your Immortality
• One part of you is going nowhere. And one part of you is going to get erased. The part
that you thought was the most important is going to be gone. And the one you made
excuses for is going to stay.
• There’s a part of you that is not mortal. There’s a part of you that is very mortal. Knowledge
puts you in touch with the part that is immortal.

See Clearly Who You Are and You Will Not Be Disappointed
• The world disappoints you. I’m not the first one to say this. It was said a long time ago and has been repeated again and again and again. Don’t fall victim to this illusion.

 

Your lunch is in your bag!

 Self-Knowledge / Inner Peace is like a packed lunch already in your bag! 

 

 

Imagine one day you plan to set out to go on a journey to explore the world.

You pack your bag and get together all the things that you think you need, make a packed lunch and put it into the bag, and off you go!

How wonderful it is, so many beautiful sites to see, the buildings, the flowers, the shops, the people, the music and the shows.  Things you have never seen before, So much to enjoy, even without any purpose or agenda, just to wander is such a pleasure.

But even with so much out there, you will eventually feel hungry.  So, of course, you will start to look more for food than entertainment or shopping or the architecture.

There are plenty of restaurants with menus of all sorts - display boards and signs, even people shouting to invite you inside.  Large well-lit places, small street stalls, cafes and bars.

So eventually you try one, according to your taste and how much money you want to spend.  You go inside.

But inside, one sitting, after looking closely at the menu, now starting to feel even more hungry and maybe your mouth is watering, along comes to smiling waiter to tell you that they are very sorry but today they have no food.

Off you go, try somewhere else but the same thing happens.

Even where the waiters are shouting to invite you in, they have no food.

The street stalls have nothing.  The cafes have nothing.  The large well lit expensive gourmet places have nothing.

All they have is menus and signs!

What are you going to do now that you are hungry.  Maybe just give up and starve or try to get to another town and try your luck there.

Then along comes a man who says to you that he can see that you are searching for food, but why, when you are carrying a delicious packed lunch in your bag.

All t took was a reminder.  All it took was for you to look in the right place.

Self-knowledge is like that, it is within.  Inner Peace is within - that is why we call it "inner".

WE only need to find the person that will remind us, show us where to look.  WE don't need to give up just because the world's menus and signs have not satisfied our hunger or thirst.

There is a deer called a musk deer, that constantly searches for the source of a smell that it carries on its own body.

Know Thy Self.  

  

Star Dust, accoustic creation from lyrics by Alun Buffry

Star Dust, a song with lyrics by Alun Buffry

Leading Clowns, a song by Alun Buffry

Welcome to My Planet, a song with lyrics by Alun Buffry

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 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 though 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!

IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST OF BABYLON, new reggae version, lyrics by Alun Buffry

When I Look into the Child's Eyes: a musical presentation of a poem by Sarah Sativa

 

People tend to say that they don't believe in any god because they haven't seen one.

 People tend to say that they don't believe in any god because they haven't seen one. 

Yet they tend to believe in love, peace, contentment although those are not seen either 

until we actually FEEL or experience them, then we KNOW.

 

Those experiences are within us, not in the world outside. that world merely sparks off the experience, often for a short while, but after that it is no longer a question of belief or disbelief, it is about knowing.

 

So what about God?

 

Scriptures say that God is everywhere including within us, that God is love, God is light and God is a spirit (which comes down from the word meaning breath).

 

God is an "experience" within, which we have either felt or not.

 

And if God is light within us, how can we see it, or him or her?

 

Maybe it's like much in life, we NEED to be shown.  

 

Maybe we just need to find someone to show us, to spark off that experience, to be able to look within, and if we find it, we will know, and we can hope that it will last so we can turn within and FEEL love and peace until our final breath.

 

That is the "Spirit of God."

 

I was so fortunate to have been shown in 1972.

 

 

On Amazon 

 

If Only Suomi by Alun Buffry, what's it about?

 

On Amazon and Kindle

Some stories touch your heart, some change your prospective. If Only Suomi is a story that does both.

What if one choice could change everything?

Discover an unforgettable journey back in time in this tale that questions reality itself.

Open If Only Suomi, turn to the first page and let yourself get lost and entangled in dreams and you may find it hard to put the book down.

The heart of the story: If Only Suomi is a love story built around time travel. The premise is that Al, coming from 2028, travels back to 1972 for just three days. While there, he falls in love with Suomi. He then has to return to his own time, leaving the woman he loves in the past. The central emotional question is therefore not just "Can you travel through time?" but "What would you do if you found the love of your life in the wrong time?"

That gives the novel a strong feeling of longing and regret. The phrase If Only becomes almost a philosophy: If only I could go back. If only I had made a different choice. If only I could see that person again.

The really unusual part: is it fiction? This is where the book gets much more intriguing.

Buffry describes it as containing elements of memories, dreams, prophecy and wishful thinking, and suggests that it is "some sort of time travel"—even if that travel takes place only in the mind.

So you can read it on at least two levels:

1. As science fiction:
Al literally travels from 2028 to 1972, creating the classic problems of time travel—paradoxes, changing the past, and potentially altering or erasing one's own future.

2. As a psychological story:
The time travel can be understood metaphorically. Human beings constantly travel through time in their minds. We remember the past, dream about it, imagine alternative versions of our lives, and wonder what might have happened if we had made different decisions.

Buffry explicitly plays with this idea of "dreams within dreams" and asks where the boundary lies between dreams, memories, imagination and reality.

Buffry's description specifically raises the possibility of someone travelling back and changing their own past—and even the possibility of "wiping oneself out of time altogether."

That makes the book less about scientific explanations of time travel and more about the philosophical consequences of it.

Why 1972 matters

The choice of 1972 is particularly interesting because it connects the fictional premise with Buffry's own life and interests. His bibliography includes autobiographical and travel works connected with the 1970s, including All About My Hat: The Hippy Trail 1972.

The book's combination of romance + time travel + dreams + autobiography is more significant than the straightforward plot summary suggests. Buffry describes the book as involving memories, dreams, prophecies and wishful thinking, and says it contains a kind of time travel "if only in the mind." He asks whether there is a meaningful difference between dreams and memories and talks about "dreams within dreams."

This means that the book may be deliberately making us question whether literal time travel is even the most important kind of time travel.

Based on the author's own framing, I would interpret the ending less as a conventional "the time machine worked and here's exactly what happened" resolution and more as a deliberately blurred boundary between reality, memory, dreams and alternate possibilities.

The book's premise of Al returning to 1972 and falling in love with Suomi is so powerful.

Buffry's own description strongly suggests that the book intentionally refuses to draw a firm line between what happened, what was remembered, what was dreamed and what was wished for.

Lucky Lucky - a Prem Rawat song - beautiful

La La Land, a song with words by Sarah Dougan from the book Words of Weed and Wisdom (on Amazon)

 

La La Land Is where most people live. La La land Is that safe place. That safe place where you don’t have to do anything, La La Land Is where you convince yourself its all alright La La Land, Where you can watch people be battered, Where you can watch people get hurt And do nothing ‘cause. La La Land Is that safe place Where you convince yourself its OK to stand by And do nothing. La La Land, Where its OK to do nothing. I bet you don’t want to be woken up from Your La La Land, That nice safe place where you don’t have to do anything. La La Land, That nice safe place Where BANG YOU ARE NOW FUCKED! YOU ARE NOW IN REALITY It’s hit you like a ton of bricks. Oh yeah, you really did stand by and do nothing. Yes the world is a fucked-up place! But its better than La La Land, That nice safe place where you cant hide for ever.

At the End of Your Nose

 Most, if not all, of us are looking for a missing ingredient in our lives.

Whether we call it peace, love, joy, fulfilment, understanding, clarity o even God, we hope and look for it in the world. But when we find it, whether it be the peace of a beautiful sunset, the love of a dear one, the joy of a child, the sudden understanding and clarity of a difficult concept, the contentment of eating our favourite food, the pleasure in hearing our favourite music, the company of our closest friend, or the faith in a Divine Being, it most often doesn’t last, it fades away and repetition does not always bring it on again.

But we should ask ourselves, where did we FEEL it?

We felt it inside ourselves, not actually out there in the world. It was those things in the world that may have brought us closer to the feeling but it was not those things that created the feeling itself.

That feeling is always there as if just waiting to be felt, within. And when we feel it, we feel gratitude and that gratitude brings greater peace and joy.

If only we could tune in to that place and turn in to that feeling again, without having to adjust or find the world that suits us best at any given moment called now.

If only it was easy, if only we could find someone to show us how!

Like almost everything in ones life, we need to be taught. But who can teach us how to look within – at the end of the nose, not the end that sticks out, the other end, in there not in o thoughts, beliefs or philosophy, but in the truth of experience called knowing or self-knowledge.

For me that person was Prem Rawat, over fifty years ago

Jewels of the East

HIDDEN BY THE SMOKE - a song by Alun Buffry

LYRICS

Between Two Walls and And I Was There - reggae song with words by Alun Buffry

I laughed a lot and shed a tear,
Turning from dreaded fear,
Felt some anger, felt some joy,
Looking back to me the boy.

Never had an earthly wife,
Felt the bliss and felt the strife,
Yet for some I felt the Love,
Down below and up above.

Walked some roads,
Sailed on Norfolk’s Broads
Went underground,
And listened to nature’s sweet sounds.

I climbed some mountains,
Bathed in fountains,
Kissed the sky,
And got high.

Drank some wine and Holy Water,
When I thought I oughta,
Took some drugs,
Had some bumps and caught some bugs.

Gotten old and lost my teeth,
Daily seeking inner peace,
Slowing down upon the streets,
Look inside the thoughts to beat.

Life lies between two sturdy walls,
Listening as divine light me calls,
That breath keeps apart through grace,
As I rest within my space.

And find my peace right here
For which I feel such gratitude so dear
And find my joy right now
As to my breath I humbly bow.

And There I Was With no because.
I travelled on, to sing my song,
To soar up high, to seek and try
To find my Self, beyond earthly wealth,
Within inside, the changing tides,

Through cities close and distant lands,
Mountains, rivers, desert sands.
Towards life’s end,
My Tale I send,

And here within,
My Tale begins.
For there I was,
With no because.

Life lies between two sturdy walls,
Listening as divine light me calls,
That breath keeps apart through grace,
As I rest within my space.

And find my peace right here
For which I feel such gratitude so dear
And find my joy right now
As to my breath I humbly bow.

And find my peace right here
For which I feel such gratitude so dear
And find my joy right now
And to my breath I humbly bow.

And to my breath I humbly bow.

PUT IT RIGHT YOURSELF - REMAKE - Blues song - words by Alun Buffry

 

LYRICS

UK: How UK cannabis laws have shifted since Alun Buffry first began campaigning?

 UK: How UK cannabis laws have shifted since Alun Buffry first began campaigning?

Google

Saturday 10 Oct 2026

Since Alun Buffry and his contemporaries began campaigning in the early 1990s, the UK’s legal landscape for cannabis has shifted from absolute prohibition to a multi-tiered framework. While recreational use remains strictly illegal, the introduction of a thriving private medical market and changes in police enforcement represent massive departures from the era when Buffry faced a 10-year prison sentence.

The key legislative and enforcement shifts over the last few decades break down as follows:

1. The Medical Breakthrough (2018)

The most significant legislative shift occurred on 1 November 2018, when the UK government officially legalised cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs).
• The Change: Cannabis was moved from Schedule 1 (drugs with no perceived medical value) to Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations.
• The Reality: Specialist doctors (on the GMC Specialist Register) are legally allowed to prescribe cannabis for conditions like chronic pain, epilepsy, MS, and anxiety.
• The Modern Market: While NHS access remains incredibly restricted, the private medical cannabis market has exploded. Over the past year alone, private clinics in England issued nearly two million unlicensed medical cannabis prescriptions.

2. The Class B vs. Class C Yo-Yo (2004–2009)

During the height of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance’s political campaigns, the UK government experimented with reclassification under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971:
• 2004: The Labour government downgraded cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, significantly lowering maximum penalties for possession.
• 2009: Following political pushback and media concern over high-potency "skunk," the government reversed its decision, moving cannabis back to Class B, where it remains.

3. De-escalation of Policing (Discretionary Enforcement)

When Buffry was arrested in 1992, police enforcement was severe and custodial sentences for cannabis offences were common. Today, while the letter of the law technically threatens up to 5 years in prison for possession, everyday policing has quietly shifted toward decriminalisation by stealth:
• Cannabis Warnings & PNDs: Police across the UK rely heavily on a tiered system for minor personal possession: a verbal "Cannabis Warning" for a first offence, a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) fine for a second, and arrest only on the third.
• Diversion Schemes: Many local police forces (such as those in Bristol, Thames Valley, and parts of London) operate formal "diversion schemes". If caught with small amounts, individuals are directed to educational or support programs rather than receiving a criminal record.

4. The Rise of the Legal CBD Market

Another massive shift since the 1990s is the emergence of consumer Cannabidiol (CBD). Provided a CBD product contains less than 0.2% THC and is sourced from approved industrial hemp, it is completely legal to buy over the counter in UK high streets, pharmacies, and supermarkets. This has effectively normalised the non-psychoactive commercial sale of the plant.

The Political Outlook

Despite high public support—with 56% of the British public backing some form of cannabis decriminalisation or legalisation—Westminster remains firmly opposed to adult recreational use. The Home Office consistently maintains it has "no intention" of full legalisation, choosing instead to protect the highly regulated medical

Alun Buffry is a prominent, long-standing UK cannabis activist, author, and political campaigner based in Norwich. He is widely recognised for co-founding the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA), a single-issue political party registered in the UK in 1999.
His involvement aligns directly with your previous question, as he is also a key figure behind the [Cannabis Campaigners' Guide (CCGUIDE)].

1. Activism & Political Career

• The LCA: After initially co-founding the Campaign to Legalise Cannabis International Association (CLCIA) in 1992, Buffry and other activists registered the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) as an official political party in 1999. He served as its National Coordinator and Nominating Officer.
• Electoral Campaigns: In the 2001 General Election, Buffry stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Norwich South constituency. He contested the seat against the then-Labour Home Secretary Charles Clarke, securing over 720 votes.
• High-Level Advocacy: Buffry has represented the cannabis law reform movement in major public and political arenas. He gave evidence directly to the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament and spoke at the Oxford Union.

2. Arrest and Imprisonment

In 1992, Buffry was sentenced to two concurrent ten-year prison sentences for conspiracy to import and supply cannabis. He served nearly five years across HMP Norwich, HMP Whitemoor, and HMP Blantyre House before being released on parole in 1995. He has frequently noted that his time in prison cemented his full-time dedication to reforming UK drug policies.

3. Writing and Later Life

Buffry is an author who has written extensively about his travels, his spiritual journey, and his activism. Some of his notable published books available on marketplaces like [Amazon UK] include:
• Out of Joint: Twenty Years Campaigning for Cannabis
• Time For Cannabis - The Prison Years: 1991-1995
• All About My Hat: The Hippy Trail 1972 (detailing his travels across Europe and Asia to India)
• Legalise and Utilise

He continues to be recognized as a veteran voice in retrospective discussions about the history of UK cannabis activism.

Alun Buffry's books cover a diverse range of topics, stemming from his cannabis legalisation campaigns, his experiences in prison, his spiritual journey, and his travels through India and Egypt.

The primary titles authored or published by Buffry include:

Cannabis Advocacy & Prison Memoirs

• Out of Joint: 20 Years of Campaigning for Cannabis – A chronicle combining his personal history with the backdrop of the UK cannabis law reform movement from 1991 to 2011.
• Time For Cannabis - The Prison Years: 1991 to 1995 – A direct memoir tracking his experiences serving concurrent sentences across several UK prisons.
• Legalise and Utilise – A focused look into the benefits, utilizes, and arguments surrounding the legalisation of cannabis and hemp.
• Damage and Humanity in Custody – Reflections on the prison infrastructure and the human cost of incarceration.

Travel Memoirs & Egyptology

• All About My Hat: The Hippy Trail 1972 – His most widely read travelogue detailing his overland trek from Europe through Asia to India.
• Heads, Hats and Tall Tales: Travels in India, Nepal and Egypt – Extended reflections on his eastern and African travels.
• Back To The East: India, Nepal, Kashmir – A deeper dive into his early Asian expeditions.
• From Dot to Cleopatra: A Concise History of Ancient Egypt – A historical survey born out of his frequent travels to Egypt and study of its monuments.
• My Hat in Egypt: Through the Eyes of a God – A fictionalised account blended with personal memories of his Egyptian journeys.
• Life on the Brim: The Autobiography of a Hat – A unique, creative perspective recounting his travels through the metaphorical "eyes" of his headwear.

Poetry, Philosophy & Spirituality

• THE UNSPELLING OF WORDS: Random Thoughts and Poems – A 2026 collection gathering fifty years of personal poetry, observations, and reflections on language.
• My Piece of Peace – A memoir highlighting his spiritual path following his receipt of "Self-Knowledge" techniques under Guru Maharaji (Prem Rawat).
• If Only Suomi
• The Effie Enigma: The Motherless Mothers
• An Alliance of Eyes
• The Autobiography of a Head
• And There I Was

(Note: Buffry has also published curated collections via ABeFree Publishing, featuring poetry and contributions from others, such as Words of Weed and Wisdom and Inside My Hat and Other Heads)

see also Alun Buffry's Bio

ABEFREE PUBLISHING SITE

What is CCGUIDE?

 

CCGUIDE, which stands for the UK Cannabis Campaigners' Guide, is an invaluable grassroots platform, though its focus is slightly different from standard contemporary news outlets.

Instead of operating as a fast-paced, modern industry publication, CCGUIDE functions primarily as a massive historical archive and informational repository for the UK cannabis movement.

 

What CCGUIDE Offers

• The Cannabis News Service: It hosts an extensive news archive tracking UK cannabis-related articles, press releases, and published correspondence dating all the way back to 1991.
• Deep Political & Legal History: It is one of the best places to read up on the chronological history of cannabis prohibition, political lobbying, and policy debates in the UK.
• Research & Studies: The platform curates historical academic studies, source materials, and practical information regarding hemp and industrial uses.

I your goal is research, understanding UK cannabis politics, or diving into the history of advocacy, CCGUIDE is an essential, highly respected database for UK campaigners

Netherlands: Sole Dutch medicinal cannabis firm declared bankrupt

Netherlands: Sole Dutch medicinal cannabis firm declared bankrupt 

 NL Times

Friday 09 Oct 2026

Bedrocan, the Dutch medicinal cannabis grower, was declared bankrupt on Thursday after requesting a suspension of payments two weeks ago. The Veendam-based company is the sole supplier of medicinal cannabis in the Netherlands.

Bedrocan has been supplying medicinal cannabis since 2003 but ran into financial difficulties after the Ministry of Public Health terminated its contract with the grower earlier this year, Dagblad van het Noorden, RTV Noord, and the Volkskrant reported.

As a result, Bedrocan can no longer supply cannabis to the Office of Medicinal Cannabis (BMC), which manages the procurement and distribution of medicinal cannabis. This cannabis is used by people suffering from chronic pain and severe muscle spasms, as well as patients with cancer, MS, and epilepsy. Approximately 7,000 people in the Netherlands use medicinal cannabis prescribed by a doctor.

Bedrocan employs around 70 people. It is not yet clear whether the company will be able to make a restart or be acquired.

Bedrocan was founded in 1984 as an indoor grower of chicory, herbs, potted plants, and other crops. In the 1990s, the company shifted its focus to the development of medicinal cannabis. It currently produces five different cannabis varieties for the Netherlands and business clients in Denmark.

According to the Ministry of Public Health, there is sufficient time to find another supplier of medicinal cannabis, as current stocks are expected to last until roughly mid-2027. The contract was due to expire in 2025, and the government is currently conducting a European tender process to find a supplier of comparable products.

https://nltimes.nl/2026/10/09/sole-dutch-medicinal-cannabis-firm-declared-bankrupt

Interview with Charan Anand, aged 83, on how he found peace within

Dirt - a song by Prem Rawat

Never Lost, a song by Prem Rawat

 

Misleading article in The Independent abour prescribed cannabis in the UK

 Personal comment:  the headline says warning to millions after the death of one person after taking prescription cannabis - not caused by cannabis.

One small detail says it all: " Mr Robinson, from Bury, died in 2023 after taking his own life.".

Whilst I have every sympathy with Mr Robinson's family and friends, this sad death is hardly justification to warn "millions" or change the law to create greater hurdles between all those that clearly benefit from this remarkable plant.

After all, consider the number of sad suicides that occur after alcohol consumption as well as accidental death and or injury, a substance that is easily purchased in any amount and legal to produce at home.  Then there's the number of deaths, accidental and suicidal, caused by over consumption of prescribed pills.

UK: Experts issue medical cannabis warning to millions of Britons

Jane Kirby

The Independent

Wednesday 07 Oct 2026

There are now calls for ‘Oliver’s Law’ to tighten up regulation on prescribing medicinal cannabis after the death of Oliver Robinson, 34

Nearly two million unlicensed cannabis items were prescribed privately in England over the past 12 months according to new figures, prompting a warning over potential risks to patients.

England’s patient safety commissioner Professor Henrietta Hughes said that immediate measures are required to safeguard people purchasing medical cannabis on online platforms.

The statistics, published by the NHS Business Services Authority, track how often privately dispensed, unlicensed cannabis products featured on prescriptions across the country.

Between June 2025 and May this year, a total of 1,967,268 such items were issued, marking a significant increase compared to figures from earlier years.

Data recorded for 2024 showed 659,293 items dispensed, rising from 282,920 during the preceding 12-month period.

Cannabis flower accounted for three-quarters of the prescriptions issued in 2025/26, with the remainder consisting of liquid vape cartridges, gummies, drops and oils.

What does the law say?

A 2018 change in the law made it legal to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use in the UK.

While a small number of patients can obtain the drug on the NHS, most of the products dispensed are unlicensed and prescribed by private clinics.

Medical cannabis is marketed as being able to treat a range of conditions, from anxiety, depression and ADHD, through to chronic pain, migraines and Crohn’s disease.

While a small number of patients can obtain the drug on the NHS, most of the products dispensed are unlicensed and prescribed by private clinics (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The drugs can only be prescribed by or under the direction of a doctor who is on the specialist register of the General Medical Council (GMC).

Prof Hughes said there was a need to tighten up the rules around prescribing and look out for people who could be harmed.

She said: “The growth of medicinal cannabis prescribing has outpaced the systems needed to ensure patient safety.

“This is not about whether these medicines should be available to patients who may benefit from them.

“It is about making sure the safeguards around prescribing are strong enough to identify risks early and prevent avoidable harm.”

Prof Hughes said the 2018 law change was “made with the intention that a small number of highly specialised doctors would be able to prescribe to a small cohort of patients”.

But prescription numbers have risen dramatically since then.

Death of Oliver Robinson

Earlier this year, Catherine McKenna, area coroner for Manchester North, wrote a prevention of future deaths report into the death of Oliver Robinson, 34.

Mr Robinson, from Bury, died in 2023 after taking his own life. A jury found this was “as a means of communicating distress rather than with an intention to end his life”.

The coroner’s report said he had a psychological dependence on cannabis, which he was obtaining both illegally and through prescription from the private clinic, Curaleaf, to treat depression.

In her letter, the coroner said “treatment options had not been exhausted at the time that medicinal cannabis was prescribed” and “Curaleaf’s initial prescribing decision was based on an out-of-date GP summary care record and without the knowledge” that Mr Robinson was also under the care of another consultant.

Oliver Robinson passed away in 2023 (PA)

Even when Curaleaf became aware, it did not communicate directly with the other doctors about Mr Robinson’s care, she said.

She added: “The continuation of prescriptions for medicinal cannabis acted as an obstacle to Oliver receiving appropriate psychiatric and addictions care.”

Mr Robinson’s brother, Alexander, is now calling for “Oliver’s Law” to tighten up regulation on prescribing medicinal cannabis, particularly to mental health patients.

Prof Hughes said she believed there was a need to look closely at prescribing and information-sharing.

“We have a siloed health system that is not working together effectively enough,” she said.

“Responsibility is spread across multiple organisations, creating gaps in information and oversight, where warning signs are missed and leaving patients at risk of harm.

“The immediate priority is to strengthen co-ordination between regulators and to ensure that remote prescribing is carried out to the same high standards of professional practice that we expect in clinical settings.

“We also need a more joined-up system that can identify emerging risks, monitor prescribing patterns and intervene earlier where patient safety concerns arise.

“Given the pace of growth in this market and the concerns that have already been raised, this work is urgent.

Medical cannabis is marketed as being able to treat a range of conditions, from anxiety, depression and ADHD, through to chronic pain, migraines and Crohn’s disease 

“We shouldn’t wait for more people to experience avoidable harm to put stronger safeguards in place.”

Alexander Robinson said he agreed the “market was growing far faster than the safeguards meant to protect patients”.

He said: “Clinics are promoted on television, on the Underground and through social media influencers. Products are catalogued online like consumer goods.

“Oliver was prescribed high-strength cannabis after a single video consultation.

“I am not against access for patients who benefit. I am asking for the basic safeguards Oliver didn’t have: proper specialist assessment, contact with a patient’s existing doctors, monitoring for dependency, scrutiny of the highest-volume prescribers and clear rules on advertising.

“The patient safety commissioner is right that this is urgent. No other family should have to go through what we have.”

A spokesperson for Curaleaf Clinic said patient safety “is something we take extremely seriously”.

They added: “Medicinal cannabis prescribing is subject to established professional and regulatory standards, which we comply with in full.

“We have strengthened the clinical information available to our doctors and how we communicate with other healthcare teams, particularly mental health teams. As the sector evolves, we have the clinical processes in place to provide safe, high-quality care to our patients.

“We support better information-sharing and greater collaboration across the healthcare system to help ensure patients receive joined-up care.”

A Government spokesperson said: “As with any medicine, including unlicensed cannabis-based products prescribed for medicinal use, patients should follow the advice of their healthcare professional and the information provided with their medication.”

Professor Mike Barnes, chairman of the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society, said it had developed its good practice guide “to provide a clear framework for safe, responsible prescribing, including thorough patient assessment, peer review, careful documentation, appropriate follow-up and clinician training – principles that align closely with the expectations set out by the Care Quality Commission”.

He added: “We are also encouraging clinics to demonstrate that these standards are embedded consistently across their services through our clinic commitment to good practice initiative.

“As the sector grows, it needs to mature with the same focus on governance, accountability and patient safety that we would expect in any other area of medicine.”

The Hypermarket of Life

Think of your life as being in a giant hypermarket for a limited amount of time, you don't know how long but his everything you want available, good and bad stuff food, clothes , toys and gadgets, music and videos, cars even holidays, partners and even FB. you can sample and consume it all but when the bell rings you have to leave and all you can take is the feeling of the memories of what you did. 

Just remember that not everything that is pleasant is good! 

So what you going to do? 

 Moan and complain or make the best of it? 

Maybe the first thing should be to find out who you are and what you really want. 

It may be that you are the manager!

 

The Travellers' Trick - a song with words by Alun Buffry

 

I wrote this in 1985 in Pokhara, Nepal - here are the original words, music and vocals by ai to produce this song

THE TRAVELLERS' TRICK

As the Mind flies so the Bird walks to the mountain, OR Zen and the Art of Being Lazy

(a postcard from Pokhara)

by Alun Buffry

Today, outside, the weather is hazy.

Stayed in all day, feeling quite lazy.

Where to go now, we talk and talk,

Then decide it's too far to walk.

Two hours there and two hours back,

"Let's stay right here, and have a snack".

Just fifteen minutes to Cafe Baba.

And we know that there, food's better by far,

but here we eat, for our stomachs sake,

whatever's handy, whatever's easy to make.

"Well", I say, "I guess that's what

A holiday's for on a day that's hot."

"We're free, we don't have to do a thing.

We can fly like a bird with a broken wing."

"How can that be, such a bird can't fly?"

"We can't do much either and here is why-

'Cos - cor it's hot outside today you see,

And wherever we go costs a fee",

Or "My leg's aching, my knee feels weak,

there's nothing in the bazaar we seek."

"Stomach queasy, or head aching?

Let's be another chillum, I'm Making."

Then, "Let's go for a boatride!"

"No, I won't row!"

"Let's climb that mountain, look at the snow!"

Oh, if only we could get up there and back,

Without walking the whole mountain track.

If you close your eyes and lay on your bed,

You can go anywhere inside your head.

If you know how to master the Traveller's Trick,

You'll be there in an instant and back just as quick.

Close your eyes, let the whole world spin,

The Journey's done before you begin.

 Photo is of "Moses", a guide at Giza 1989

Moses, Dudimose, and the Proposed Exodus Chronology

Introduction

The Egyptian pharaoh you were referring to is Dudimose (also called Dedumose), rather than Thutmose.

Dudimose is significant because a minority historical reconstruction, particularly David Rohl's “New Chronology,” proposes that Dudimose was the Egyptian pharaoh associated with the biblical Exodus. This reconstruction places the Exodus roughly 200–300 years before the reign of Ramesses II, rather than during the traditional “Ramesside” setting often proposed for the Exodus.

It is important to distinguish this reconstruction from the conventional chronology used by most Egyptologists. The Dudimose identification depends upon substantially revising Egyptian chronology.

---

1. Who was Dudimose?

Dudimose/Dedumose was an Egyptian king associated with the troubled period between the Middle Kingdom and the Second Intermediate Period.

His exact chronological position is disputed, and different chronological systems place him considerably differently.

The significance of Dudimose for the Exodus question comes from an attempt to connect him with Tutimaeus/Tutimaios, a king mentioned in the Egyptian historical tradition preserved by the later Egyptian priest Manetho.

David Rohl argues that this figure can be connected with Dudimose and that the political circumstances surrounding the end of his reign fit the biblical Exodus.

This identification is not accepted as established fact by mainstream Egyptology.

---

2. Moses and Sobekhotep IV

One of the most interesting parts of Rohl's reconstruction is the proposed identification of Khaneferre Sobekhotep IV with the Egyptian ruler during the early part of Moses' life.

The proposed sequence is:

Sobekhotep IV
↓
Moses is raised in Pharaoh's household
↓
Moses kills an Egyptian
↓
Moses flees Egypt
↓
Moses spends 40 years in Midian
↓
Dudimose becomes Pharaoh
↓
Moses returns to Egypt
↓
The Ten Plagues
↓
The Exodus

The biblical account states that Moses spent forty years in Midian before returning to Egypt.

Rohl uses that biblical period as an important chronological bridge between the proposed reign of Sobekhotep IV and the proposed reign of Dudimose.

---

3. Proposed chronology

Under Rohl's New Chronology, the approximate reconstruction is:

Approx. date BCE	Person/Event	Proposed connection
~1670	Joseph	Joseph rises to power in Egypt
Later	Israelites multiply	Israel becomes a large population in Egypt
~1568–1563	Sobekhotep III	Proposed period of increasing oppression
~1530–1508	Sobekhotep IV	Proposed Pharaoh during Moses' early life
~1508	Moses flees Egypt	Beginning of the 40 years in Midian
~1508–1468	Moses in Midian	Biblical 40-year period
~1450–1446	Dudimose	Proposed Exodus Pharaoh
~1447	Exodus	Israel leaves Egypt

These dates belong to Rohl's reconstruction rather than the conventional Egyptian chronology.

---

4. Joseph in the reconstruction

Rohl's reconstruction attempts to place Joseph much later than conventional Egyptian chronology normally does.

Joseph is placed around 1670 BCE.

The proposed sequence is:

Joseph arrives in Egypt
→
Joseph becomes a powerful administrator
→
Egypt experiences famine
→
Jacob's family settles in Egypt
→
Israel's population grows
→
A later Pharaoh no longer regards the Israelites favourably
→
Israel becomes enslaved
→
Moses is eventually born.

This is an attempt to connect the biblical narrative with Egyptian political history rather than treating the biblical chronology and Egyptian chronology as completely separate systems.

---

5. Moses' 40 years in Midian

The forty years are particularly important to the Dudimose theory.

The biblical narrative gives Moses three major periods of his life:

40 years in Egypt

↓

40 years in Midian

↓

40 years leading Israel

The first transition occurs when Moses flees Egypt.

According to the Rohl reconstruction, this flight occurs during the reign of Sobekhotep IV.

Moses then spends approximately forty years in Midian.

He subsequently returns to Egypt during the reign of Dudimose.

This creates a chronological relationship:

Sobekhotep IV → 40 years → Dudimose

That is one of the principal reasons Rohl's reconstruction is attractive to people looking for a specific Pharaoh associated with Moses.

---

6. Dudimose as the Exodus Pharaoh

The proposed identification is:

Dudimose = Exodus Pharaoh

The argument is not based on an inscription saying that Dudimose was Moses' Pharaoh. No such inscription is known.

Instead, the argument is based on chronology and correlations between different historical traditions.

The proposed reasoning is roughly:

1. Moses lived in Egypt.

2. Moses was associated with Pharaoh's household.

3. Moses fled Egypt.

4. He spent forty years away.

5. He returned to Egypt.

6. Egypt subsequently experienced the events described in Exodus.

7. Dudimose's reign occurs at approximately the proposed date.

8. The end of this period is associated with major political changes in Egypt.

9. Manetho preserves a tradition involving a ruler called Tutimaeus/Tutimaios and a period of foreign domination/expulsion.

10. Rohl proposes that this tradition can be connected with Dudimose and the Exodus.

The identification is therefore a historical reconstruction, rather than something directly demonstrated by an Egyptian inscription.

---

7. Manetho and Tutimaeus

The Egyptian priest Manetho, writing many centuries after the events traditionally attributed to Moses, produced a history of Egypt.

His work survives mainly through quotations by later writers, particularly Josephus and other ancient authors.

Manetho's account contains a king called Tutimaeus/Tutimaios in connection with the Hyksos period and the loss of Egyptian control.

Rohl proposes that this name can be connected with Dudimose.

If that identification were correct, it could potentially provide an Egyptian historical tradition corresponding to the political upheaval described in Exodus.

However, there are significant uncertainties:

• Manetho wrote much later than the supposed Exodus.

• His original work has not survived intact.

• His chronology is complicated.

• The identification of Tutimaeus with Dudimose is disputed.

• The connection between Manetho's account and the biblical Exodus is an interpretation rather than an established historical fact.

---

8. The Hyksos

The Hyksos are another important part of the discussion.

They were foreign rulers who controlled significant parts of northern Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period.

The conventional Egyptian chronology places the Hyksos period considerably earlier than the proposed date of the Exodus in Rohl's reconstruction.

Rohl's New Chronology moves parts of Egyptian history relative to conventional chronology.

This allows him to create a different sequence in which the biblical Exodus and Egyptian political upheaval can be brought closer together.

The relationship between:

Israelites → Exodus → Canaan → Hyksos

is therefore one of the major chronological questions in the debate.

---

9. Why Ramesses II is often proposed instead

A more familiar Exodus theory places the event in the 13th century BCE, during or around the reign of Ramesses II.

One reason is that Exodus 1:11 refers to the Israelites building the store cities Pithom and Raamses.

Because the name “Raamses” resembles Ramesses, some interpreters associate the Exodus with the Ramesside period.

That produces a substantially later chronology than the Dudimose theory.

The two broad models can therefore be represented as:

Earlier Exodus model

~15th century BCE

Sobekhotep IV
↓
Moses flees
↓
40 years
↓
Dudimose
↓
Exodus

Later Exodus model

~13th century BCE

Ramesside Egypt
↓
Israelite oppression
↓
Moses
↓
Exodus

The existence of the place-name “Raamses” is one reason the later model has traditionally received considerable attention.

However, place names can have complicated histories, and the presence of “Raamses” in the biblical text does not by itself establish the identity of the Exodus Pharaoh.

---

10. The major chronological problem

The biggest issue with the Dudimose theory is that mainstream Egyptian chronology does not place these rulers in the sequence proposed by Rohl.

Rohl's New Chronology substantially revises the conventional dates of Egyptian history.

Consequently, accepting:

Sobekhotep IV → Moses → Dudimose → Exodus

requires accepting a much broader chronological reconstruction.

This is why the question cannot simply be answered:

“Dudimose ruled around 1450 BCE, therefore he was Moses' Pharaoh.”

That statement would present a dispute

 Book on Amazon

 

GRAIN - the new pill is coming

 

So next year they are going to try to force everyone to take a GRAIN pill. it stands for general release ai nanites. just one pill a year and these tiny naites will replicate and spread throughout your system and detect things like cancer cells and destroy them, lower cholesterol, remove blockages in the arteries preventing strokes and heart attacks, repair damaged bones due to arthritis, heal cuts and bruises ten times faster, neutalise acidity preventing problems with digestion, ulcers and constipation, repair damaged caused by problems such as MS, prevent colds, flu and COVID, prevent hangovers from alcohol and much more. 

Will you take it, just once a year, Free of charge, although taxes may increase. most doctors surgeries will be closed and only accidents and emergency in hospital will be free and average life expectancy for the over forties will increase by ten to twenty years and for younger people by up to 200

Children will be given the pill in schools and babies at birth. we may have to have a few wars to reduce the population and couples will only be allowed two children 

 

Of course I just made all that up. But something like that is on the way, thanks to ai and the corrupt tyrants that run it, like our government.

Scientists Just Found Evidence That Ancient Egypt Had a Female King 5,000 Years Ago

Scientists Just Found Evidence That Ancient Egypt Had a Female King 5,000 Years Ago

 

Vice,  By Luis Prada, September 21, 2026

Over 5,000 years ago, a royal named Meretneith was the big boss of ancient Egypt. She was long known as a major player during the First Dynasty, which scientists figured out because her tomb was loaded with enough gold and rich stuff to put her on par with male pharaohs. But just how important she was during her time wasn’t exactly known.

Now, according to new research published in Prague Egyptological Studies, she was pretty important because she was a full-blown King of Egypt. 

The discovery started with an old black-and-white picture of a mud jar stopper dating back to the 1940s. An Egyptologist named Walter B. Emery found 13 of those stoppers in Saqqara, an Egyptian village home to an ancient mausoleum filled with Egyptian royalty. He claimed the hieroglyphs featured Meretneith’s name wrapped in a serekh, the official royal emblem reserved exclusively for legitimate rulers. Academics have long argued that the photo quality was simply too terrible to make such a definitive claim. Modern researchers just proved Emery right. Scientists Enhanced an Old Photograph and Discovered an Ancient Egyptian King Was a Woman

The research team partnered with a digital technician at Macquarie University to clean up the blurry picture to give themselves a crisp and clear view of the ancient ink. The results confirmed that Emery was right — Meretneith shared the same royal mark as male kings, meaning that she was a king herself, not just some power player sitting on the sidelines watching someone else rule.

This makes Meretneith the second recorded female ruler in Egyptian history to sport the serekh. Her rule was pretty interesting in itself, as she shifted roles from co-regent alongside King Djer to an interim ruler to the mother of another king. She was Girl Boss-ing it long before that cringy term ever existed, which she would have actively rejected anyway, since part of what makes her fascinating is that the researchers say she actively rejected the common titles associated with governing.

LIBERATION: A Song with words by Alun Buffry

From Dot to Cleopatra: A Complete History of Ancient Egypt

 From Dot to Cleopatra on Amazon

rom Dot to Cleopatra: A Concise History of Ancient Egypt is Alun Buffry's historical guide to ancient Egyptian civilisation, first published in 1997 by Frontier and later republished by ABeFree Publishing. The original edition is listed at 232 pages, while the current edition is substantially longer.

What the book covers

The book attempts to take the reader on a journey through the whole span of ancient Egyptian history, beginning before recorded history and continuing through the pharaohs to the death of Cleopatra VII—and, according to the publisher's description, somewhat beyond it. It covers:

• The early development of Egyptian civilisation
• The pharaohs and dynasties
• Egyptian gods and mythology
• The pyramids
• The Sphinx and other monuments
• Obelisks and mummies
• Egyptian geography and the Nomes (administrative regions)
• Archaeological discoveries
• Legends and historical mysteries
• Theories about ancient Egypt
• A guide to visiting ancient Egyptian sites
• Tables listing pharaohs and gods

The British National Bibliography classifies it under Egyptian civilisation and history to 332 BC, although the book's own description extends the story through Cleopatra VII, whose death was in 30 BC.

Buffry's approach

What seems distinctive about the book is that Buffry is trying to make an enormous and complicated subject accessible to a general reader. The publisher describes it as a "plain-speaking guide" that assumes no previous knowledge of Egyptian history. Rather than giving you a highly academic specialist study, it tries to guide you through thousands of years without getting overwhelmed by names, dates and dynasties.

The book also seems to have a balanced-but-curious attitude toward mysteries. The publisher's description says Buffry was trained in science and did not accept claims without evidence, but also did not automatically dismiss theories simply because he disagreed with them.

Why the title is interesting

The title From Dot to Cleopatra is deliberately broad. "Dot" suggests the beginning of everything—before conventional written history—while Cleopatra represents the end of the traditional pharaonic story.

In that sense, the book is really asking: How did one of the world's earliest great civilisations develop, flourish and eventually come to an end?

A useful way to think about the book

I'd describe it as sitting somewhere between:

A history book — because it gives a chronological account of Egypt.

A reference guide — because of its tables of pharaohs, gods and other information.

A mystery book — because it discusses the unanswered questions and theories surrounding ancient Egypt.

A travel companion — because it includes guidance on ancient sites for people visiting Egypt.

That combination makes it potentially useful for someone who wants an accessible introduction to Egyptology, rather than a narrowly academic study. The publisher specifically says it can be read quickly or dipped into repeatedly as a reference.

The other interesting detail is that Buffry himself has a longstanding personal connection with Egypt and later wrote Myhat in Egypt – Through the Eyes of a God and included his Egyptian travels in Heads, Hats and Tall Tales.

My overall impression: From Dot to Cleopatra seems best understood as Buffry's attempt to make the entire story of ancient Egypt approachable, while retaining a sense of wonder about the things we still don't know. It isn't presented as a conventional specialist Egyptology textbook; its appeal is the breadth of the journey and the author's willingness to explore both established history and the enduring mysteries of Egypt.

AncientA