Wednesday, August 8, 2012 -

    Prosecuted For One-Tenth Of A Gram Of Cannabis. Is This How You Want Your Taxes Spent?

    An Extract From Sam Merriman’s Summons

    We all know that possession of cannabis is a criminal offence. As more and more opinion polls are showing, most people in Britain don’t agree with that anymore. Most people also know that the £500 million we spend every year on enforcing the cannabis laws  is a waste of money.

    Sam Merriman

    This is how it happens.  CLEAR member Sam Merriman has been charged with possession of 0.1 gram of cannabis.

    This is a disgusting, irresponsible and shameful waste of our money by people who are supposed to be acting on our behalf.  Whoever in the Derbyshire police, CPS and court system is responsible for this should lose their job.  Never has there been a more clear cut example of a waste of public money.

    Most British people now realise that they have been fed a pack of lies about cannabis by a government that is in hock to the alcohol industry and that has granted an unlawful monopoly of medicinal cannabis to GW Pharmaceuticals.  We have been misled, cheated and deceived at our own expense.  What on earth was anyone thinking to bring charges over such a tiny amount of cannabis, even while the law remains as it is?

    This is stupidity on a grand scale.

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    • Focusonpeace

      0.1?? Plant matter that tiny is barely visible! What a piss take … 0.1 is not even smokeable on its own! Police arresting people for cannabis is their bread and butter. A safe easy way for police to increase arrest statistics.

    • http://www.facebook.com/ILoveAppleComputersInc Brad Lodge

      Absolutely disgusting…The police should give this guy an oz at least for the sheer force of arresting him for such a little amount….Fuck the police, Legalise cannabis!

    • http://www.facebook.com/ken.ferguson1 Ken Ferguson

      Obscene!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/Mr.Nick.Nasty.uk Nick Nastys II

      there was NO weed there obviously – they must have looked very hard lol – what a waste of our taxes – AND imo there was not 0.1g but LESS

    • ChristopherSawtell

      Total, absolute and complete insanity!

      Why did it take the police nearly a month from the time of the offence to lay the charge?

      I suspect the cop in question was out of his mind with boredom on a nice summery day and wanted something to do to justify his existence.

      If the magistrate has more than just a single brain cell Sam Merriman will be given a short lecture and an absolute discharge.

    • Ådne Aschehoug Aadnesen

      Its like being prosecuted for wearing a hemp-t-shirt with Bob Marley on it.

    • MauriceRabbit

      What happened to the new guidelines?

    • freespeechoneeach

      Absurd. There’s probably that much in the average vacuum cleaner.

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

      i am ashamed to be british leave the lad alone, he could of been pissed fighting people then where are the police??????

    • elgato afortunado

      WoW!! have been busy of late and this absolutely reeks of prejudice, would it be possible to run a cannabis truth roadshow outside the court on the day of the hearing? Inform the General Public who walk by just how much this is costing, tell them!!! they will then tell their mates/family who will tell there mates and so on, I should imagine a petition of some sort would be heavily supported by almost every person who stops to listen to what is happening.

      Get the local press? there too but don’t expect any positive coverage from them..

      just checked the date on me puter and surprised that it says 2012.. reading this was expecting a knock on the door from the Witchfinder General no less.

    • david hulse

      lol i know a lot lot of police officers and they all agree with us, but want to get promoted and such, so they must follow the rules at the end of the day, i personally blame the ignorance of the prostitution systems, according to them its ok to go and diddle kids and murder people, but dont you dare smoke weed in the process or there will be trouble.

    • http://www.facebook.com/taylor.dockerty Tay Dockerty

      sounds like they weighed an empty bag

    • david hulse

      i agree we should have more rally’s and stuff, its pointless sitting here and typing how disgusted we are, we should be out there every free hour we get fighting for our rights as free individuals, the government have the power to censer the news in there favor, its up to us to get out on the streets providing information, instead of hoping for some people to stumble onto websites such as these, we should hold a public rally every month or so in each city, who’s on board, i will do everything i can to make people aware in Manchester but i cant do it alone, we need to take this up a step as they do, and let them know that we are here to stay and that is that

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

      Marches and rallies achieve nothing David. In fact, they are counterproductive. They separate cannabis users from the rest of society and reinforce the falsehood that we are an “alternative” or “sub” culture.

      Do you know how many marches there have been in London recently of 50,000 people or more that haven’t been covered by the media at all? The most we’ve ever got in Britain for cannabis has been 3,000 maximum. In Canada where they regularly get 25-30,000 on the Global Marijuana march, the latest government is even stronger on prohibition that the previous one.

      The only way to win this war is by working through the system, boring and frustrating that it is. In Britain, marches and protests are nothing more than social events to make everyone involved feel good about the cause. Other than that they achieve nothing.

    • david hulse

      ahh ok, just sick and tired of all this mess lol but i dont need to tell u lol

    • http://www.facebook.com/joseph.hamilton.420 Joseph Hamilton

      How much is this have costing us tax-payers to charge poor Sam Merriman with possession of about £1 worth of cannabis? This is a disgusting waste of time and money by the police and justice system which should be put to better use putting away REAL criminals.

    • http://www.facebook.com/joseph.hamilton.420 Joseph Hamilton

      “prostitution systems” do you mean prosecution systems? put a smile on my face though thanks :)

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1411445059 Rich Devereux

      That’s just great..this country is pathetic..Why do our brainless Government stop us from using the medication of our choice. I will tell you why, Glaxo & the rest of the coffer liners..

    • http://www.facebook.com/lerizzla Le Roy Elliott

      ive been fighting a 0.2g possesion charge for over a year.. looks like I will get convicted on 2nd october.
      then my £18.5k taxed salary might soon be turned into a £40/week jobseeker claim, and seeing as my current job requires a clean PVG disclosure i might be unemployed for a while.

    • MeeMan

      If someone had taken the time to Google “Drugs (Reclassification) Bill 2007/8″ then they would have seen on the Home Office’s own website that Cannabis is STILL Class C and NOT Class B.
      The Bill mentioned is to reclassify Cannabis from Class C to Class B but is only at the third stage of review in the House of Commons and has NOT been passed into Law yet.
      This guy’s paperwork is a fraud!!! The Police are relying on your ignorance to get away with this crime.
      For the record, possession of Cannabis is NOT a criminal offence, as stated in the note above. It’s considered a legal offence NOT a criminal one. That’s two vital mistakes they’ve made to criminalise someone that hasn’t actually committed a crime.

      Do you still think the Police are doing a good job? Neither do I.