Sunday, July 29, 2012 -

    A CLEAR Plan For The Regulation Of Cannabis In Britain – Public Consultation

    CLEAR invites comment, suggestions and proposals towards a revised version of its CLEAR Plan for the Regulation of Cannabis in Britain.

    The background to this consultation was set out at the beginning of July 2012.

    How To Respond

    Please submit responses by the end of Friday, September 21st 2012 to the dedicated email address: planconsult@clear-uk.org.

    There are 12 questions requiring response.  The reason for this is to enable us to sort and incorporate responses in coherent threads.  There is, of course, a final question to add any further information in free form.

    Q1

    Do you agree with the objectives of the plan.  How would you change or add to them?

    Q2

    Do you believe there is further research necessary to inform the development of the plan?  If so, please describe?

    Q3

    How would you alter the specification of the Cannabis Inspectorate or otherwise manage the regulation process?

    Q4

    Do you agree with the model described for medicinal use?  Particularly, is the use of existing pharmacies or a dispensary system similar to some US states more appropriate?

    Q5

    Do you agree with the model described for retail sale?  Particularly, in order to achieve legal regulation, would it be more effective to propose a stricter model with fewer outlets and limits on purchases?

    Q6

    Can you envisage a realistic proposal for consumption of cannabis in public premises?  Consider the smoking ban, the possibility of using vapourisers, is there likely to be a successful business model?

    Q7

    Do you agree that domestic licensing is a sensible proposal?  This has been the most controversial part of the  CLEAR plan 1.0.  We recognise the human rights arguments, that you do not need a licence to brew beer, make wine or grow any other plant.  Please suggest any other form of control or regulation of domestic cultivation.  If you believe domestic cultivation should be unrestricted, how should the concerns of non-users be addressed?

    Q8

    Do you agree with the model described for commercial cultivation? Can you suggest other proposals which would highlight the opportunities for new businesses and employment which a regulated market would offer?

    Q9

    Do you agree with the model described for managing the importation of cannabis?

    Q10

    Should the proposal for cannabis clubs be expanded or given more priority?  Are there are any changes or additional proposals you would like included?

    Q11

    Please provide any proposed regulations or control over advertising and promotion?

    Q12

    Is there anything you would wish to add concerning regulation of the consumption of cannabis?  Please consider the impact of the proposed drug driving legislation.

    Additional Comments

    Please add any further comments, suggestions or proposals including links to references or evidence in respect of your response.

    Print Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF

    Related news:

    1. Tax And Regulation Of Cannabis In Britain – Public Consultation
    2. A CLEAR Plan For The Regulation Of Cannabis In Britain
    3. The Future Of Cannabis In Britain Is CLEAR
    4. Sentencing Council, Drug Offences Guidelines. Response To Public Consultation.
    5. “Quietly, Cannabis Has In Effect Been Decriminalised In Britain”
    • sykesbenson

      Whatever it takes for Me to stop being classed as a “Criminal” and gives Me access to My true meds Im down with Peter mate!;-/ CLEAR FTW!!!:-)

    • http://twitter.com/l600yon Michael Lyon

      I really hopes this works, I tried to open a business account with HSBC today for a headshop, my answer!!! The bank didn’t want to be associated with that kind of thing, Its a joke its only a plant, Help me out someone this is all wrong. Off for a phat one now peace

    • ajmcmurray

      micheal may i suggest approaching virgin finance, bransons seeming pretty liberal theese days maybe its trickled into his business practise.

    • UK431

      As much as I think getting input from all stakeholders is important, wouldn’t this be better acheived through the bulletin board ? As this is likely to be an official party stance, shouldn’t the decision on how this turns out lie with the membership ?

      We all know there is a hardcore group that seem to think the general public will allow an unrestricted free-for-all where anyone including young children can get cannabis, or, elsewise think that if we were to remove the penalties for sale and possession that they could continue to produce large “for-sale” crops of green, or smuggle in hashish, and continue their lucrative “drug dealer” lifestyle.
      We all know this is why many of them objected to the tax, licence and regulate ideaology, but do we really need these persons skewing the results and destroying the hard work that Clears paying members have supported you for ?

      p.s. I do NOT use Cannabis, but I have had the unfortunate experience of one of my children being introduced to Cannabis at a very young age.
      It is the idea of a controlled and regulated supply that protects chiildren from street dealers, and also gives genuinely ill people a medical product that eases their suffering ( supplied on prescription by a doctor ) that I support; not a free-for-all for wasters.

      If regulation leads to users choosing another legal substitution for the incredibly noxious drugs we all know as “alcohol” and “tobacco”, then we can evaluate the net bonus to society as a whole when it happens.

    • Focusonpeace

      Yep i agree, regulation makes it harder for minors to obtain. in Holland where its not even Legalized, just ‘tolerated’ the average age young people first try cannabis is 20, in the UK its 15! This is down to prohibition disallowing regulation of any kind. Also when you take the forbidden fruit aspect out of cannabis it may make it mundane to kids. There must be strict regulation, one of the reasons why alcohol is such a problem is because its not regulated properly. Selling alcohol and tobacco in the same place they sell milk, bread and eggs just doesn’t make sense to me. 

      I would go for the dispensary model for cannabis like in the States, clean safe environment with an abundance of lab tested quality controlled strains including high CBD strains and cannabis for non smokers like drinks and edibles, tinctures and capsules, sold by informative people who care. But allowing it for recreational users as well as medicinal. Otherwise people who smoke it for fun, for meditation or just to relax will end up breaking the rules. But at the same time putting emphasis on its medicinal value.

    • ChristopherSawtell

      I do NOT use Cannabis, but I have had the unfortunate experience of one of my children being introduced to Cannabis at a very young age.

      What happened to your child?

    • grasmithy

         This is such a massive issue with so many pitfalls I have been dreading thinking about it.We may be in one of those situations where the remedy is scarier than the ailment.
         Our efforts to date have brought the”decriminalisation of drugs” to the fore but I think no matter what happens with other drugs cannabis should be made legal.Large growers should be registered and monitored.Home growers should be left to themselves with a few simple conditions ( 20 plants or something ).
      Stealing electricity for growing should be discouraged by any means possible.
         Direct taxation as is presently on tobacco and drink which are highly addictive is a moral outrage and should not be applied to a medicine like cannabis.
         America has managed to completely make horses arse out of their efforts stateside but that is the state of the States as much as anything else.
         Licence producers, licence sales outlets and charge vat on sales.The revenue that this generates combined with the monies saved on courts probation and policing will make it a nice little earner and also a massive saving for the UK taxpayer.We need CLEAR and simple proposals to put forward.The more contentious and complicated the proposals we make the more difficult it will be to persuade others of their value.

    • http://www.peter-reynolds.co.uk Peter Reynolds

      We will consult with CLEAR members with a draft of V2 before it is published but we want as much input as possible to begin with

    • MauriceRabbit

      UK431: Do you regard all non medical users as wasters?

    • UK431

      He was unlucky enough to have found himself getting caught by the Police for possessing a few grams of Hashish and was given a Cannabis Warning.
      This will show up on any CRB checks and will reduce his future employment opportunities.

    • UK431

      Maurice,

      I most certainly do not; my final comment was aimed at the minority that give everyone else a bad name.
      I have nothing against anyone who responsibly uses their drug of choice, be it Alcohol, Cannabis, Exstacy or whatever else does the trick for them, as long as they stay in control if their use, and do not push it onto school-kids.
      What I consider to be wasters are the layabout types that have never worked a day in their life, yet think the world owes them something; these are the ones that are sniping at Clear when they try and push for Control of Cannabis because they want a totally unregulated free for all; we already have this, and most non-users do not want this.
      I firmly believe that it is these type people that give the entire Cannabis reform movement a bad name, and the more Clear can distance themselves from these the better.
      The best thing Clear ever did was to try and move of from the washed out hippy look propogated by the old LCA that seemed to carry out most of their protesting when looking like a complete waste of space, and present itself as a professional organisation with party members dressed respectively, and conducting themselves in a manner that does not alienate everyday working class persons.

    • http://www.peter-reynolds.co.uk Peter Reynolds

      I don’t believe a cannabis warning will show up on a CRB check.  Records are only kept locally.

      I suggest you grasp the nettle and ask the police station concerned to confirm either way.  Your correspondence or a narrative about it would make an excellent article here.

    • http://www.peter-reynolds.co.uk Peter Reynolds

      I have no doubt that “stoner” culture and this self-destructive desire to be seen as “alternative” is one of the major obstacles to reform.

      Cannabis is a mainstream issue.  My best assessment of the available data is that while 2 – 4 million people smoke regularly, only perhaps 50,000 are bothered to stand up about it, for obvious reasons.  The other 3,950,000 are actively discouraged from standing up because of the spectacle that the “stoners” make of themselves.

      I know this will be an extremely unpopular opinion amongst those 50,000 but I believe it is the truth and it is the essence of the challenge that faces the campaign.

    • UK431

      Thanks Peter. ” . . . seen as alternative . . . ” is the exact phrase I was looking for, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it !.

      What this type need to realise is how ridiculous they look.
      I can honestly say that the counter-culture type make Cannabis look about as appealing as drunken street tramps or the saturday night special street fighters make alcohol look.

    • UK431

      It will not show up on a PNC check, but does show up on an enhanced CRB check.
      Not a good thing if you ever want to work for the government / police / army / as a teacher / in manufacturing industries where machinery is used / Driving jobs etc…

    • ChristopherSawtell

      Sorry about your son. It probably means a restriction on overseas travel too.
      The consequences of getting a warning infinitely outweigh the other supposed consequences of having a gramme or three of hash in your pocket!

      That is the reason I propose wiping the slate clean as it were.
      Refer to Section 1(6) in my “A Policy for Cannabis Production and Trade in Britain” document.

      http://berty.dyndns.org/~chris/01-CannabisPolicy.xhtml

      or

      http://berty.dyndns.org/~chris/01-CannabisPolicy.pdf

      for a nicely typeset version.Nor do I see any need for an Inspectorate. There is no “Alcohol and Tobacco Inspectorate” with power to access people’s homes.Once cannabis is legal, the ordinary person will  no longer need to grow their own because a superior product ( probably grown in one of the traditional cannabis growing regions ) will be available from you local outlet, in much the same way as a bottle of wine. Compare with the home brewing of beer and wine. Most folks just can’t be bothered.I like the concept of cannabis consumption clubs run by a board of trustees composed of local inhabitants. 

    • MauriceRabbit

      UK431: My apologies, that’s the way I interpreted your post. I myself am a recreational user. Although I have had lower back problems for perhaps thirty years and find cannabis very helpful, my use actually predates my bad back. To look at me you would not guess that I am a weekend user; I am in my mid-fifties, I have short hair and dress smartly. My house is paid for and I have two kids in their early 20′s who are both doing well. However, it just happens that I prefer cannabis to alcohol and for this reason I don’t deny my usage to work mates etc. What frustrates me is when people stereotype all users when it is clear they are basing their argument  on 1970′s propaganda and Cheech and Chong films. More suits are what is needed.

      I don’t think your son’s case will cause him too much grief in the future. 

    • Bob Chambers

      The only thing in these proposals I have a problem with is the home licensing. £120 a year/ £10 a month seems like it was pulled out of no-where. I’d be interested in seeing how you came to these figures. What I’d do is propose a 3-year license, and the cost would be the amount it costs to process an application, with renewal fees at a much lower rate (I assume it’s cheaper to process a renewal as opposed to a new application).

    • georgeclear

      I received a police caution for possession of a quarter 12 years ago, I was told it had a 5 year expiry date. I worked for various offices and recruitment agencies during those 5 years, doing accounts work, and it was never mentioned. The only time it was every mentioned was when I tried to apply to be a police officer and they refused to even give me the form! So unless he wants to be a copper..