The northlondonhippy

Archive for the ‘drugs’ Category

Yesterday, legislators in the US state of California took the first real step towards a fully legalised, regulated and taxed cannabis market. Earlier this week, the US state of New Jersey legalised cannabis for medical use.

All over America, attitudes and laws are changing and changing fast.

What are we doing wrong here in the United Kingdom?

Lots, by the look of it. How is it possible that we are falling behind America on this very important issue?

A few years ago, the situation was reversed. The attitude here to weed was relaxing, Tony Blair and David Blunkett downgraded cannabis to Class C, making possession a very minor offence. In America, so much as a seed or a used hash pipe was enough in most states to get you a lengthy, mandatory prison sentence.

Cannabis didn’t remain Class C for long, as Gordon Brown asked the ACMD to review its status. The ACMD did just that, twice and recommended that it remain in Class C. That was unacceptable to our very desperate and weak, make-believe Prime Minister and he pushed ahead with restoring cannabis to to Class B. Class B increased penalties for possession, but had no effect on production or distribution, the penalties are the same for either classification. Gordon wanted to send a “strong message” that cannabis was a “dangerous, deadly drug”.

Now, you can ask any teenager if cannabis is lethal and once they stop laughing, they will set you straight. Cannabis is in no way lethal, but our current government and ruling party don’t have a problem lying to the general public about anything. These are the same shitbags that invaded Iraq on the basis of utter fabrication, so a little white lie about weed won’t cause any issues with their consciences.

Well, I can tell you right now, its causing major issues with mine!

America is moving apace to legalise weed. This is a huge shift in attitude and approach from their previous policy of “just say no” and the war on drugs. Its seismic!

America is the most litigious country in the world, if there were any risks to cannabis, someone would be getting sued for damages, whether its the government for allowing it or the people who provide it. America has accepted that cannabis is not a bad thing, but a beneficial product that can help millions medically.

C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General of the United States declared that cannabis was the “most therapeutically beneficial substance known to man” years ago, but it is only now that America is accepting his assessment. At least they got there in the end.

We are still so far away from taking a common sense approach that I’m not sure what to do. Gordon Brown, in his ignorance and desire to appear strong on drugs, has set the cause back at least a decade. Its time we regain some of our lost ground.

Its not just America, many countries have relaxed their drug policies to reflect common sense, the most recent being the Czech Republic. How could the UK be lagging behind them?

We’re lagging behind almost everyone.

I want to change that. I am going to change that.

I just don’t know how yet.

Every journey starts with a first step and this is mine. My goal for 2010 is to combat the ignorance and stupidity that is UK drug policy. Its time for all decent, upstanding, otherwise law abiding residents of this fine country to stand up and demand that they are not criminalised for enjoying a smoke.

We can fight the lies, we can fight the ignorance. We can fight, fight fight until we get what we want, which is a legalised, regulated and taxed cannabis market. The time is now!

A year from now, we will be closer to our goal.You have my word on it.

Martin Luther King, the famous and revered American civil rights activist once said, “…there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that, “an unjust law is no law at all.””

Memo to self: Must try harder!

I don’t really write myself memos, that would be stupid and probably a bit too neurotic and tight-assed even for me, but that doesn’t take away from the message.

To be fair on myself, I had a very busy October, working more last month than I have in a very long time, nearly 18 months. That’s a year and half to normal people.

This is going to be one of those rambling posts with no set agenda or dominant topic. Its the blogging equivalent of singing scat. Be bop be bop wow.

I probably shouldn’t use the word “scat” on my website, as it does have other meanings outside of the world of jizz, I mean jazz. Too late, so let’s just forget about it.

I’ve got a few days off, which is always welcome and I am hoping to receive my very own Eigenharp Pico. When I ordered it a couple of weeks ago, they said it should ship out today!

What’s an Eigenharp? Its a brand new electronic musical instrument, its available in 2 models, the Alpha, which is the professional, full sized version which is pricey as fuck and the Pico, its more affordable baby brother.

Rather than have me try to explain all this to you, why don’t you CLICK HERE and check it out for yourself. Once you get there, go to The Roadshow section and watch the short You Tube video. But be careful, you will end up wanting one yourself.

http://www.eigenlabs.com/

I have no idea what exactly I am going to do with an Eigenharp Pico, but I am planning on using it when I finally record the northlondonhippy album. I know, I know, I’ve threatened to do this before, but I feel ready to invest the time, effort, blood, sweat and tears to do it now.

I’ve upgraded to the latest version of Logic Studio, I’ve updated the drivers for my Roland UA-25 interface, I’ve got a decent microphone, a midi keyboard, a Fender Telecaster and soon my Pico. Now, if I can find some talent somewhere inside me, I’ll be laughing.

And don’t worry, my plan remains the same…to record 10 songs which you can download for free, burn onto CD, put on your iPhone or iPod and just groove out with the hippy.

To give it the full title, it will be called:

“the northlondonhippy & the seven deadly sins: 10 songs about sex & death”

The seven deadly sins are my make believe band. I don’t really have a band, but if I did that’s what they would be called. And they would rock hard and be tight as fuck, but mainly they would do everything they could to make me look good.

I’ll probably never really have a band.

“10 songs about sex & death” is rather self-explanatory as ultimately they are the only 2 things in life that really matter. All the rest is just to kill time in-between.

I reckon I’ve got at least one album in me, but then I think most people do if they knew how to tap into it. Its the same with novels, screenplays, whatever. If I can tap into it, it should be fun.

And I’ll say it again, if I get one million downloads, I’m booking Wembley for a concert. Not the Stadium, but the Arena. I’m not completely crazy.

I won’t get a million downloads in a million years, so I think I’m safe. And let’s face it, if a complete nobody like me can rack up 1 million downloads, then someone will wanna sponsor and promote my big Wembley gig.

Tickets won’t be free, but they’ll be affordable. The real money will come from the concession stands, tee-shirts and northlondonhippy souvenirs, as long as my factories in China can keep up with demand. If they can’t, I’ll just have another school closed and bring in more children. They work for candy.

Do you keep up with my musical tastes on Last.FM? You should, because every song I play, at home or on the move, is scrobbled to my account there. Username is: n_londonhippy

I used to have a Last.FM widget here on my website, but it broke after a recent WordPress update. I will get it replaced as soon as there’s a working version of the plug-in again.

You might have caught that cannabis has been back in the headlines here in the UK as the government’s chief advisory on drugs policy was sacked for telling the truth. Well, a truth that completely contradicts the governments own policies.

I’m not going to re-hash (see what I did there?) the whole thing now, because it hasn’t reached its conclusion yet. I expect there will be some movement tomorrow, as the Home Secretary who sacked the chief advisor is meeting with the remnants of the advisory board to discuss its future.

In a nutshell, since 1971, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has been advising the UK government on drugs policy. No sitting government has ever ignored the ACMD’s advice, until a couple of years ago when they returned weed to Class B from Class C, against the recommendation of the panel.

The only thing that changed by reinstating cannabis’s Class B status is the penalty for possession, which at that level is 5 years in the slammer for even a small amount. That’s madcrazybatshitstupid.

Polls have shown that the majority of people think a 5 year sentence for simple cannabis possession is too much, but the same polls also say the public wanted to see cannabis returned to Class B. Guess why? Because no one explained that Class B meant 5 years. If you don’t give them all the facts, then how can your poll be accurate?

The head of the ACMD, a smart and eminently qualified gentleman by the name of Professor David Nutt has refused to parrot the govt’s lies. He has also been quite vocal in pointing out the many flaws in the current antiquated drug laws. Since he was sacked, he went from vocal to angry and he’s been extremely forthright in his rather accurate criticisms of the government.

Two other members of the ACMD quit in protest over Nutt’s sacking and the rest of the members may very well do the same, if the Home Secretary can’t sort this all out. My guess is he can’t, and the British government’s drug policy will descend even further into chaos.

As you can imagine, I’ve been following this one quite closely and if you follow me on Twitter, I’ve tweeted dozens of links to news stories pertaining to all this.

Do I think this will lead to a break through in drugs policy? Nope, but I’m usually a pessimist anyway. What I do think is its brought the debate back to the fore and that’s never a bad thing. And if more people in this country wake up to the truth about weed, that’s not a bad thing either.

Eventually the drug laws will change, I just hope I live long enough to see it happen.

Like I said, I’m planning to do a lot more on this rather complex story after tomorrow. I just want to see how it all plays out.

I think I’ve rambled enough now, if you’ve made it this far, well done you. You are clearly someone of excellent taste, a superior intellect and nothing better to do to do with your free time. I think I’ll join you on that third one, its time to go vegetate in front of some fine televisual entertainment. Family Guy here I come.

Blah, blah, blah.

That’s what other people’s excuses and apologies sound like to my jaded ears. Just so much noise and hot air.

I’ll spare you mine. I don’t actually have any. I just haven’t bothered to post anything here.

Call me crap-ass if you like. Mr. Crapass. Crappenstein. Crapfuckingtastic.

Just don’t ever call me late for dinner. You can ask your grandparents where that one comes from because its older than they are.

Its not that I don’t come up with great ideas for things to write about every day, because I do. Coming up with this shit’s not hard, sitting down and doing it is.

I always seem to have something else to distract me away from doing something semi-productive and nearly useful, like writing one of my patented hippy things. Ok, I haven’t actually patented them, because someone already beat me to it and got the patent on crap.

I’d rather be day dreaming. I’d rather watch tv, or read or pass out in a drug induced stupor.

Alright, truth be told, its been years since I’ve been in any sort of stupor because I don’t do those naughty drugs any more. I don’t even drink and trust me, if you’re aiming for a stupor, booze is most definitely your bestest buddy.

The only reason I’m gracing you with my presence now is that I popped onto my own website and noticed how long it had been since I bothered to post anything and I thought, “fuck man everybody gonna think I be dead or some shit like that”.

Yes, I my inner voice sounds like that, doesn’t yours?

So here I am, after a nightshift and a couple of spliffies, spewing utter rubbish just for the sake of having something semi-current on the top of my home page. Do people even call them homepages any more?

Maybe I’m just losing touch. I genuinely had to look up some words in the Urban Dictionary that the kids are using these days, because I didn’t fucking understand them.

Maybe I am your grandpa.

Oh yeah, we’re approaching my birthday, its only a couple of months away. Is it too early for me to start my annual moan about ageing and middle age and dying and death and yada yada yada?

Apparently not.

I was going to write something about zombies the other day. I can sum it up for you. I saw Zombieland. I liked Zombieland. I like Zombies. Zombies scare the beejeezus outta me because they are dead, right, but like they’re walking around and you know, they want to eat your brains, only you can’t kill ‘em, um…because like they’re already dead?

Ok, that’s not really my review of Zombieland, though I did see it and I did like it, but that was an actual review I overheard on the street. I might have made up the beejeezus part for comic effect, but the rest is pretty much word for word what I overheard.

I was going to stretch all that out to 1000 words. You don’t have to thank me for sparing you that zombified opus, just send cash or provide sexual favours to me and all my friends.

How cool would that be if random strangers from the internet offered to shag my friends, just because I asked them too. I’d be the most popular guy around. You’d want to be my friend too. I can sort you out with random hook-ups, no charge.

Wait a second, if I have random strangers willing to sleep with people I know, I’d be a fool not to charge something. How about a handling fee? That sounds fair. Shall we call it £200 quid for the hour, you can talk extras directly with your internet date upon arrival.

You see, this is how people suddenly become pimps. One minute, your just typing some crap on the internet, the next you’re running a stable of pros.

Snoop Dogg’s life suddenly makes a lot more sense to me now.

So Mrs. Hippy turns to me last night and says, “Don’t you post on your blog any more?”

She was surfing the internet on her iPod Touch, which she does quite a bit, preferring it to using our iMac.

“Of course I do”, I said slightly defensively, trying to remember when I last posted something here. I had to check.

It was three weeks ago. That’s long, even by my somewhat lax standards. So what have I been up to in that time?

I was kind of hoping you could tell me.

I haven’t been working that much. I haven’t been doing much of anything, if you must know. I think I am perfecting the art of being and nothingness. I’m not even sure if I exist any more or even ever existed in the first place.

I might not even be fictional. I could just be imaginary, living only in your mind.

You’re staring at a blank screen right now, only your mind thinks you are seeing words written by some weird make-believe, north London-based hippy. How’s your imaginary grammar?

See, this is what happens when you start the day with a strong coffee and a skunky spliff peppered with bubble-hash. Everyone should start their day this way.

I spend inordinate amounts of time simply lost in thought. I disappear into my own little Utopia, where I right the world’s wrongs and allow my creativity to flow freely.

I used to do all that in the real world, but at some point, I stopped.

Oh I’ve worked out when it stopped and why. It was when I first got sick with my stupid Hashimoto’s Disease a couple of years ago. I didn’t realise it at the time, it probably took another year before I twigged that something was actually physically wrong with me, but in retrospect, it all fits.

Between 2004 and 2007, I wrote 2 novels and was reasonably prolific here on my website too. Towards the end of that period, the 2nd book fizzled out while I was writing it and remains one chapter shy of being complete. The first book was published, but I didn’t do enough to promote it and it languishes on virtual shelves, unread.

The first book was nearly commissioned as a TV series too, but the media is a fickle and fucked up mistress. The guy who liked it and could have commissioned it with a flick of his pen, moved on; his replacements were far less enthusiastic and the possibility of producing the series faded away.

Rather than continue to plug away trying to do something with it, I let it go too. At the time, I just thought I had lost my enthusiasm for the project, but in truth, it was probably my ill health that robbed me of my fire.

I haven’t done much of anything since.

Of course, that’s not strictly true as I still work (mostly) full time and I do post the odd piece here, but my output is not even close to the levels I reached a few years ago.

I’m still being treated for the Hashimoto’s Disease and my doctor is still adjusting my medication levels. If they ever get it right, I should feel better and be back to my old self. That’s what they tell me, anyway.

In the mean time, I’ll continue to distract myself with my vivid imagination and soft drugs.

Now, aren’t you glad Mrs. Hippy asked if I still post here? Blame her for the 5 minutes of your life I just wasted, not me.

You might not have heard, but Michael Jackson kicked the bucket recently. You’d think that sort of news would get around.

In truth, it did get around, shockingly fast. Thanks to TMZ.com and Twitter, the sad news spread around the world at the speed of tweet.

And just for today, MJ doesn’t mean marijuana here, it stands for Michael Jackson.

I was working the night he died, just heading into the office as the news broke.

I was early and paused outside the building to have one last smoke before going to my desk. As I flicked through a Twitter app on my iPhone. I caught one of the first tweets that stated MJ had been rushed to hospital in an ambulance with a suspected heart attack.

A colleague of mine joined me at this point and as he lit up a cigarette of his own, I told him what I had just read and we started speculating on “what if” it turned out to be the worst case and he was dead.

For both of us, working overnight in a newsroom, MJ’s death translated into utter fucking chaos for many, many hours. Whatever the outcome, I knew it was going to be a nasty-assed night.

In reality, it exceeded my expectations.

Beyond that, the rest of my night at work is not really important. It was yet another busy one, dealing with a large breaking story. I’ve had countless nights like that.

It wasn’t until after that night, and the subsequent few at work, that I really had the chance to consider the significance and magnitude of his death. That’s not meant to be an overstatement, its huge news that will carry on running for a long time, as will MJ Inc. which will exploit his passing even more than the media ever could.

Before you start thinking I’m some mega-fan of MJ’s, I’d like to take a moment to point out that I’m not. I didn’t hate his music either and I can appreciate his undeniable talent, I was just never a fan of his solo stuff.

As a child, I did like the Jackson 5, but it was practically children’s music. A-B-C, its easy as 1-2-3… It was like Sesame Street does Motown, before Sesame Street existed.

I liked some of his music videos, because they were innovative, ground was broken with several, but I never bought an MJ record.

I should also mention that I believed the allegations about him. Always did, still do. Perhaps its just my view of the smoke+fire equation, but everything I read about it, makes me think there’s something to it.

Everyone seems to be skipping over that part of the story right now, perhaps I should too.

I’m old enough to have vivid memories of Elvis Presley dying. Its difficult to really explain how momentous this was at the time. Elvis was even younger than MJ when he died, all bloated, pinching a loaf while squatting on the bowl.

Not a pretty picture.

Elvis was big when he was alive, they didn’t call him “the King” for nothing, but in death Elvis was even bigger. You only have to look at his estate’s accounts to see that he’s grossed more money since he died than he ever did alive.

Now, think of the “King of Pop”, or MJ Inc. as I’ve been thinking of it. MJ’s music is more modern, his audience is still on the young side. Elvis’s audience was mature when he ate his last fried banana sandwich, yet he has still kept on selling.

Also, MJ’s music sounds more modern, it can easily sit on the radio along side music being released today. An Elvis song sounds old, because they pretty much all are now; perhaps “dated” would be a more appropriate description.

I liked Elvis, I thought he was cool, at least until his 1968 comeback special. If you’ve never seen it, it really is worth your time. After that, he kind of became a parody of himself, which was sad to see. I do have one Elvis CD, a compilation of his Number 1 hits.

And even though I like Elvis, I’ve still managed to make a couple of jokes at his expense. Imagine the MJ jokes I could make; or better yet, don’t imagine, just think of some you’ve already heard from your mates.

Only the really funny ones, please.

Its too soon, we have to continue to feign reverence for a while longer, before we can stop whispering the jokes and speak them out in full voice, in a crowded room, to thunderous laughter without a hint of shame. Try it now and all you’ll get are muffled giggles and undeniable gasps.

No one dubbed MJ the “King of Pop”, the title was self-anointed following a spontaneous introduction when being presented with an award. Once adopted, MJ’s PR people forced the media to refer to him as “King of Pop” and after a while it stuck.

Now, no one could take that crown away from him if they tried.

His death was tragic, as is any death at a relatively young age, but his is made more so because of his immense talent. If ever there was a tortured artist…

MJ didn’t have a conventional childhood. How could he when he was rehearsing and performing from such a young age. His father sounded like quite a taskmaster, which is polite speak for motivating Michael and his brothers by beatin’ on their ass(es).

Michael told Oprah as much on tv, so it must be true.

MJ was screwed up, dysfunctional even, but I believe the current, accepted term to describe him is: eccentric.

The problem with being the King, be it Elvis or MJ, is no one ever says “no” to you. For Elvis, it was fatty foods and prescription drugs, for MJ, well we can be fairly certain it wasn’t fatty foods.

If we believe what we’re reading in the media, then MJ was using all sorts of doctor prescribed goodies that most likely killed him. Most disturbing is the report of one of the drugs being Propinal (AKA Diprovan), a powerful anaesthetic that should only be administered in a hospital because it is a continuous IV drip and requires full monitoring by a qualified doctor. The risks include respiratory arrest, which is fancy doctor-speak for: shit, he’s completely stopped breathing!

Fuck. Why didn’t I hear of this before? Talk about a celebrity endorsement! Where can I get my own private medical doctor to come round and make a few days just zip right by, while I’m comatose and probably millimetres from death? All the cool kids are going to want to do some POP (PrOPinal = POP as in the King of, its new, street name).

How messed up in the head do you have to be to want to be dosed up like you were having your appendix removed? How much would you want to escape both the entire world and yourself?

And what sort of licensed physician would administer that to someone privately, in their own home? Don’t they take an oath that says something like, “First, do no harm?”

Playing with anaesthetics sounds seriously harmful to me.

Which brings me back to where I started, with this becoming an ongoing news story. One of the biggest, most controversial pop stars in the world died suddenly, possibly at the hands of someone else.

Yes, I am talking murder.

And so is the LA Police, or so it would seem to me. Just because they say they don’t suspect foul play, doesn’t mean they don’t suspect something foul happened.

If I was to gamble, I’d say someone will end up being charged in connection with his death. Someone will become known as the man (or woman) who killed Michael Jackson.

And even though his funeral and public memorial are today, this story will run for years and years.

Expect more revelations about his private life to be competing with the twists and turns in the legal battles, criminal and civil, while he continues to break records for music sales and MJ Inc. makes hundreds of millions.

What does it say about our society that we can worship someone for their talent, while being fascinated by their eccentricity, yet repulsed by their alleged proclivities?

As a character, MJ is about as complex and rich a tapestry as you’re likely to find.

And what does it say about our society that so many talented people, in so many different areas of the arts, are so tragically fucked up? MJ’s not the first mega-star to succumb to such a sad end.

He won’t be the last, either.

Nice people take drugs (courtesy Release)

That’s an actual photo of a London bus advert placed by Release, an organisation committed to reforming UK drug laws.

Here’s Release’s mission statement, from their website:

“Release is the national centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law – providing free and confidential specialist advice to the public and professionals. Release also campaigns for changes to UK drug policy to bring about a fairer and more compassionate legal framework to manage drug use in our society.”

Release have launched this new public awareness campaign, please visit their site for more details. Its sensible, logical and very true.

And click here for the The Guardian’s take on the campaign.

Could this be the first step in the right direction? Let’s hope so!

Update 10th June 2009:
Since posting this a few days ago, the ad campaign has been censored by advertising regulators and taken down. Click here to read more.

Happy 420 everyone!

If you’re not familiar with 420 (four-twenty), click the above link. Its practically a national holiday in America and if we’re lucky, it could very well catch on here in the UK.

America is usually several steps ahead of the UK and the US’s attitude to cannabis is a great example of this fact. Its where the pointless “war on drugs” began and it just might be where it ends too.

Since Obama got hit with a “legalise cannabis question” from an overwhelming number of people online, all of America is rolling with frenzied momentum towards legalising this hippy’s favourite plant.

The O-man shouldn’t have been so dismissive of such a serious and relevant question, but he’s a popular politician so he can’t be seen to be soft on drugs.

That hasn’t prevented Senator Ron Paul, who is also a popular politician, from calling for an end to the war on drugs, but he is a hero and libertarian and not afraid to express an opinion.

American Conservative magazine can see the pace of change regarding cannabis laws in America. And the conservative right seem down with it too.

Even the mainstream press is getting in on the act, with Time Magazine asking and answering, “Why Legalising Marijuana Makes Sense”.

Not only that, Time Magazine also asks and answers, “Is Pot Good For You?” Of course it is!

Why the sudden shift in America?

Two things right now are forcing people to rethink their stance on cannabis in the states, one of which already applies here in the UK.

Its the economy, stupid.

With this whole recession/depression nonsense, can anyone disregard the effect a legalised cannabis market would have on a nation’s GDP?

Legalising weed, in an instant, would create legitimate jobs that would be taxed, not to mention a tax on the actual product itself. It would raise a lot of money and fast.

Wait, let me revise that. It would bring an already established and thriving black market economy into the mainstream. Ka-ching!

Its been said that if weed were legal and 420 were a proper holiday, it would have the same sort of effect on the economy as xmas. Ka-double-ching.

Weed smokers would willingly be taxed in return for not being criminalised, so says Salon Magazine. I sure as hell would be ready to pay tax on my dope, if I didn’t have to worry about being arrested for toking!

The other problem in America is one that hasn’t reached Europe yet, but it could in the future and that is gang related violence.

The southern border of America is where the real drug war is taking place, but not between law enforcement and criminals, but between rival drug gangs. Police on both sides of the border have been ineffectual and possibly corrupt, when they’re not getting caught in the crossfire. The death toll is sadly, quite high and its bad for business on both sides of the border.

The trouble on America’s border is forcing people to realise that the drug market should be under some sort of government control and regulation, for without that, it leaves criminal gangs running the show.

Just as the prohibition of alcohol in the states in the early part of the last century created gangsters like Al Capone, the prohibition of drugs created Pablo Escobar and those like him who control the industry today.

America’s finally grasping that legalising cannabis would solve more problems than it could ever create. By legitimising an existing industry, America will reap the rewards financially and it would help create a new stability along the Rio Grande.

Check out this report from the very respected Cato Institute, which looks at the positive effects of the decriminalisation of all drugs in Portugal. Its very enlightening and worth a quick read.

You’ll notice in all of debate and discussion in America, there hasn’t been any talk of cannabis-induced psychosis or schizophrenia, nor the demonisation of the stronger strains of cannabis known as “skunk”. That’s because its all spin and bullshit created here in the UK to allow our politicians to use weed as a political football that scores easy own-goals with the ill-informed electorate.

In the states, stronger weed is prized and celebrated for being particularly “medicinal” and is seen to be more beneficial, not less. There are no “cannabis hysteria mums” and no mention of unproven links to mental illness. Remember, a former Surgeon General in America (C. Everett Coop if memory serves), called marijuana “the most therapeutically beneficial substance known to man”.

Confusion continues to reign where cannabis policy is concerned here in the UK, with random, pointless changes in classification and penalties every couple of years whether we need them or not.

Even the government’s own drug counselling service, Ask Frank, is telling younger callers that “cannabis is safer than alcohol.” Its completely true and in line with what the experts say, but its inconsistent with the government’s own stated policy, which of course, ignores the advice of the aforementioned experts they employ.

There are already whispers in Whitehall, many politicians here can see the scrawl on the wall, but are wondering how to right all of the wrongs of the last few years. The government has used the media to paint a totally false picture of the dangers of cannabis, so how do they turn it back around?

Simple, just let the lies quietly fade away and replace them with the promise of cold hard cash.

Is it going to take open gang warfare on the streets of Britain for our leaders to deal with cannabis responsibly? I hope to god it doesn’t come to that, but I don’t see any other way for them wake up and start dealing with reality.

The Guardian published a great report last week, which states that ending the prohibition on drugs would save the UK around £14 billion pounds. That’s an amount that can’t be ignored, especially in these difficult economic times. Law enforcement, the penal system could all be overhauled and the resources could be redirected to actual crimes with victims and everything…!

They’re searching for the green shoots of recovery, perhaps cannabis is literally the cash crop greenery we’ve all been seeking.

And maybe one day, we’ll all be able to openly commemorate 420 in the manner appropriate to the event. And that’s exactly what this hippy is going to do right now, as I spark up a juicy, skunky spliff.

The Economist, a rather conservative publication, has come out strongly in favour of the legalisation, taxation and government regulation of drugs.

All drugs.

The article I am referring to is RIGHT HERE and is well worth a few minutes of your valuable surfing time because it lays out a very rational, sensible and persuasive argument for this radical suggestion.

As the UN meets in Vienna to decide the next decade’s drug policy, why won’t they listen to the experts?

There are so many intelligent, educated, thoughtful members of respectable society who believe legalisation is the only solution. There are loads of senior policemen who believe this, many civil servants and politicians do too, but they are too afraid to speak up because of the false hysteria surrounding the issue.

David Cameron, most likely the next Prime Minister of this country is sympathetic to the idea of radically changing our approach on the subject as mentioned in this, another well written and thoughtful piece on the subject from politics.co.uk

I’ve always thought we’ve had more of a chance of changing the laws under a conservative government, because it takes a strong party to take decisive action.

If David Cameron would take one key step in that direction, he could have my support.

Mr. Cameron, I implore you to shift your public position based on facts and science. Please consider decriminalising or legalising cannabis as soon as you are in power.

Finally, a government drug policy I agree with completely…

Illegal factory-style cannabis farms should be closed down.

Check out THIS REPORT from the BBC.

Factory cannabis-farms are often set-up in rented accommodation, with the landlords none the wiser until they receive a phone call from the police telling them their income property has been trashed.

Illegal cannabis farmers steal electricity from neighbours or from the an energy supplier; either way its theft and its wrong. Safety is ignored and fires are not uncommon. And saddest of all, they are frequently staffed by illegal aliens trapped in a type of hellish indentured servitude.

Where I split from the government is their choice of solution; police raids won’t make the problem go away, it will only make it relocate to yet another unsuspecting venue. The trade is far too lucrative for those involved to give it up. Raids are simply a calculated risk balanced against a very rewarding return.

Its supply and demand, the very cornerstone of our capitalist system. To ignore or deny this very simple truth, is to be blinkered and ostrich like.

There’s a better way.

There’s always a better way, but it would involve our leaders shifting their current position, which is one of disinformation and lies, towards a more open and honest approach.

Its time to legalise the industry and take it out of the hands of criminals. Its time to regulate and tax cannabis, bring the market under some sort of control.

To be against a legal cannabis industry is to be against the very heart and soul of capitalism.

Don’t let the conditioning the media has been force-feeding you colour your view on this. They’ve been systematically trying to discredit cannabis and pervert your perception of it for quite some time now.

Why?

Its easy to score points with the public by appearing tough on drugs. Also, it diverts your attention from more important issues, like Iraq, climate change or the economy.

The time is now for this unadulterated bullshit to end.

Back when Blair and Blunkett were in charge, cannabis was downgraded and they even toyed with a police policy of making arrests for possession of cannabis the lowest possible priority. Things were finally moving in the right direction, the government was listening to advisors and scientistis and using a bit of common sense.

Meanwhile in America, the “war on drugs” was still going strong, along with federal raids on medical marijuana clubs and imprisonment for possession. This wasn’t that long ago.

Under Obama, things have already changed with an end to federal raids and an official policy that secedes power to individual states with regards to cannabis.

California is now considering legalisation and taxation, because the state is nearly bankrupt. Desperate times clearly call for creative measures, this one will bring Cali an estimated annual tidy sum of $1.3 billion (with a B) dollars.

Many other states have decriminalised possession and have made it the lowest possible policing priority.

Our out-of-touch, out-of-step government is about as un-Obama as possible.

If people wonder why Obama didn’t make more time for Gordon Brown, they’re not really looking closely enough. They couldn’t be more polar opposites when it comes to genuine liberal thought and policy.

Legalising weed would create legitimate jobs, for legitimate farmers and distributors; jobs that already exist in the black economy, fuelling a rather sizeable black market that exists outside the tax and social security system.

A legal and controlled industry would insure that safety standards were met at the point of production, for the facilities, the staff and the product. You would know the weed you were getting was pure and unadulterated. You would know the person who grew it was paid a reasonable, taxable wage.

As much as I wish to see these dangerous and illegal cannabis farms closed down, I’m smart enough to realise that police raids alone are not the answer. If you really want to end the illegal cannabis trade, there is only one practical, workable solution: Legalise!

Even the UN may come to this conclusion as they prepare to finalise an agreement this week in Vienna, but as this report in today’s Guardian suggests, there are still deep divisions with some EU and Latin American countries favouring a more rational approach, with the US preferring to continue the pointless “war on drugs”.

Oh President Saviour Obama, are you listening? The “war on drugs” has been an abysmal failure and many knowledgeable and respectable people believe its been worse than the actual harm caused by the drugs themselves. Could you please call your minions in Vienna and sort this sorry mess out?

If you want to know more, please check out my Cannabis Truth Series

Promises, promises. Politicians make them all the time when they are campaigning, only to conveniently forget about them once in office, but not President Saviour Obama.

This week, US Attorney General, Eric Holder confirmed that federal raids on Medical Marijuana facilities would end and individual states could determine their own policies regarding my favourite plant. He said this is “now American policy”.

How cool is that?

This is a huge shift in the way the law deals with weed in America. I wish the UK could be equally enlightened, but the government here works very hard to be as un-Obama-like as possible.

And they don’t want to stop there either. Legislators in California are now considering taking it one step further, with a possible plan to fully legalise and tax cannabis to help bale out the financially destitute state. They say it could bring in $1.3 billion (with a B) in tax revenue to the state annually.

That’s a lot of greenbacks for a lot of greenery! Its common fucking sense! Prohibition doesn’t work, never has, never will. If you can’t beat ‘em, tax ‘em.

Obama’s motto throughout his campaign was “Yes, we can.” Now that he’s in office, the new motto is: “Yes, we cannabis!”

Roseanne Barr, domestic goddess, comedian and now radio talkshow host is selling some very cool tee-shirts in America with that very slogan on them, Yes, we CANnabis.

We should all order ourselves one to show our support for this long overdue change in policy. Let’s hope that it spreads out from America to the rest of the world.