Inaccurate, Misleading And Criminal

Foolishly, another cannabis campaign website has allowed the publication of claims that are inaccurate, misleading and illegal.

A notorious cannabis evangelist has been promoting his latest efforts in the manufacture of cannabis oil which he has christened pretentiously as “RSO”, an abbreviation for Rick Simpson oil.  While there is some exciting anecdotal evidence around the use of cannabis oil and a lot of good science that supports the theoretical possibility of its effectiveness, claiming that cannabis cures cancer is irresponsible and extremely cruel both to those who have cancer and their families.  It’s also very probably a criminal offence under the Cancer Act 1939 – a crime that has very real victims who deserve protection from such charlatans and confidence tricksters.

This is yet another example of how cannabis campaigners regularly sabotage their own efforts.  There is overwhelming evidence of the efficacy of cannabis as medicine and this sort of wild exaggeration, overclaiming and behaving like snake oil salesmen does nothing but damage our cause.

Dr Alasdair MacKenzie

Secondly, just yesterday, the Daily Mail published a story on a new study  published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, led by Dr Alasdair MacKenzie of the University of Aberdeen.  In typical, mendacious style, the Mail is leading the story with a claim that it knows full well is untrue –  “…smoking cannabis causes psychosis and addiction in more than one-in-ten users”.

I have been in touch with Dr Mackenzie by email and I spoke to him on the telephone this morning.  He is a gently spoken man who deplores the Daily Mail coverage and explained to me that the very reason he is pursuing his work is so that cannabis can more effectively be used as medicine. He volunteered the opinion to me that “…compared to alcohol and tobacco, cannabis is not that dangerous a drug at all”.

In fact, Dr MacKenzie has agreed to work with me in bringing a complaint against the Daily Mail for the misleading way in which it has reported his work.  Imagine my horror then when at the end of our conversation he told me an all too familiar story.  Since the publication of the Daily Mail story he has received more than 200 emails, mainly from people who are pro-cannabis and are attacking and abusing him using foul language, false accusations and entirely inaccurate interpretations of his work.

I am afraid that this is normal practice for a small but vociferous group of people who claim to be campaigning for cannabis law reform but are in fact the enemy.  These foul-mouthed idiots are as least as much an obstacle to reform as is the Home Office, Peter Hitchens or MPs like Charles Walker and Nadine Dorries.

If we want to make progress towards reform, it is vital that we learn from events like these and recognise the enemy within.

Two Cautionary Tales For The Cannabis Campaign - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Dr Geoffrey Guy, the only legal skunk farmer in Britain

Well, to be strictly accurate, it isn’t.

Since June 2010, Sativex, GW Pharmaceuticals’ super-strong, super-concentrated, 51% THC tincture of skunk cannabis has been available on prescription.

Sativex is the only exception though and the way it has been licensed is a demonstration of the dishonesty, corruption and deceit at the heart of the UK government.  The Home Office and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are involved in a calculated attempt to misinform and mislead the public that Sativex is not cannabis.  GW sponsored doctors, scientists and nurses promote the lie that there is no “high”  from the use of Sativex, even though the statutory product documentation describes “euphoric mood” as a “common” side effect.

Recently the results of phase III trials of Sativex showed that:

 “…the tolerability profile of this medicine is favourable, with limited relevant adverse effects and – particularly reassuring – the drug does not appear to lead to withdrawal effects if patients suddenly stop using it.” (Professor H.P. Hartung, Chair of Neurology at Heinrich-Heine University)

Yet the UK government continues to repeat the blatant untruth that “…there is no medicinal value in cannabis “ and that it is “..a harmful drug with a number of acute and chronic health effects.” – just bluster, obfuscation and nonsense

So, back to the question.  What are the reasons?  Why is cannabis still banned when all the scientific, medical, intellectual, moral and public health arguments have been won?

This is why weed is banned

The reasons that cannabis remains prohibited in the UK are:

1. The power of the alcohol lobby

Fronted by The Portman Group, a shadowy, incredibly wealthy lobbying organisation, the alcohol industry is terrified of a cheap, safe alternative to its poisonous products, the most dangerous and harmful drug of all.  In fact, there’s room for both.  Under a rational and responsible  system of regulation, all drugs would be controlled in proportion to the harm they cause.

2. The power of the US prohibition industry

Hypocrisy In A Spliff

When alcohol prohibition ended in 1933, there was already a massive infrastructure and that was transferred directly to  ”marijuana”, the racist term coined to demonise cannabis.  That grew and expanded into the DEA, which has become an out of control international gangster organisation, and the huge industry of private prisons.  There are hundreds of thousands of jobs in the US that depend on the prohibition of cannabis.  Even enthusiastic cannabis users like President Obama have sold their integrity and honour for the  sake of prohibition.  Woe betide the country, whatever the “special relationship”, that goes against the US.

3. The Daily Mail campaign of lies, distortion and forged scientific evidence

The Daily Mail has waged a disinformation campaign concerning cannabis for more than 10 years.  It publishes lies, exaggeration, falsified scientific evidence and, its favourite trick is to associate cannabis as often as it can with violent and bloodthirsty crimes, however tenuous the link.  Paul Dacre, the “butcher”, as he is known in the newspaper world, made a corrupt agreement with Gordon Brown to upgrade cannabis back to a class B drug in return for supporting the worst prime minister in British history.  He has no regard for the truth, for evidence or for the suffering his vile newspaper causes.

4. Corrupt and cowardly politicans

Gordon Brown said “skunk is lethal”.  Alan Johnson sacked Professor David Nutt for telling the truth about cannabis being far safer than alcohol.  Charles Walker said cocaine is safer for children than cannabis.  Nadine Dorries said one spliff will ruin a child’s education for ever.  David Cameron, like Obama an enthusiastic smoker when younger, defines hypocrisy and dishonesty in his attitude to cannabis.

5. The unlawful monopoly of medicinal cannabis granted to GW Pharmaceuticals.

The Home Office is engaged in a corrupt relationship with GW Pharmaceuticals.  It conspires with GW to misinform the public about Sativex and about the true value of cannabis.  It refuses freedom of information requests about all aspects of its underhand and dishonest dealings on the subject.  Home Office policy on cannabis causes direct harm to thousands of UK citizens and fraudulently lines the pockets of GW shareholders.

Super-Strong, Super-Concentrated, 51% THC Tincture Of Cannabis

6.  The self-destructive behaviour of cannabis campaigners

For years the cannabis campaign has shot itself in the foot by promoting its cause as an “alternative” or “sub” culture.  Irresponsible “demos” and marches have had precisely the opposite effect on public attitudes to that intended.  Stoners or big time smugglers are the last people we need fronting the campaign.  Public displays of cannabis smoking are childish and counterproductive.  CLEAR has moved the campaign onto a new level of professionalism and evidence-based argument but we have suffered jealous attacks from those who cannot campaign effectively themselves and so seek to sabotage or hijack our work.

"You cannot sustain a lie like this for ever". Professor Lester Grinspoon

These are the reasons that cannabis remains prohibited in Britain but there is hope.

Determined, evidence-based campaigning.

Relentless pursuit of the truth and confrontation of lies.

Responsible, civilised, reasonable argument.

The truth will become CLEAR.

Why Is Cannabis Still Prohibited In Britain? - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

At the “Reefer Madness” end are the sad, bitter ProHos like Mary Brett and Debra Bell.  They are supported by a group of journalists, some of whom share the same views, others who are simply exploiting the subject for their career: Kathy Gyngell, Melanie Phillips, Simon Heffer,  Peter Hitchens, etc.  In the House of Commons they are represented by Charles Walker, Nadine Dorries and David Burrowes.

At the “Crazy Stoner” end are the sad, delusional fools who think that displaying their use of cannabis in public is somehow going to persuade our political leaders and the non-using majority that reform is a good idea.  They disrespect the fears and concerns of non-users and act as if defiance and bullying are ways to achieve change.  They adhere to the  idea that cannabis should be treated the same as carrots or tomatoes.  They have a few bloggers on their side who exist in the same haze of hopeless hippy hypocrisy.  No one represents them in the House of Commons.

The CLEAR path to reform is responsible, evidence-based and sensitive even to the concerns of the extremists.  Writers such as Mark Easton, Tom Chivers, Derek Williams and Jason Reed support our policies.  They are represented in the House by Paul Flynn, Peter Lilley, Tom Brake, Julian Huppert, Bob Ainsworth and an ever-increasing number from all parties who are realising the truth about cannabis.

Pragmatism, respect, compromise and evidence are the CLEAR way forward.

.

Between “Reefer Madness” And “Crazy Stoner”, Is The CLEAR Path To Reform - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Fundamental to everything that we do is the democratic process. A year ago it was the 68 members of what was then called the Legalise Cannabis Alliance that voted to elect me as leader, to re-register as a political party, to change our name to Cannabis Law Reform and to adopt a new set of aims, objectives and a new constitution. Soon, at our first national conference, members will be able to vote on policies and campaign strategies.

CLEAR is now close to having 10,000 registered supporters. We are almost 800 full members and over 8500 Facebook members. We still need many, many more but we have put the cannabis issue back on the agenda as never before. We have elevated the campaign onto a new level of professionalism and evidence based policy. We are making the truth about cannabis CLEAR more effectively than ever before.

This is something that all of us who have joined together can be very proud of. If you contrast where the UK campaign is now compared to a year ago there has been a transformation. We are focused on the single issue of cannabis but CLEAR is now the largest, membership based, democratically run drug reform group that Britain has ever seen. We are making history.

So, how can we take the campaign forward? What can we achieve? What is the best strategy to create progress?

I believe that cannabis is a mainstream issue. Cannabis policy affects everyone, not just those who use it. Non-users and even those who dislike it are threatened and disadvantaged by prohibition. We all suffer from the crime created by a massively profitable illegal market.

So, to achieve reform, our most important audience must be those who do not use cannabis. They are the people we need to convince. CLEAR is not about promoting a stoner culture or an alternative or underground lifestyle. We say cannabis is not a culture in itself. It transcends many cultures, lifestyles and beliefs. CLEAR is about truth and justice, most importantly for those who need cannabis as medicine. We aim to reform laws which have been imposed on us because of prejudice and false propaganda.

So cannabis users are not the subject of our campaign although their interests are at its heart. Our strategy is to bring the subject into open, rational, informed debate so that progress can be made. To do that, cannabis users have to recognise the fears and uncertainties of the wider community. We have to be seen to be responsible. More than responsible.

The fear that so many feel, that is stoked up by the Daily Mail and by politicians like Charles Walker, is based on lies and propaganda but we have to recognise it. We have to be prepared to accept strict regulation – entirely disproportionate to the facts but as a means to make progress.

That is why responsibility is at the core of the CLEAR campaign.

We must set an example. Gratuitous displays of cannabis use or cultivation achieve nothing. In fact, they work against the cause. It may well be unfair and unjust and infringe our rights on all sorts of levels but if we want change we have to make it happen. Blowing smoke from a joint into a policeman’s face never was going to achieve anything and neither are YouTube videos which, in effect, do the same thing.

There are other groups that believe in such protest and confrontation but CLEAR aims to achieve real change in the real world in a practical way. We value and respect other campaigners but it is CLEAR that must set an example and show the wider community that there is nothing to be feared and everything to be gained. Cannabis law reform is about reducing crime, reducing harm, protecting those at risk. Cannabis can be good for Britain.

So yes, that does mean some differences in the emphasis of our campaign. The Cannabis Truth roadshow, taking the truth to town centres and local communities, will be our focus. CLEAR will be represented at every march and protest up and down the country but we will not be sponsoring them. They are not the way to reach the people we need to convince.

If you use cannabis then do so responsibly, with discretion but be relentless about advancing the evidence about its safety, medicinal benefits and the damaging effects of prohibition. This is the CLEAR way forward.

I make no apology for saying that CLEAR must be the acceptable face of cannabis. We recognise that cannabis is now much more potent than it used to be, that the lack of CBD in modern cannabis is potentially harmful, particularly for young people. This is another problem caused by prohibition in exactly the same way as alcohol prohibition led to high strength “hooch”. These arguments are crucial in campaigning for a safer, more intelligent, regulated system.

Claiming “rights” or expecting a revolution in cannabis policy is the stuff of dreams. It is unrealistic. If we want to make progress we have to be smart, not held back by stubborn positions.

What can you do? First of all, encourage your friends to join. It costs virtually nothing but means you make your mark. Then – donate! If we had just £10 from every cannabis user in Britain, I promise you, we could change the law tomorrow! Do your bit!

Join the members forum where you can discuss your thoughts and ideas and directly influence policy. Local groups enable you to network with others in your area. These are opportunities to organise against MPs who support prohibition.

Please join us on the roadshow when we visit your area. Write to your MP and register that you have done so on the CLEAR website. Join our Comment Warriors campaign and write to your local newspaper. A little effort from everyone will make a big difference. We are already a significant political force. Let’s make it so we can’t be ignored!

If you want to see an end to the prohibition of cannabis then the way forward is CLEAR. Join. Join in. Contribute. Tell the truth politely. Set an example. Work for understanding, not for division.

In unity, with courage, together, we will make the truth about cannabis CLEAR.

A CLEAR Future - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

From April until September

Early in April the Sentencing Council announced its public consultation on drug offences guidelines.  It posed the question as to whether medicinal use was a legitimate mitigation for a drug offence saying that there was “mixed evidence” about cannabis as medicine.  I made immediate contact with the council and they were quite clearly amazed when I provided them with a video of Les Iversen’s lecture on medicinal cannabis.  This shows the depths of ignorance of those responsible for so-called justice in our country.  To them the fact that the government’s chief drugs advisor is an enthusiastic advocate for medicinal cannabis was, to say the least, surprising.

CLEAR submitted a very detailed response to the consultation. I have high hopes that when the guidelines are published in January 2012, the cultivation of two or three plants will be effectively decriminalised and that medicinal use will be recognised as a important factor in mitigation. At least it should end the terrible injustice of some people getting major jail time for a handful of plants and others walking free for what was clearly a commercial operation.  This could be one of the most important developments in many years.

On 12th April, Justin Gover of GW Pharmaceuticals, finally revealed the truth about its Sativex strategy.  When interviewed in the New Scientist and asked about herbal cannabis  he said “If anything it makes it less respectable, because we have an alternative that is a standardised, specific and well-determined medicine. Medical marijuana is an approach of the past.”.  From this moment on my view of GW has changed.  Up until that time I supported it wholeheartedly but Gover’s words reveal the dishonest and malicious intent behind GW’s plan to sustain its unlawful monopoly on medicinal cannabis.  It has become as much part of the evil of prohibition as the government and the Daily Mail.  They are all engaged in a conspiracy to misinform and deceive the public.  There can be no doubt that GW Pharmaceuticals and the Home Office are engaged in a corrupt and dishonest relationship to the disadvantage of the British people.

It was also in April that Charles Walker, MP for Broxbourne, began to ask “reefer madness” inspired questions in parliament.  I made contact with him but he rejected my overtures immediately.  I didn’t know at that time that he was under a spell by the wicked witch Mary Brett.

As April drew to a close we were on the countdown to the first ever official CLEAR event, the Million Marijuana march in Cardiff on 7th May. The crucial factor was the publication of the CLEAR medicinal cannabis leaflet and we managed to get it done just in time.  The march, which was organised with great skill and much hard work by Des Humphrey and Rhys Morgan was a huge success.  Personally, I had to fight back tears as we walked through the busy streets of Cardiff which I remember so well from my childhood.  It was intensely moving to see so many people supporting us and to see people reading the new leaflet with interest.  At the end there were speeches from Rhys, Clark French, Levent Akbulut and me. Our star guest was Leanne Wood from Plaid Cymru, who spoke passionately calling for an end to the war on drugs.  As I write this, Leanne is favourite to be elected as the new leader of Plaid.

Around this time the CLEAR website first went online. This, alongside the Westminster press conference in September, was the most important event of the year.  Everyone involved in the website deserves great praise.  In those early days the key players were Chris Bovey, Fulvio and Jake Ish.

Also in mid May, the Electoral Commission confirmed that CLEAR was an officially registered political party.

Looking back now I can see that this was when the momentum around CLEAR began to build up more quickly than ever before.  From an embarrassing and ludicrous membership of just 68 at the beginning of the year, suddenly we had many hundreds more.  We were signing up dozens of new members every day and we continue to do so.

On 18th May we held the first CLEAR executive committee meeting.  The first item of business was to appoint Des Humphrey to the committee and never has such recognition been more richly deserved.  Des is now leader of CLEAR in Wales and director of the Cannabis Truth roadshow. There are a million things I could say about Des and his hard work and courage.  I’ll keep it to just two.

Such a position of respect has Des achieved in Wales that I know he has recently been counselling parents who are concerned that their teenagers have started using cannabis.  Des is recognised as a responsible, intelligent and wise individual who can be trusted at all levels.  He truly is an inspiration.

The second point is simply to state that Des is a man beyond compare.  If I had to go “over the top” than there is no one I would want alongside me more than Des, no one who I could trust and rely on more.  I would trust him with my life. We are extremely fortunate to have such a man on our side.

At the meeting, following the success of the march in Cardiff we decided to organise a further event for August bank holiday.  The idea was to have a outdoors march and rally followed by an evening event at which there woud be bands, stand-up comics annd other entertainment.  We also agreed to commission the tax and regulate study from Matthew Atha at the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (IDMU).  He had completed a similar project for the BBC some years earlier which had looked the possibility of a tax and regulate system for all drugs.  We prepared a brief which focused on cannabis only and which would require indepth research to establish baseline statistics.  At the time we hoped to be able to publish before the summer break.

Every day, the important regular business is the comment warriors campaign.  We have had a huge impact with this.  Look at any story, published anywhere in the country about cannabis and you will see that CLEAR is there putting across the facts, challenging prejudice and scaremongering.  This, combined with the PCC campaign, has made us a force to be reckoned with in the media and we are making a difference.  It is repetitive, time consuming work but I believe it is having an effect. We are changing opinions.  There is not an editor in the land who does not know that any inaccuracies on cannabis will be challenged, that any story that is published we will have our say.  This so different from the last 10 years when the media have been able to get away with just about anything they like.  Nobody has been bothered or even capable of calling them to account before but now we are doing it every day.  Instead of being a joke, not to be taken seriously, the cannabis lobby is now a force to be reckoned with.

PCC complaints mainly take place behind closed doors.  Those are the rules. We publish the initial complaint and the decision or resolution but usually, inbetween, there will have been emails back and forth with new evidence, negotiations, draft corrections, etc, etc. Some complaints are still continuing six months after they were first lodged.  More recently though, it is becoming harder and harder to find articles to complain about!  This is a measure of our success.

There was a change at the Home Office in May with Baroness Browning taking over responsibility for drugs policy. We didn’t lose James “Broken Britain” Brokenshire entirely though.  He continued to be the spokesman on drugs policy in the Commons and still is today even though the Baroness recently retired on health grounds and Lord Henley has now taken over.

I had what appeared to be a very promising exchange of correspondence with Earl Howe, who is the minster at the Department of Health responsible for medicines.  He impressed me with his openess and candour. He promised me a “considered response” to some detailed proposals on medicinal cannabis.  Then the shutters came down.  It was obvious that the enforcer had been in touch and suddenly his language changed and he started reciting civil service doublespeak.   I know this man was silenced and I regret that it is a black mark on his integrity as well as bad news for our cause that he was lent on and submitted.

As the summer arrived there were a couple of court reports where judges had sounded off about cannabis in the most inaccurate and prejudiced way.  Whatever the state of the law, it cannot be right that a judge can promote false science and speak in Daily Mail headlines.  The ignorance and propaganda practised by some on the bench is an affront to justice. So I decided to start complaining about judges!

The Office of Judicial Complaints (OJC) is a relatively new organisation.  In the old days if you wanted to complain about a judge you had to go to the Lord Chancellor.  Having now experienced the OJC’s response to two complaints I’m afraid I’m not impressed.   Evidently it’s one of these bodies set up to divert and appease complaints rather than actually deal with them.  In a consumer friendly disguise it actually shuts down your options.  It provides no method of appeal against its decisions and enables the judiciary to pretend that it is being responsible and responsive.  It is a waste of time and a sham.  It operates in the interests of the judiciary, not the public.

I’m thinking that perhaps a better way of addressing this problem with judges is to set up a page on the CLEAR website which records their statements.  When a judge spouts false science about cannabis it is a form of corruption.  Details of a judge’s “previous” available online would be a useful resource for defendants’ legal teams.  It might even allow for applications that a judge is unfit to sit in particular trials.  After all, how can a judge preside with any degree of justice if he or she preaches the Daily Mail story about cannabis?

Through the summer we enjoyed a massive surge in membership.  Coping with all this was Jan Wells.  She’s a working mother, wife and dog owner but is at the foundation of CLEAR’s administration. Without Jan nothing that we do would be possible. From what were a few index cards, Jan has progressed our membership system online. We are beginning to develop systems to integrate communication with members, newsletters,  fundraising, etc.  These are the product of success but require an enormous commitment of time.  Jan is the unsung hero of CLEAR’s success.

Then we had a direct endorsement from Professor Lester Grinspoon.  There is no more eminent doctor than the emeritus professor of psychiatry of Harvard medical school.  He provided us with one of the first contributions to be published on our new website.  This is an honour of the highest order. CLEAR is also a member of the International Assocation for Cannabinoid Medicine (IACM) and of the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD).

Early in June the Global Commission on Drug Policy called for an end to the war on drugs and, specifically, for the legal regulation of cannabis. In a reprise of the famous letter to the Times of 1968, Release organised the same thing again, a letter signed by many eminent people published as a full page advertisement.  For just a few days our issue was back in the headlines.   Most informed editorial supported the call except for The Independent which recycled the Patrick Cockburn “Henry’s Demons” story and published a spectacularly inaccurate editorial by John Rentoul.  As I write, the resulting PCC complaints are still in progress after many emails back and forth.

John Rentoul wrote on his blog how surprised he was at the amount of comments disagreeing with his editorial. He then went on to make what must be one of the most stupid statements ever published in a national newspaper.  He said: “It is a bad thing that the drugs business is in the hands of criminals. My view is that it would be a worse thing if it were legalised, and regulated or administered by the government.”

This must surely go down in history as one of the most idiotic moments of 2011.  How John Rentoul still has a job at the Independent on Sunday is a mystery.

Cannabis even made it onto Any Questions and the bizarre Tory MP Nadine Dorries made herself look ridiculous by saying  that the cannabis available today is “50 times stronger” than it used to be and that “just one spliff will prevent a child from reaching its full educational potential”.  I managed to get onto Any Answers the following day and was given the last 10 second of the programme.  I was able to get across two or three key facts but best of all, I had the last word!

Around this time I finally managed to gett a dialogue going with two key scientists: Professor Glyn Lewis and Dr Stanley Zammit who both work between the Universities of Cardiff and Bristol.  They are world renowned authorrities on the links between cannabis and psychosis.  While their work has frequently been distorted by the Daily Mail, it actually provides strong evidence of how tenuous these links are and that there is no proof of causation at all.  They were suspicious of me at first because for so long the cannabis campaign has had such a bad reputation but once we started talking they became much more friendly.  It is vital that we cultivate this sort of relationship and turn away from the tribal opposition to authority and the establishment.

I travelled to both Birmingham and Wrexham to deliver a lecture entitled “The Truth About Cannabis” to branches of the group Truthjuice.  Inbetween, I had disastrous car breakdown for which Des drove from Port Talbot at the crack of dawn to rescue me, and then he and I visted the Welsh Assembly member Peter Black in Cardiff.  He is a solid supporter of our cause and if devolution ever allowed Wales to implement its own drug policy, I think we’d have at least medicinal use very quickly indeed.

There was a horrifying sentence passed by a Judge Christopher Plunkett in Worcester Crown Court.  He sent a mother and a daughter to jail for 20 months each for just five plants and a few cuttings.  Such brutality and disproportionate sentencing is a massive indictment of British justice.  I wrote to the judge personally and had letters published in various newspapers.  Paedophilia and violence is commonly treated much more leniently and in my view Judge Plunkett is unfit to sit on the bench. He is the one guilty of a far more serious crime, not to say an appalling waste of taxpayer’s money.

More reefer madness came from the utterly bonkers Charles Walker on 12th June when he led an adjournment debate on cannabis and psychosis in young people.  I drove back from Wrexham that moning and met Jan Wells and Dan Ford in Parliament Square.  We spent the afternoon handing out leaflets all round parliament and then Dan and I went into the public gallery for the debate. It is well reported elsewhere but the most astoinishing moment came when he said that it is safer for children to use cocaine than cannabis.  As I say, he is under a spell by the wicked witch Mary Brett but the stupidity and irresponsibility of the man is unforgiveable. That single speech though has surely destroyed his career.  He has no more credibility left, even with those who support prohibition.

I had held out an olive branch to Alun Buffry by asking him to write an article for the website.  However, he again started to misuse the name Legalise Cannabis Alliance, setting up a YouTube channel in that name.  He and Winston Matthews continue up to this day to use the name and logo without authority and it is a regular chore to have to keep complaining to Facebook and other media owners about their misuse of CLEAR’s intellectual property.

BBC South East ran an investigative report into cannabis towards the end of June.  Remarkably they had purchased cannabis from street dealers throughpout their region and then sent it away for analysis.  The angle was about high THC levels and an almost complete absence of CBD. I was involved in various radio interviews and once again it provided an oportunity to explain how a reulated system would be safer for everyone.

Also towards the end of June, Mark Palmer represented CLEAR at the ENCOD General Assembly in Prague. On his return his analysis, which is accepted by the  executive committee, is that there is little to be gained from anything more than liasion with ENCOD or other international political groups, only a geat deal of expense which is best avoided.  We will continue to liaise online.

At the end of June, as a result of many conversations behind the scenes, Derek Williams of UKCIA agreed to come on board and undertake the role of editor of the CLEAR website.  This was a crucially important step in building unity.  No one has a more erudite and intellectually rigorous approach to our subject.  Derek is now a crucial member of the team.

In July the PCC made a major blunder and sent me a letter that was supposed to go to the editor of the Burton Mail advising him of a complaint I had made.  Included in the letter was a photocopy of a research study with a paragraph marked obviously as a suggested defence to my complaint!

Even now, nearly six months on, neither the PCC itself, nor the Independent Reviewer have addressed this issue.  Of course, it goes right to the heart of the integrity of the commission which seems to have little chance of surviving the outcome of the Leveson Inquiry.  However, we will continue to us it as a means of calling the media to account.  So far it has refused to uphold a single complaint although quite a number have been resolved by negotiation.  The complaints officers do a good job but the commission itself is a cozy, editors club.  Essentially it is corrupt and serves the interests of the press, not the public.

In July we launched the Tokepure campaign.  This was a relaunch really of an effort that Derek Williams had originated on UKCIA.  It is a simple truth that the most dangerous thing about cannabis is smoking it with tobacco so we have set out to provide harm reduction information to encourage those who are going to smoke cannabis to smoke it pure.  Derek is still in correspondence with Anne Milton, the minister for public health, who really can’t come up with a rational response at all!

Des was beginning to firm up on plans for the Cardiff event on August Bank Holiday which we had christened the Cymru Cannabis Bash.  As he put together a budget it became clear that we couldn’t afford it. At least, if we did, we would be gambling just about every penny we had.  It was an extremely difficult decision to make but we decided to cancel and put our resouces into a roadshow – what was eventually to become the Cannabis Truth roadshow and prove to be a very wise decision.

In August the government’s new e-petitions website was launched. Five months later the legalise cannabis petition has only 15,000 signatures against a target of 100,000.  While CLEAR supports the petition, it does not even guarantee a parliamentary debate.  There is much more potential for progress through the Home Affairs select committee inquiry into drugs policy.  We will continue to support both these opportunities.

Through August plans were finalised for a debate between Peter Hitchens and me to take place at the University of Salford.  Also, we decided to purchase a gazebo or kiosk for the roadshow decked out in CLEAR livery.  At last, right at the end of August, IDMU delivered the “Taxing the UK Cannabis Market” report. We had a press conference to organise!

This was to be the biggest opportunity ever.  It had taken years for the LCA to get a meeting with a minster.  We decided to take it to them.  I contacted the MP Paul Flynn who has been fighting our cause for 25 years and he agreed to sponsor a meeting room right in the Houses of Parliament!

Review Of 2011. Part Two - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Originally published on politics.co.uk, 21-11-11

The Unexpurgated Version!

In the mid 1930s, after the end of alcohol prohibition, Harry Anslinger, former assistant commissioner at the Bureau of Prohibition was settling into his exciting new job as head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and working on his next campaign.

“This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with negroes, entertainers and any others.” he wrote in one of Randolph Hearst’s newspapers.  Hearst was behind the organised campaign against cannabis hemp, then one of America’s most successful crops, by timber, oil and paper interests.  The strategy was to slur the plant with the racist term “marijuana”, demonise it, outlaw it and wipe it out.

Come forward about 80 years to the present day.  In the US there is the White House drugs czar Gil Kerlikowske and the head of the DEA, Michelle Leonhart.  In Britain we have James Brokenshire, the Home Office minister.  These people are faithful in style and message to their role model Anslinger.  They use arguments and propaganda of exactly the same type and value but adjusted to politically correct 2011 terms. Their weapon is deceit and their strategy is intransigence. The prejudice, discrimination and media scaremongering continues.  As Anslinger had Randolph Hearst’s media empire, so Brokenshire has the Daily Mail.

James Broken...... (complete as desired)

The Mail came out all guns blazing last week in response to the Global Initiative on Drug Policy Reform and the ex-head of MI5, Baroness Manningham-Buller,  calling for legal regulation.  Despite the furious propaganda war it has waged against cannabis and cannabis users the issue won’t go away.  Why?  Because millions of British citizens regularly use and enjoy cannabis with no ill effects and many find it of enormous therapeutic benefit for conditions such as chronic pain, MS and Crohn’s disease.  Also, because this war on cannabis is just another war on people.  It is futile, expensive and causes far more harm than it prevents.  It has created the modern phenomenon of rented property being destroyed, electricity being stolen with human trafficked gardeners and intensive production of high potency cannabis.

Buffoon

For forty years the Daily Mail has been running its malevolent, systematic campaign of misinformation and false science.  So successful has it been that it has had both the present and the former prime minister repeating its untruths like faithful disciples.  Gordon Brown and Paul Dacre conspiring together to come out with the “skunk is lethal” buffoonery in 2008 is one of the most blatant examples of improper collusion between government and media. In March this year, in a YouTube Al Jazeera interview, David Cameron made a series of statements about cannabis that are absolutely false which despite repeated polite requests he has done nothing to correct. Even more astonishing is the way the Mail has brought its competitors along with it.  Not just tabloids, even The Independent, which had made a noble and courageous stand for a rational policy back in 1997 was duped 10 years later into its famous “Cannabis, An Apology” front page.

The Daily Mail In Disguise

Duped is exactly the right word.  Amongst a torrent of sensationalist claims there was “skunk cannabis is 25 times stronger”, “more than 22,000 people were treated last year for cannabis addiction”, that there was “growing proof that skunk causes mental illness and psychosis”.  All presented in accordance with the Daily Mail stylesheet.  This year, the Independent on Sunday’s chief political commentator, John Rentoul, wrote “It is a bad thing that the drugs business is in the hands of criminals. My view is that it would be a worse thing if it were legalised, and regulated or administered by the government.” It is astonishing that a man who takes such an irrational and irresponsible position should be given a platform for such views.

All of The Independent’s claims were false.  The truth is that cannabis today is on average about two to three times stronger than it used to be, about 750 people each year are admitted to hospital for cannabis (while 3000 are admitted for peanuts) and there is no proof at all of a causal link between cannabis and psychosis, only of correlation and increase in risk – but the increase is far greater for alcohol and tobacco use, even for energy drinks.  Also alcohol is clearly proven actually to cause psychosis in around 1% of users.

The best evidence about cannabis and psychosis is a review of all published research (Hickman et al 2009) so, by definition, not cherry picked.  It shows that, although there is no proof of causation, the risk of a correlation between lifetime cannabis use and a single psychotic episode is at worst 0.013% and probably less than 0.003%.

High Priest Of Propaganda

The Daily Mail’s campaign has become self-perpetuating.  Its high priest was chosen as Professor Sir Robin Murray at the church of the Institute of Psychiatry.  Science is usually about dispassionate analysis of evidence but Sir Robin is a very active anti-cannabis campaigner.  In 2005 he found what he thought was his holy grail, he was a co-author on a paper which postulated a theory about a functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene.  This was reported as meaning that 25% of young people who used cannabis would go on to develop psychosis.

This single piece of research, which was only ever a theory, has been at the centre of all the Reefer Madness scare stories of the last six years. The Daily Mail and Sir Robin promote it  with vigour, it is the foundation of Mary Brett’s Cannabis Skunk Sense campaign and of the deeply irresponsible hysteria from Charles Walker MP, who even goes so far as to say that cocaine is safer than cannabis.

What none of these mischievous propagandists will tell you is that three further studies have been published since, the most recent just two months ago, that disprove the COMT gene cannabis theory completely.

But it is much more than mischief. This mendacious campaign has criminalised millions of citizens, worldwide tens of thousands have been killed and millions more denied safe, effective and inexpensive relief from a wide range of diseases and conditions.  What was originally driven by oil, timber and paper interests is now driven by Big Booze and Big Pharma.  The first is terrified of a much safer, non-addictive, non-toxic alternative to its popular poison.  The second is desperately trying to patent new varieties, extracts and components of the plant in the knowledge that modern science now proves that cannabis is as close to a panacea as possible. Only discovered in 1988, we now know that the endocannabinoid system is fundamental to all aspects of life.  Endocannabinoid deficiency is now being postulated as the fundamental cause of cancers, MS, fibromyalgia and many other conditions.  The only natural source of cannabinoids outside the body is the cannabis plant.  No wonder that 100 years ago more than half of all medicines in the British pharmacopeia contained cannabis.

The Mendacious Paul Dacre

The Daily Mail’s campaign has been remarkably successful.  Make no mistake, virtually all of the reefer madness can be traced back to it.  Other newspapers have followed its lead.  Even police officers and members of the judiciary declare as facts what are actually Daily Mail scare stories. Funding for cannabis research is most easily available if a scientist subscribes to the Daily Mail agenda.  The truth and the scientific evidence have been corrupted.  Irrational prejudice has been promoted and swallowed whole by many who should know far better.  It is a bandwagon that many have chosen to jump on.

What is the truth about cannabis?  Another myth is that there is disagreement amongst scientists.  This isn’t the case.  All the evidence points in the same direction – that cannabis use does increase the risk of psychosis and that the risk is greater at a younger age. This is meaningless though unless it is placed in context and compared with the risk from other activities.  Then it is clear that, relatively speaking, cannabis is very safe.

Professor Les Iversen. "Cannabis is safe"

The bizarre truth is that Professor Les Iversen, the government’s chief drugs advisor, is on the record saying this again and again but the Daily Mail doesn’t print it and the government ignores it, only accepting the advice it chooses to.  Professor Iversen is also a long time advocate of the medicinal use of cannabis but the government continues with its inane position that “there is no medicinal value” in cannabis. Simultaneously, the Home Office has granted a unique monopoly licence to GW Pharmaceuticals to grow 20 tonnes of cannabis a year for medicinal use.  You really couldn’t make it up, could you?

Just last month GW announced the results of clinical trials which show that its super-strong, super-concentrated, 51% THC skunk cannabis medicine Sativex has “…limited relevant adverse effects and – particularly reassuring – the drug does not appear to lead to withdrawal effects if patients suddenly stop using it.” – a far cry from the usual hysteria about psychosis and addiction.

There is a furore in the US over medical marijuana.  The DEA and the massive forces of prohibition see their business coming to an end.  They are fighting back furiously but ultimately they cannot frustrate the declared will of the people.  77% of of all Americans now favour legalising medical marijuana on a federal level.  16 states have already done so.  The market is predicted to be worth nearly $10 billion within a few years.

Last week Switzerland announced that cultivating four plants per person would no longer be an offence.  It’s one plant in Belgium, five plants in Holland and they’re even less strict in Italy and Spain. The Czech Republic and Slovakia are reforming their laws.  In Britain, cannabis production is regularly treated more severely than paedophilia or violent assault.  Just a few plants can get you more than a year in prison.  There is a brutal and disproportionate crackdown in Sheffield at the moment led by Judge Alan Goldsack QC and the South Yorkshire police.  Both the judge and police officers are on the record in local media spouting false science and encouraging hatred of cannabis users.

Medicinal cannabis is available all over Europe except Britain and France.  Residents of other European countries, prescribed cannabis by their doctor can bring it to Britain and use it without restriction under the protection of the Schengen Agreement.  A British resident would risk jail. The Daily Mail’s campaign amounts to a hate crime against cannabis users.  The Press Complaints Commission has proved itself incapable of correcting even blatant falsification of scientific evidence.  More than a million people in Britain now have a criminal record for cannabis.  According to independent research, every year our government gifts up to £9.5 billion to organised crime rather than adopting the safer, more responsible policy of tax and regulate (Taxing the UK Cannabis Market, IDMU 2011).

All these factors are combining to make change urgent and imminent.  We are witnessing the death throes of prohibition while its advocates make a desperate and frantic last stand, their final frenzy.

There is one huge obstacle left to overcome.  How can our cowardly political leaders find a way to save face while reversing the dreadful policy they have supported for so long?  If any issue exposes the hypocrisy and dishonesty of politicians and the way that the media has an improper influence, then it is cannabis.  We have to find a way to let them off the hook.

Miracle

In years to come, the attitudes that now prevail towards people that choose cannabis will be as politically incorrect as racism, homophobia or denying women the vote.  Cannabis is one of God’s greatest gifts with which mankind has had a symbiotic relationship since the dawn of time.  The prohibition experiment of the last 80 years has been a disaster.  A rational approach will bring enormous benefits to our country, save billions in wasted expenditure, create thousands of new jobs, cut crime and disorder, provide tremendously safe and effective relief to millions in pain and disability.  The time has come to embrace cannabis as the miraculous plant that it is.

Reefer Madness In A Final Frenzy - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

It causes far more harm than it prevents.  It is based on prejudice and discrimination.  Science, medicine and all the evidence shows that regulation is the only rational policy.

We have won the argument.  There are now two more steps we must take before change can happen.  Firstly we must defeat the prohibitionists, the ProHos, and their vested interests.  Secondly we must find our cowardly, hypocritical politicians a way to save face in reversing the disastrous policy they have pursued for so long.

Judge Goldsack, the brute of Sheffield

Martin Barriuso

The ProHos are fighting a  desperate rearguard action.  The DEA crackdown on medical marijuana, the frenzied scaremongering of the right wing Australian press, the panic stricken lies and blatant falsification of scientific evidence by the Daily Mail.  The vicious and disproportionate campaign by the Sheffield police and judiciary. In Spain this week, Martin Barriuso, president of the Federation of Cannabis Associations was arrested and held without bail just as he was about to travel to London to present the cannabis social clubs concept in the House of Lords.

Skunk

Don’t doubt that the DEA is behind all this.  It is an autonomous, extrajudicial army that answers to no one, certainly not the US president.  It is in cahoots with GW Pharmaceuticals  which last week released clinical trials data showing that its super-strong, super-concentrated skunk cannabis medicine Sativex is safe and non-addictive.  The medical marijuana industry in the US is taking off.  Israel and all of Europe except Britain and France are recognising the immense value of medicinal cannabis.  The Portugal experiment has now run for more than 10 years and is a resounding success.  The DEA is panicking.  An awful lot of drug war soldiers are going to be redundant soon.  Some very fat cats are about to spill their last saucer of cream.

Michelle Leonhart, DEA

Melanie Phillips, Tabloid ProHo

The vile Melanie Phillips reveals her own panic in an absurd diatribe in today’s Daily Mail.  A deluge of statistics clogs her article, even relegating her usual hatred and prejudice to second place.  Does she really think that the average delusional Daily Mail reader is going to read them, or that anyone else will believe her cooking of the books?

We are winning.   These are the death throes of the most destructive and evil policy that the world has ever seen.  Expect more violent reaction.  Expect more cowardice from Cameron, whoever is Home Secretary and from the mendacious Daily Mail and its stooges.  Expect more misinformation and deceit from Home Office civil servants.  Expect more propaganda and misconduct from police officers and judges  that see their multi-billion pound gravy train coming to an end.  Expect more bribes and under the counter funding from Big Booze and Big Pharma.  Expect more numpty politicians like Charles Walker, Alan Johnson and Nadine Dorries to do everything they can to scare and mislead the public.

Expect all of this and more.  But know that all of this is because we are winning!

The ProHos Are Losing And They’re Fighting Like Alley Cats - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

"Cocaine Is Safer!"

Who can forget Charles Walker, the idiotic and irresponsible Tory MP who said back in June that cocaine is safer for kids than cannabis?

Well he’s at it again with two rather pointed, written parliamentary questions, doing all he can to demonise, sensationalise and provoke fear and consternation about the LETHAL SKUNK CANNABIS! (Give him another large scotch before he loses control!)

To be fair to Charles (who another MP told me recently is a nice, sensible chap except when he goes off on his reefer madness), he has got the wicked witch Mary Brett behind him with a sharp stick and her sham charity Cannabis Skunk Sense.  Mary has some sort of control (?) over Charles and regularly leads him up the garden path with her cod science and distorted evidence.  I think they’re both married (to other people)  so perhaps I should say no more about it.

Forgive me, am I being disrespectful?  It’s just that both Charles and Mary turn me into some sort of Daily Mail-type hack and I have a pathological need to get down in the gutter and write as much drivel and dishonesty as I can.

So here are the questions and the (I hope ) helpful answers that I have emailed to Charles

Question 1 (click for full details)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment her Department has made of the classification of (a) cannabisand (b) high THC cannabis; and if she will make a statement.

(hot tip – Charles wants cannabis upgraded to class A+)

My answer: Mr Walker should read the CLEAR plan for regulation which sets out a fully costed proposal for a cannabis inspectorate including nationwide laboratory testing facilities all paid for by a cannabis tax. This is the only practical way to assess the cannabinoid content of cannabis and regulate it for the protection of public health.

Question 2 (click for full details)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research projects his Department is sponsoring into any relationship between high THC cannabis and psychosis; and if he will make a statement.

(hot tip – Charles wants cannabis to cause psychosis whatever the scientists say)

My answer: A measured and reasonable response from Ms Milton who refuses to be pushed along the path that Charles Walker wants to go towards reefer madness.

There is no causative link between cannabis and psychosis only an increase in risk (hardly surprising for a psychoactive substance). However, the risk as measured by Hickman et al 2009 is at worst 0.013% and probably less than 0.003%. Therefore the risk is far, far less than from the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, energy drinks, many OTC and POM medicines.

Mr Walker’s intent may be honourable but he has the sham charity Cannabis Skunk Sense pushing him and using its usual mix of distorted and out of date scientific research combined with hysterical moralising.

Mr Walker needs to face up to the reality that the only real way to protect children is a regulated system that takes this £6 billion market out of the hands of criminals. Instead of this present hopeless policy of “just say no” we need to start taking responsibilty.

Charles Walker Attacked By Reefer Madness (AGAIN!) - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

The iniquitous DEA crackdown on medical marijuana in the past week is appalling and completely contradicts President Obama’s assurances about respect for democratic state law.

Stephen Harper, the new quasi-fascist Canadian PM, has just introduced a bill which will make the sentence for growing more than 200 cannabis plants more severe than for child rape or forced child bestiality.

In Britain, offences involving child porn, paedophilia and under age grooming are commonly treated far more leniently than growing a few plants.  Deeply prejudiced, out of touch judges are distorting science in disgustingly inaccurate and discriminatory comments in cases they are supposed to supervise with wisdom and fairness.  Let me put on record the names of those British judges who, in the past six months or so have shown themselves to be unfit to preside in any cannabis case: Judge Richard Bray, Judge Nigel Thorne, Judge Alan Goldsack and Judge Christopher Plunkett.

Anyone who faces trial on a cannabis matter in front of these men will not be treated fairly.  You must instruct your lawyers to object to them taking charge.

Amongst our politicians, David Cameron tells bare faced untruths and refuses to correct them.  Charles Walker says cocaine is safer for children than cannabis and Anne Milton, the minister for public health, receives his comments with courtesy.  The ministers in the Home Office are beneath contempt for their dishonesty and perverse administration of the law.  Our health ministers are cowards who care not one jot for those who need cannabis as medicine and simply bounce enquiries back to the Home Office.   Mary Brett, the promoter of the sham charity Cannabis Skunk Sense, deceives and dissembles about the COMT gene scare story, despite it being disproven again and again and again.  Professor Sir Robin Murray, the rabid anti-cannabis campaigner, uses his position and qualifications to endorse false scare stories and encourage misleading propaganda.

Then what do we have from the drug reform thinktanks?  More reports, more studies, different websites, more pontification about international co-operation.  I am told that calling Charles Walker and Mary Brett “prohibitionist nutters” is name calling and doesn’t help.  A couple of months ago I was told by another thinktank that my style is “too confrontational”!

Well I say it’s about time we got a whole lot angrier and provoked a lot more confrontation!  These talking shops have a vested interest in prolonging the debate.  CLEAR is a political party and we are about making change happen!  Not after another report and another study and another couple of conferences on expenses,  funded by our worthy sponsors.  We want to see reform now!  We want to see an end to injustice now, not when we’ve dabbled and debated and discussed for years longer.

That’s why we need your support.   We need your money.  Democracy is no longer free in Britain.  All sorts of financial obstacles are placed in our way.  CLEAR needs donations now to continue the campaign, to take the Cannabis Truth roadshow all over the country.

We need a portable PA system.  We need a budget of around £300 for each roadshow venue, for travelling and overnight stays.  We need funding to print more leaflets, stickers, to get a T-shirt and merchandise business underway.

In return I promise you that CLEAR is not going to retreat.  We are not going to be subjugated, neither by the prohibitionists nor by the appeasers who pretend to be on our side but instead work for their own self-serving interests.    With your support we are moving towards a campaign of direct action that will overturn the inertia that so many buy into.

Think Greenpeace and responsible if dramatic protest combined with remorseless action through the courts.  This is where CLEAR is going with your help.  Please go to the CLEAR home page and click on the donate button now!

It’s Time To Get Angry! - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Well it would be, wouldn’t it?  It suggested that a functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene meant that 25% of those who enjoyed even the merest whiff of a joint would become instantly psychotic, axe wielding mass murderers.  The COMT gene theory was their dream come true!

OK, I may be overstating it a little but the dreadful thing is that even though the theory has already been disproven over and over again, Charles Walker put it at the centre of his nonsensical rant in his adjournment debate in the summer.  Judge Roger Thorn spouted it out in some ignorant and prejudiced judgment in Newcastle Crown Court.  Mary Brett continues to put it at the heart of the misinformation that her sham charity Cannabis Skunk Sense preaches.  I even saw the BBC let the Duchess of Northumberland, she of the Alnwick poisonous garden, promote the lie on its Country Tracks programme earlier this year.

Yet another study has just been published by the Glyn Lewis and Stan Zammit team at Cardiff and Bristol that shows the COMT gene theory is nonsense

We just have to keep on telling the truth.  Mankind has used cannabis safely and effectively for more than 5000 years.

COMT Gene Cannabis Scare Story Disproven Again - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

The Opportunity

It is certain that mankind has used cannabis consistently for around 5000 years.  In fact, it’s probably more.  That was the Bronze Age.  Before that was the Stone Age which lasted 2.5 million years.  Before that homo sapiens wasn’t even the predominant species.  I would guess it’s more like hundreds of thousands of years ago that ancient man first discovered the value of the cannabis plant.

Cannabis is mentioned in Chinese writings on pharmacology said to date from 2737 BC.  Also in the ancient Indian Atharva Veda from the second millennium BC and on tablets from the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, an Assyrian king, who lived around 650 BC.

An urn containing cannabis leaves and seeds, unearthed near Berlin, is believed to date from 500 BC.  Homer and Herodotus both referred to cannabis in their writings and the practice of inhaling its vapours.

Clearly there is something extraordinary about this plant, about it’s medicinal and other properties.  Crucially, we wouldn’t have continued to use it for all this time if it wasn’t both safe and effective.

Cannabis became politically incorrect (for there is no other reason for its prohibition) early in the 20th century.  It was fundamentally a racist attitude that first demonised cannabis.  Harry Anslinger, who was out of a job after alcohol prohibition ended in 1933, was quite straightforward about it, he said it made white women promiscuous with black men.  Then it was said to make you mad and violent.  Then the story swung in completely the opposite direction and it was supposed to make you apathetic and lazy. Attitudes have changed very little since.  When you hear people like Charles Walker, the Tory MP or the US Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske, and the ridiculous things they say, you realise that it’s exactly the same nonsense and prejudice as before.  It’s just been updated and tweaked for a modern audience.

So against this background, the huge, absolutely colossal business opportunity that cannabis offers is clear.  Something that is so intrinsically popular and valuable to mankind is suddenly banned and controlled as if it were a deadly poison or more precious than gold or diamonds.  Those controlling it have the business opportunity to end all others.  Now, they even have the ability to bring all the most modern weapons of warfare in co-ordinated, international action to protect and defend their interests.  Every police force across the world is engaged in protecting the cannabis business and, over time, consistent propaganda has built up a moral outrage and repugnance against what is actually a benign but extremely valuable plant.  The revenue potential is such that it means nothing to buy all the doctors and scientists that you might need to validate and promote your scheme.  These are the perfect conditions and environment to step in and seize one of the biggest and safest business opportunities ever.

It was organised crime that first exploited the cannabis market.  Now though it is government sanctioned monopoly and international law that has brought forth the emergence of Sativex.

Developed by GW Pharmaceuticals, with the co-operation of governments and drug enforcement agencies across the world, Sativex is  the first stage in a master plan to hijack the medicinal properties of the cannabis plant for private profit and to reap trillion dollar rewards under the patronage of senior politicians and the law enforcement and armed forces they control.  It is the ultimate scam.

The Sativex Scam part 2 - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Toilet Paper

Rupert Murdoch and his rags are no friends of the truth.  They have done more than their fair share of scaremongering and misinformation about cannabis.  He is popularly believed to have been behind Gordon Brown’s  ridiculous “Skunk is lethal” speech and the upgrading of cannabis back to class B.   Such are the dirty tricks, politician’s doublespeak and media manipulation that we are up against.

But next in line must be the vile Daily Mail, surely even more of a political lever and blackmail tool against our cowardly, grovelling political leaders.  The Daily Mail could decide tomorrow that mother’s milk is bad for you and there would be numpties from both the Tory and Labour parties eager to agree.  In fact, when Charles Walker finds out that mother’s milk is actually full of endocannabinoids, don’t be surprised if he and Mary Brett start campaigning for double mastectomies for all pregnant mothers.

We already know that according to the Information Commissioner, Paul Dacre’s goons were responsible for even more breaches of the Data Protection Act than Murdoch’s.  They’re all sleazy, deceitful muck rakers with only their own and their cronies’ interests at heart.  I’d bet my last fiver that the Daily Mail is responsible for at least as much disreputable, unethical, cheap and illegal activity as Murdoch.

This story is just like MPs Expenses.  They’re all at it.  They’re all liars, scoundrels and thieves and I am absolutely certain that Paul Dacre has exercised improper influence and exerted illegal pressure, effectively blackmail, on our political leaders to gain the stories and the influence he craves.

What About The Daily Mail? - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Dear Sirs,

“Time to get tough on drug law, Shannon to urge MPs”, the Belfast Telegraph, 23-06-11

I wish to make a complaint concerning the above article which is still available online at: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/community-telegraph/north-down/news/time-to-get-tough-on-drug-law-shannon-to-urge-mps-16015285.html

I make the complaint on my own account but also in my capacity as the Leader of Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR), a UK political party, of P.O.Box 674, Salfords, Redhill, RH1 9BN. For the purposes of correspondence, please use my personal address as below.

1. This article breaches the Editors’ Code Of Practice clause 1.i) in that it publishes inaccurate, misleading and distorted information.

2. It also breaches clause 1.iii) in that it fails to distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.

3. The article is presented as a news story, not an opinion piece. It should therefore be concerned only with facts – unless comment or conjecture is clearly distinguished.

4. Although the article is presented as a report of what Charles Walker and Jim Shannon have said, that cannot absolve the newspaper from its responsibilities under clause 1.i) and 1.iii).

5. In the sixth paragraph, the article states “Mr Shannon said at the debate: ‘In Northern Ireland, we have seen a rash of suicides as a result of this very drug.’” This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information for which there is no basis in fact. Mr Shannon may have been protected by parliamentary privilege when he spoke this untruth but the newspaper is not.

6. In the seventh paragraph, the article states In an interview with the Community Telegraph Mr Shannon said: “Charlie Walker MP, mentioned a number of people who have died of cannabis psychosis…” This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information that has no basis in fact. No one has ever died “of” cannabis or psychosis.

7. These statements by Mr Shannon are clearly designed to frighten, create panic and promote prejudice on the basis of falsehood and deception. To publish them without higlighting their gross inaccuracy and clearly distinguishing them as wild, extremist and false is to be complicit in them with Mr Shannon.

I would be grateful if you would deal with this complaint at your earliest convenience. I shall be happy to provide any further information required or to give oral evidence in support.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Reynolds

PCC Complaint. The Belfast Telegraph, 23rd June 2011 - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Dear Sirs,

“Cannabis is ruining lives – MP”, the Hertfordshire Mercury, 15-06-11

I wish to make a complaint concerning the above article which is still available online at: http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/Cheshunt-and-Waltham/Cannabis-is-ruining-lives-MP-14062011.htm

I make the complaint on my own account but also in my capacity as the Leader of Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR), a UK political party, of P.O.Box 674, Salfords, Redhill, RH1 9BN. For the purposes of correspondence, please use my personal address as below.

1. This article breaches the Editors’ Code Of Practice clause 1.i) in that it publishes inaccurate, misleading and distorted information.

2. It also breaches clause 1.iii) in that it fails to distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.

3. The article is presented as a news story, not an opinion piece. It should therefore be concerned only with facts – unless comment or conjecture is clearly distinguished.

4. Although the article is presented as a report of what Charles Walker said in the House of Commons, that cannot absolve the newspaper from its responsibilities under clause 1.i) and 1.iii).

5. In the second paragraph, the article states that cannabis is “highly toxic and highly dangerous”. This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information. It is a scientific fact that cannabis is extremely low in toxicity. This has been confirmed by every expert on the subject including the government’s chief drugs advisor, Professor Les Iversen. The therapeutic ratio of cannabis, the scientific measure of toxicity, is at least 1:20000 and perhaps as little as 1:40000. Neither is cannabis “highly dangerous”. Even if one argues that it is dangerous at all, which is difficult to support, it is absurd to describe it as “highly dangerous” in comparison to any other drug or activity. No deaths have ever been recorded as a sole result of cannabis. Whatever measure one chooses, cannabis is a remarkably safe substance compared to anything else. For instance, in 2009, hospital admissions for cannabis were 750, for peanuts 3000, for alcohol in excess of one million.

6. In the fifth paragraph, the article talks about “addiction to skunk cannabis”. This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information. Cannabis is not addictive. It is recognised that dependence may occur in some users but this is at a comparatively low level. According to the Institute of Medicine report in 1999, dependency risks are: tobacco 32%, heroin 23%, cocaine 17%, alcohol 15%, cannabis 9%.

7. In the seventh paragraph, the article states “Child and adolescent mental health services across this country are dealing with thousands of youngsters and adolescents who are suffering severe psychotic illnesses and there is a causal link with skunk cannabis.” This is a wholly false statement. It is a lie. Professor Glyn Lewis, of the University of Bristol, internationally recognised as the pre-eminent authority on the subject, confirmed only a few weeks ago that there is no certainty of a causal link between cannabis use and psychosis. This is an hysterical and grossly irresponsible statement which a newspaper should not publish without a prominent warning or disclaimer.

8. In the eighth paragraph, the article states “…one in four carried a faulty gene for dopamine transmission and if a youngster had that gene and smoked skunk cannabis they were six times more likely to get a psychotic illness.” This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information. It relates to research published in 2005 into a functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene which is present in 25% of the population. Just two years later, researchers at the University of Cardiff announced in the British Journal of Psychiatry that the link between cannabis use and the COMT gene was “unfounded”.

9. The blatant misinformation, untruths and inaccuracies contained within this article are so extreme that the newspaper has to take responsibility for publishing them without clearly distinguishing them as not being factual. Mr Walker was protected by parliamentary privilege when he spoke these untruths but that cannot protect the newspaper from repeating them without a very prominent warning or disclaimer.

I would be grateful if you would deal with this complaint at your earliest convenience. I shall be happy to provide any further information required or to give oral evidence in support.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Reynolds

PCC Complaint. The Hertfordshire Mercury, 15th June 2011 - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party

Dear Sirs,

“Cannabis ‘Russian roulette’ warning”, the Newmarket Journal, 13-06-11

I wish to make a complaint concerning the above article which is still available online at: http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/news/regional/cannabis_russian_roulette_warning_1_2762093

I make the complaint on my own account but also in my capacity as the Leader of Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR), a UK political party, of P.O.Box 674, Salfords, Redhill, RH1 9BN. For the purposes of correspondence, please use my personal address as below.

1. This article breaches the Editors’ Code Of Practice clause 1.i) in that it publishes inaccurate, misleading and distorted information.

2. It also breaches clause 1.iii) in that it fails to distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.

3. The article is presented as a news story, not an opinion piece. It should therefore be concerned only with facts – unless comment or conjecture is clearly distinguished.

4. Although the article is presented as a report of what Charles Walker said in the House of Commons, that cannot absolve the newspaper from its responsibilities under clause 1.i) and 1.iii).

5. In the second paragraph, the article states that cannabis is “highly toxic and highly dangerous”. This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information. It is a scientific fact that cannabis is extremely low in toxicity. This has been confirmed by every expert on the subject including the government’s chief drugs advisor, Professor Les Iversen. The therapeutic ratio of cannabis, the scientific measure of toxicity, is at least 1:20000 and perhaps as little as 1:40000. Neither is cannabis “highly dangerous”. Even if one argues that it is dangerous at all, which is difficult to support, it is absurd to describe it as “highly dangerous” in comparison to any other drug or activity. No deaths have ever been recorded as a sole result of cannabis. Whatever measure one chooses, cannabis is a remarkably safe substance compared to anything else. For instance, in 2009, hospital admissions for cannabis were 750, for peanuts 3000, for alcohol in excess of one million.

6. In the fifth paragraph, the article talks about “addiction to skunk cannabis”. This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information. Cannabis is not addictive. It is recognised that dependence may occur in some users but this is at a comparatively low level. According to the Institute of Medicine report in 1999, dependency risks are: tobacco 32%, heroin 23%, cocaine 17%, alcohol 15%, cannabis 9%.

7. In the seventh paragraph, the article states “Child and adolescent mental health services across this country are dealing with thousands of youngsters and adolescents who are suffering severe psychotic illnesses and there is a causal link with skunk cannabis.” This is a wholly false statement. It is a lie. Professor Glyn Lewis, of the University of Bristol, internationally recognised as the pre-eminent authority on the subject, confirmed only a few weeks ago that there is no certainty of a causal link between cannabis use and psychosis. This is an hysterical and grossly irresponsible statement which a newspaper should not publish without a prominent warning or disclaimer.

8. In the eighth paragraph, the article states “…one in four carried a faulty gene for dopamine transmission and if a youngster had that gene and smoked skunk cannabis they were six times more likely to get a psychotic illness.” This is inaccurate, misleading and distorted information. It relates to research published in 2005 into a functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene which is present in 25% of the population. Just two years later, researchers at the University of Cardiff announced in the British Journal of Psychiatry that the link between cannabis use and the COMT gene was “unfounded”.

9. The blatant misinformation, untruths and inaccuracies contained within this article are so extreme that the newspaper has to take responsibility for publishing them without clearly distinguishing them as not being factual. Mr Walker was protected by parliamentary privilege when he spoke these untruths but that cannot protect the newspaper from repeating them without a very prominent warning or disclaimer.

I would be grateful if you would deal with this complaint at your earliest convenience. I shall be happy to provide any further information required or to give oral evidence in support.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Reynolds

PCC Complaint. The Newmarket Journal, 13th June 2011 – NOT UPHELD - CLEAR UK: Cannabis Law Reform Party