Hi to all members and supporters of cannabis use,

Just thought I should introduce myself to everyone at Clear, I think most of you know how me and cannabis were introduced to each other. Well, I was born in 1965 so my parents were of the hippy age but were a long way from being hippies, my Father was a manager of an off shore on shore diving company, and my mother helped out in the local infants school, so drugs of any kind was a no no, anyway as an 18 year old growing up around the streets where our friend Howard Marks comes from (Kenfig Hill), cannabis was always on the menu, so I did indulge and yes I did inhale but, yes I did enjoy(I won’t lie like the politicians do), so at that age 18, I knew what I was doing was illegal, but everyone was doing it, no one I knew was going insane or killing anyone like the government wanted us and still want us to believe in, but I wasn’t using cannabis as a medicine at that stage.

I then joined the army in 1985 and stopped using cannabis, 1993 I had a nasty accident whilst serving in another country, fractured 3 vertebra in the lumbar area and 3 in the cervical area, was paralysed from the neck down for a few weeks, but after full body traction and a lot of physiotherapy I regained movement and made a full recovery, but was warned that suffering in later life would be the outcome, anyway following another accident in 1995 I was then put on light duties, and finished my army career a year later in 1996.

Problems had already started before I left the army, but try telling someone like me to slow down and find a job that requires you to sit at a desk all day; it’s like telling a cow they can’t eat grass (not cannabis), so in 2004 the final accident took place and that was that.
Anyway that’s when I started to use cannabis on a daily basis, now before that believe me I had tried every opiate that can be legally prescribed by any GP and the side effects are devastating , so 2004 was the year that cannabis started to be my medicine, and the start of my campaigning to get this plant of ours available to those that need it, notice I don’t use the would decriminalise or legalise, but that just me, heroin is ilegal, but your GP can prescribe it to you, so why not cannabis?  We will keep the challenge up for prescription cannabis.

The 1st Cymru Cannabis Bash 2011. A lot of hard work is being done by Rhys Morgan, myself, Mark Palmer and Reuben to pull this off, hopefully this is going to be a yearly event, 12 hours of nonstop cannabis activities; it will kick off at 2pm with an hours march through the streets of Cardiff City Centre, we have one or two celebrity guests that are going to march with us and hopefully give a small talk at the end of the march, where we will have a few stalls set up so members of the march and public can find all the truthful information about cannabis and hemp, we will also have a number of guest speakers and locally talented stars to entertain us till about 6:30pm, from there we can then all proceed to Koko Gorilaz, a five minute walk, were we can sit down enjoy a bite to eat and drink, watch some cannabis/hemp related DVDs listen to some chilled music, even go upstairs and use their shisha room, from 10pm till 1:30am we will then be entertained by Reuben Mc and a band called Captain Accident and the Disasters, there will also be a petition going around to challenge Wales to do their own independent study on medical cannabis, they have already refused, so numbers are what we need on the petition.

Myself and our Leader Peter went to The Welsh Assembly for a meeting with Peter Black AM(libdems), it was a very good meeting, with Peter Black agreeing with all the points that we took up with him, update to follow.

So 27th August 2011 is going to be a long day for most of us, I will need trusted volunteer’s for marshalling, litter duties, banner carrying, (as we don’t want our clear banner in the wrong hands like the last one), and leaflet distribution amongst the public. Look forward in meeting you all there.

Peace out to you all

Des