Monday, June 27, 2011 -

    Baroness Browning On Cannabis Part 2

    Baroness Angela Browning

    I wrote to Baroness Browning back on 16th May shortly after she was appointed as the new drugs minister.   You can read that first part of this story here: A Welcome Note To The New Drugs Minister

    I wrote to her again today.

     

    Dear Baroness Browning,

    I am very sorry that you didn’t bother even to acknowledge my email of 16th May 2011 (copy attached) in which I welcomed you to your new ministerial role and asked for a meeting to discuss policy on cannabis..

    However, I have now seen a copy of your reply of 16th June 2011 to Dr Hywel Francis, MP to my friend and colleague on the CLEAR executive committee, Des Humphrey.

    You will recall that Des is a British Army veteran who was injured on active service and is now confined to a wheelchair.  The medicinal use of cannabis has transformed his health and rescued him from the highly toxic pharmaceuticals which he was prescribed.  Cannabis has literally saved his life.

    Your response “Whilst I understand the reasons that have led Mr Humphrey to use cannabis, I cannot condone this unlawful activity” is, to say the least, inappropriate and unsympathetic.  Even the most rabid supporters of prohibition acknowledge that medicinal use of cannabis should be permitted.  Your repetition of the same inane, tired and scientifically inaccurate words that the Home Office has been churning out for years is deeply insulting to a man who has sacrificed so much for his country.  This is a cruel and irresponsible policy.

    Des, of course, is not alone.  There are tens of thousands of people in Britain using cannabis as medicine and for many of them, it has quite dramatic results.  What possible justification can you have for dismissing the case for medicinal use?  What harm could it possibly do for you to permit people like Des to receive the medicine that their doctors want to prescribe?

    This is an indefensible position for which there is no excuse.  It is clear that within the Home Office there is an obstinate and stubborn group that refuses to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence of the medicinal benefits of cannabis.  Ministers come and go but this out of touch and truly evil policy persists.  You duty here is not to the bureaucracy but to the people of Britain.  I urge you to take immediate steps to permit the prescription of medicinal cannabis by doctors.

    Bedrocan BV the Dutch government’s contracted producer of medicinal cannabis offers a range of products with various THC/CBD ratios for different conditions.  These are grown under very stringent conditions and offer standardised dosage for ingestion by an infusion similar to tea, in food or with a medical vaporiser.  All that you need to do is authorise the Home Office drugs licensing department to grant an import licence when an application is supported by a doctor’s prescription.

    There really is no justification for any further delay or for prolonging the suffering of those who need cannabis as medicine.

    Cannabis is NOT a harmful drug compared to the pharmaceuticals commonly prescribed for the sort of chronic pain that Des suffers from or for MS, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia or other conditions for which cannabis is very, very effective. I know that Professor Les Iversen, your chief drugs advisor will confirm this.

    The mental health scare story is a deception.  Again, in comparison with prescription drugs and other medicines as well as substances like alcohol, tobacco, energy drinks and even coffee, the risks of cannabis to mental health are tiny.  For people suffering from the sort of diseases I have mentioned, the risks are simply insignificant.  These are the facts and it is time for the Home Office to stop scaremongering and promoting misinformation.  You say the ACMD’s 2008 report on cannabis did “not indicate that there were any medicinal benefits” but I have a letter from Professor Iversen, dated 14th December 2010, in which he says “the ACMD…is not constituted to consider the medical benefits of any drug”.  This is just another excuse.

    Baroness Browning, it really is time to draw this absurd pretence to a close.  I would not use the words “cruel” and “evil” without proper consideration but they are an entirely accurate description of the Home Office policy on medicinal cannabis.  In all conscience, you cannot allow this shameful and scandalous denial of medicine to continue.

    I am asking you again to meet with me and delegation of medicinal cannabis users who will explain to you first hand the enormous relief that cannabis provides and how it allows them to lead full and productive lives.  Please will your grasp this nettle and show some mercy and compassion for these people?  Please will you arrange a meeting?

    Yours sincerely,

    Peter Reynolds

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    Related news:

    1. An Appeal To Andrew Lansley Part 2
    2. “MS Patients Denied Licensed Cannabis Drug By NHS”, The Guardian, 30th May 2011
    3. Cannabis Con Becomes Cannabis Lies
    4. A Welcome Note To The New Drugs Minister
    5. Sentencing Council, Drug Offences Guidelines. Response To Public Consultation.
    • Tygertyger77

      After all,a governments job is to do what the people tell it. It doesn’t work the other way round,that’s called a dictatorship.

      Please, do your job,and your duty to the people you “serve”

    • http://twitter.com/UKCIA UKCIA

      Nice try but this
      perfectly logical and reasonable communication will have absolutely no effect,
      Peter. Those of us who have been in this law reform campaign for a long time
      learned ages ago that cannabis prohibition isn’t based on any kind of evidence
      or reason – much less on compassion. Because of that there simply isn’t any
      point in wasting time typing out such messages to the drugs minister; she knows
      the real world situation and is determined to ignore it and she doesn’t care
      who suffers as a result. Such is the mind-set of the sort of people who make it
      to high political office. This isn’t a party thing either, Labour and as we now
      know the LibDems are just as arrogant and impervious to reason as the Tories on
      this issue.

      Cannabis is illegal simply because politicians and their paymasters have decided it should be and
      for no other reason. It is an authority decision which is not to be questioned
      and which will not be questioned.

      It’s good that you are writing such well constructed e-mails, but I don’t
      bother any more because I know they go straight in the recycle bin. We need to
      think of some way to get this message through, but polite letters to government
      ministers are less than useless.

      Depressing, but true I’m afraid. Unless you enjoy bashing your head on a wall, I suggest you think of some other way to get this message out there. I’m all ears…

      Derek

    • Stevester

      She is just a puppet and ill bet she could not do anything even if she wanted too . You should have just asked her to do us all a favour and sent her a bit of rope instead of taking the time to write a letter Pete .

    • Anonymous

      Maybe CCing all the major newspapers on the letters would create a greater effect, because then there is stronger public pressure to put some thought into the reply.

    • Fanampton

      keep pegging away; you’ll  win in the end.

      having smoked cannabis recreationally for over 40 years, i have no intention of  quitting my drug of choice.  infinitely preferable to being legless and prey to a vicious hangover, cannabis ingestion renders its users peaceable and genial.

    • http://twitter.com/dragon83uk Daniel

      This is actually something I was thinking about yesterday after reading an article on the Guardian site, regarding the Green MP in Brighton. Surely all the editors need to do to see the flavour of public opinion is scroll down through their various comments sections. It’s a beautiful display of idiots failing in the face of overwhelmingly basic logic. We need to start petitioning these people to be our voices (again). I’m no expert on current media moguls or their political opinions but I reckon there’s one or two that could see the investment opportunity in speaking up for the people. All I know is, not the Daily Mail. I’m not quite sure where those guys
      get their science but I have a sneaking suspicion it involves a
      one-armed crazy man with big red crayon? For a half way point we could ask that some of the other major publications simply run evidence based assessments of some sort? I’m thinking 2-page spread where each side of the debate gets to play their best hands.

    • SanjC

      I’m going through a similar headbanging exercise at the moment. Unfortunately we often need to prove we have exhausted all legitimate means for bringing about change before using more radical means, by doing this you keep public opinion on your side and they accept you had no other option. I fear the time for more radical measures will soon be upon us but will our battle cry be heard over the battle cries of all the others calling for change? I’m ready to do whatever it takes because without medication my life won’t be one worth loving!

    • Christopher

      I doubt she will even read the letter, such is their arrogance, you didn’t even get a reply last time, if you get a reply this time, it will be the same cut & paste mumbo jumbo they sent Des.

    • Neil_2k2

      Brighton City Council Debates Proposed Medical Marijuana Ordinance

      Why have CLEAR been so quiet on this Peter?? pretty big news and a credit to the Green Party

    • Christopher

      This is so true Derek. I’ve been writing to these people for years and no longer bother. It really is like talking to a brick wall.

      I do think individually writing to your constituency MP is a good thing to do, as some of them are more open to the idea and it keeps the pressure on them if they receive lots of letters about this subject.

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

      I haven’t seen or heard about this before Neil, only about the general proposal to move towards decriminalisation of all drugs under the “Localism” bill.  The issue has been about Brighton being the “drug death capital” of Britain and more focused on heroin.  If you have a link or some other material please let me see it.

      Of course, I’d be ready to get right behind Caroline Lucas and/or Brighton City Council on this but you should know that she withdrew at the last minute from participating in the recent BBC South East Today programme on cannabis.

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

      Neil, in fact the story is about Brighton, Michigan, USA!

    • http://twitter.com/dragon83uk Daniel
    • http://www.peter-reynolds.co.uk Peter Reynolds

      The story “Brighton City Council Debates Proposed Medical Marijuana Ordinance” (the clue is in the last three words) is here:

      http://brighton.patch.com/articles/brighton-city-council-debates-proposed-medical-marijuana-ordinance

    • http://twitter.com/dragon83uk Daniel

      You need to actually look at the link I provided, the Brighton in the Guardian article is definitely the one this side of the pond! From that article:

      “Brighton is the drug death capital of the UK, with the highest mortality rate from drugs per capita.”

      I think what we have here is a case of two Brighton’s doing much the same thing in a reasonably short time period. It’s just a huge coinkydink methinks! :)

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

      What’s your point Daniel?

      I’ve already commented on the Brighton Sussex developments above.  You’re just repeating what I’ve already written. The only real similarity between the two stories is the name.  One is about minimising the harms of drug use, the other is about maximising the benefits of medicinal cannabis.

    • http://twitter.com/dragon83uk Daniel

      Sorry, my bad, I’d lost the flow of the conversation. I thought you were saying that the US Brighton was the only story that had came up. Just scrolled back through and I can see where I made my mistake. I saw the bit you’d wrote about our Brighton and assumed the following comment was about that. Again, my apologies.

    • Anonymous

      I remember another government in the past that neglected the ill and infirm…maybe they’ll be building us camps next…

    • http://www.facebook.com/Sovoriltsiki Ådne Aschehoug Aadnesen

      it appears that if we have some disturbance with our brains,its better to zombify us slowly into death,than give us a quality life with natural medicine.
      Survival of the fittest i believe this is called.no mercy for the sick.
      the world has gone bad,its time to think and act outside the law box