Peter Hitchens Rides Off Into the Sunset

Peter Hitchens

My ol’ chum Peter Hitchens is back for his last hurrah.  The book is out and the promotional campaign must start, even if the powder is wet and the infantry has failed to show up.

“The day Britain lost the war on drugs: The liberals who left us a devastating legacy” –  The Mail on Sunday today

What a sad and pale imitation of those glorious anti-cannabis tirades that Peter H used to pen in the Daily Mail of yore! Truly how the mighty are fallen! Note carefully the influence of the Mail’s sub-editors and legal advisers. It’s all “could” and “might” and “is associated with” – even “it is not possible to say“! No longer can Peter use the false claims, distortions of science and nonsensical blathering of the past. The editors at Northcliffe House know full well that even a toothless PCC complaint will rein in his worst excesses.

Peter is hoist on his own petard when he adduces “frequent newspaper accounts” as evidence that cannabis causes violent behaviour. This is a desperate last stand that won’t convince even most on his own side. Cannabis is a much kinder and gentler condiment to life and enjoyment than any other and this is common knowledge

On a more positive angle, notice Peter’s remarks about the official “contradictory, self-defeating hysteria” to the production and sale of cannabis. He points out the ludicrous, futile posturing and waste of taxpayers’ money inevitable around a law that has no basis in evidence, common sense or logic.

The clue to it all is at the very end where full details including an order line telephone number are provided for Peter’s book, “The War We Never Fought”. Personally I’m expecting an autographed copy to be placed in my hand when Peter and I next meet to debate our favourite subject at the University of Exeter in November. Aficionados of “reefer madness” will be relieved that there his rhetoric, cant and rabble rousing will not be restrained by any considerations of fact, evidence or accuracy.

Oh all right then, here it is on Amazon: “The War We Never Fought: The British Establishment’s Surrender To Drugs”