REVEALED! Shocking link between tea drinking and EVERYTHING BAD!

3 May, 2019"Personal Use", cannabis, decriminalisation, drug use, societycannabisthehippy

These are the shocking results of a newly released study linking tea drinking with crime and mental illness: A staggering 98.6% of all murders, rapists, and muggers drink tea! And even more startling, the same percentage of people who develop severe forms of psychosis also consume this pernicious beverage.

This landmark study, funded by ATG (Avoid Tea Group) was conducted over 10 years by a very respected research group based at the King of Fools College in South London and their affiliated organisation, Truly, Madly, Deeply (TMD) Hospital.

(Shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but the ATG is funded by the coffee industry.)

Lead researcher, Dr. I.H. Atedope, has dedicated his life to proving the link between mental illness, violence, crime and the consumption of home brewed, street tea, said this at the launch of this report,

“The link between severe mental illness, violent crime and home brewed tea has been confirmed by this research. Nearly every person we have studied in the last 10 years, has consumed tea. And I am talking about street tea. English Breakfast, Earl Grey, or Oolong, it is known by many names, but its effect on behaviour is profound.

We have seen a sharp increase in street tea consumption in the last several decades, and while rates of violent crime and levels of psychosis have remained steady, we are certain that street tea drinking is behind the fact that the United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of mental illness in all of Western Europe. Coupled with the recent alarming rise in violent crime, the obvious connection between tea and everything bad, is undeniable.

Poverty, austerity, and a lack of opportunity have nothing to do with this. Trust us, we’re scientists! It’s the tea!

(Pointing at slide projected on screen behind him) Look, it’s on a pie chart, you can’t be any clearer than that.”

(Source: http://fakenews.com/cannabis-bullshit-story.html)

Does any of this sound familiar?

It should, because this is practically word for word, what ends up on the front pages of our national newspapers, a few times a year, only substitute the word cannabis for tea.

Think about your reaction, reading all of that, about tea. But, but, but, you say, you’ve been drinking tea your entire life, with no ill effects, so this is not even remotely, slightly true. nor could it be.

Guess what? That’s exactly how experienced cannabis consumers react when we read made-up scare stories about cannabis causing psychosis.

Cannabis does not cause psychosis any more than drinking tea could.

Cannabis, or rather certain strains or components, are actually beneficial to many health conditions, including psychosis and other mental illnesses, but because of decades of silly, pointless prohibition, science is falling behind the truth.

There is an institutional bias against cannabis, especially from certain groups and organisations, which means they decide the direction and result of their studies in the planning stages, and interpret the data, to support their predetermined conclusions.

It is a unique obsession here in the UK, but they are trying to spread this nonsense around the world. And it is working, as prohibitionists point to cannabis studies done in the UK as evidence that cannabis causes psychosis.

British drug expert supreme, Professor David Nutt, explains that cannabis use is misrepresented in the UK, saying

“This fear of cannabis-induced psychosis is a particularly British one, largely because it has received significant support from UK academics. However, the evidential base is weak…”

(Source: https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/cannabis-ethics-britain/)

I have no doubt that there is a a correlation between cannabis and mental illness, as I know from my own personal experience that cannabis is extraordinarily beneficial to relieving many of the symptoms.

But correlation does not equal causation, as noted drug experts, Dr. Carl Hart and Dr. Charles Ksir, are at pains to point out repeatedly. Here’s a long extract from a piece they contributed to the Guardian in January 2019:

“Does marijuana cause psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, and do associated symptoms like paranoia lead to violent crimes?

As scientists with a combined 70-plus years of drug education and research on psychoactive substances, we find [these] assertions to be misinformed and reckless.

It is true that people diagnosed with psychosis are more likely to report current or prior use of marijuana than people without psychosis. The easy conclusion to draw from that is that marijuana use caused an increased risk of psychosis, and it is that easy answer that [prohibitionists have] seized upon. However, this ignores evidence that psychotic behaviour is also associated with higher rates of tobacco use, and with the use of stimulants and opioids. Do all these things “cause” psychosis, or is there another, more likely answer? In our many decades of college teaching, one of the most important things we have tried to impart to our students is the distinction between correlation (two things are statistically associated) and causation (one thing causes another). For example, the wearing of light clothing is more likely during the same months as higher sales of ice-cream, but we do not believe that either causes the other.

In our extensive 2016 review of the literature we concluded that those individuals who are susceptible to developing psychosis (which usually does not appear until around the age of 20) are also susceptible to other forms of problem behaviour, including poor school performance, lying, stealing and early and heavy use of various substances, including marijuana. Many of these behaviours appear earlier in development, but the fact that one thing occurs before another also is not proof of causation. (One of the standard logical fallacies taught in logic classes: after this, therefore because of this.) It is also worth noting that 10-fold increases in marijuana use in the UK from the 1970s to the 2000s were not associated with an increase in rates of psychosis over this same period, further evidence that changes in cannabis use in the general population are unlikely to contribute to changes in psychosis.”

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/20/marijuana-cannabis-health-effects-issues-mental-health-disorders-science)

Yet, in the face of this evidence, these false claims about cannabis continue to be newspaper headlines that dominate the news and people’s consciousnesses.

At best, the science is unclear, and I am being extremely generous with the truth in saying that. But at the worst, all of this is being exaggerated and misrepresented so that users can continue to be demonised and criminalised for absolutely no good reason. It is a tragedy that flawed 20th century thinking is being dragged into the 21st century to cause more misery for millions.

Cannabis isn’t for everyone. Luckily, there is no mandatory programme to force anyone to use it. Thank god, because that means there’s more for me.

It also means if it doesn’t agree with you, you don’t need to have any. But for the sweet love of god, let the people who do need it, or enjoy it, to do so, safely and without the threat of arrest.

I started smoking weed when I was 18 years old. I didn’t know it at the time, but my use was medicinal, even then. I’ve used it effectively to treat my anxiety and depression for nearly 40 years. It’s helped me with back pain, it’s helped me with other ailments. It is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. That’s not a quote from me, but from a former DEA judge in America. You can find the full quote in my book, “Personal Use”, which is available from all good retailers online and in real life. (This has been a promotional message from the northlondonhippy.)

One of the biggest problems is trying to fight decades of misinformation and lies. People have been force-fed bullshit about weed their entire lives, so when presented with the truth, many don’t know what to believe.

My authority comes from my own personal experience, nearly four decades of personal use of this wonderful plant. I’ve grown it, smoked it, vaped it, ate it, and written about it extensively for over 15 years. Once I even I plugged it up my butt. OK, that last one is a total lie, but the rest, hand on heart, is true.

Cannabis is not the problem. Cannabis is the solution. Whether you’re denying epileptic children their medicine, or stopping responsible adults from having a choice of relaxing intoxicants, the prohibition of cannabis, which was built on a foundation of lies. is a cruel, uncaring policy, that needs to change.

So let’s change it!

The public support a change in our archaic drug laws, science and medicine support a change in the laws too. Even the police would like to see a sensible change to the law. It is only our impotent politicians who are preventing this sensible move.

From creating a new legal industry, with many new jobs, to helping our nation become healthier, legalising cannabis is a win/win for everyone, but it is especially a win for people who are being needlessly criminalised because they consume a plant.

The case for decriminalising and/or legalising is crystal clear. However, the forces of evil that are aligned to keep it prohibited won’t give up easily. Neither will we. Those of us who fight tirelessly to “free the weed” won’t give up either. And unlike the other side, we have all that is right, moral and good behind us. And because of that, we will prevail!

UPDATE:

Just as I was putting the finishing touches on this piece, this story popped up:

Study: Cannabis Use Not Independently Associated With Psychosis In Young People

Thursday, 02 May 2019

Logroño, Spain: Adolescents’ cannabis use history is not an independent predictor of an elevated risk of psychosis, according to data published in the journal Adicciones.

Investigators affiliated with the University of La Rioja in Spain explored the relationship between psychotic-like experiences and cannabis use in a representative sample of over 1,500 Spanish adolescents.

They reported that initially identified associations between cannabis use and psychosis were no longer present once researchers controlled for confounding variables, such as socioeconomic status, alcohol use, tobacco smoking, and comorbid psychopathology.

Authors concluded, “In this study, it was found that after controlling for the effect of the multiple relevant co-variables, the use of cannabis was not related to the frequency and distress associated with psychotic experiences reported by adolescents. … These results suggest that the relationships established between psychotic-like experiences and cannabis are complex and mediated by relevant variables.”

(Source: https://norml.org/news/2019/05/02/study-cannabis-use-not-independently-associated-with-psychosis-in-young-people)

* * *

The northlondonhippy is an anonymous author, online cannabis activist and recreational drug user, who has been writing about drugs and drug use for over 15 years. In real life, the hippy is a multimedia journalist with over 30 years experience of working in the industry.

The hippy’s book, ‘Personal Use’ details the hippy’s first 35 years of recreational drug taking, while calling for urgent drug law reform. It’s a cracking read, you will laugh, you will cry and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!

“Personal Use” is available as a digital download on all platforms, including Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iBooks and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. The paperback is available from all online retailers and book shops everywhere.

You can also find the northlondonhippy on Twitter: @nthlondonhippy – follow him and receive a free gift*)

(*There is no free gift)

Where dat hippy at?

25 May, 2018"Personal Use", High Hopesthehippy

Guess who’s back?

No, not your herpes. Me! Though perhaps I am just as irritating, only not as itchy

I haven’t written much since I published ‘Personal Use’ around a year and a half ago and my public profile has been practically non-existent.

So what happened?

Real life got in the way of my plans and I withdrew. I haven’t done anything to promote my book in over a year. I still hang out on Twitter, but that’s about it. I have not really been actively promoting ‘Personal Use’ in any meaningful way.

It all started out really well. I was a guest on James O’Brien’s radio show on LBC and off the back of that, I was interviewed by VolteFace magazine. Many copies of my book were sold during this brief period of exposure. And if you bought a copy, thank you very much!

My cunning plan to be a full time hippy was progressing nicely. I was ready to do even more promotion. And then Mrs. Hippy got sick.

I’m not going to go into the details here, but I suddenly became the only earner in my household. And I couldn’t risk getting sacked, so my PR campaign came to a complete halt.

Was I disappointed? Fuck, yeah. Was it the end of my world? Fuck, no.

In the last year, I’ve thrown myself hard into my job. I didn’t have a choice. Any dissatisfaction I had, has been firmly tamped down and I have re-engaged myself fully with my occupation. I pretty much had to reinvent myself at work, out of necessity. It’s actually been good.

But not good enough, I still find myself wanting to do more. What I enjoyed the most about writing ‘Personal Use’ was the actual writing. And what I enjoyed least was the promotion.

I’m not someone who naturally craves attention. In truth, I am the sort of person that hides from attention. I like being invisible and unnoticed. That’s been tricky at work in the last year, as I have been involved in some high profile stuff. People who never heard of me, now know who I am.

So being a full-time hippy hasn’t been an option, but perhaps I can go back to being a part time hippy?

When I finished ‘Personal Use’, I started planning a follow up. I made notes and came up with a title, and then the real life distractions started. I’m hoping to pick up where I left off.

My next book will be entitled ‘High Hopes’ and I have a cunning plan to help focus my attention. I am going to post each chapter as I write it, here on my website. You can all read my rough drafts, which I hope will eventually become my next book. Feedback will be very welcome!

I have a very simple premise for ‘High Hopes’, since ‘Personal Use’ solved the drug problem, I am going to turn my attention to all the other issues which plague our society, And then I will solve them all, as you do.

Yes, my tongue is firmly pressed against my cheek on this one, in case you were thinking I’ve finally lost it completely.

For the record, I lost it decades ago, but I am good at creating the illusion of being a functional human being. I’m still neurotic as fuck, don’t you worry about that.

So that’s my plan, if I can cobble together 25-30 decent essay-like chapters that address society’s most complex and divisive issues, whammo-blammo, that will be my next book.

As I am my own agent, manager and publisher, I haven’t set myself any deadlines. I am keeping the pressure on myself to a bare minimum.

And before you ask, I am a terrible agent/manager. If I was any good at it, I would have secured a better publisher than myself.

So there you have it, the bar has been set, low. Now all I have to do is post stuff on here regularly and before I know it, I will have another book ready to go.

That’s the plan, anyway. Real life has a way of screwing with my plans, so let’s have this conversation in a year or so, and see how it worked out.

Until then, I remain, as always, your loyal and faithful hippy. Dig it, hepcats!

The northlondonhippy is an anonymous author, online cannabis activist and recreational drug user, who has been writing about drugs and drug use for over 14 years. In real life, the hippy is a multimedia journalist with over 30 years experience in the industry.

The hippy’s first book, ‘Personal Use’ details the hippy’s 35 years of recreational drug use while calling for urgent drug law reform. It’s a cracking read, you will laugh, you will cry and you can bet your ass that you will wish you were a hippy too!

10% of all profits from ‘Personal Use’ will be donated to drug charities, annually.

The hippy has announced his follow-up to ‘Personal Use’, entitled ‘High Hopes’, which currently has no due date or expected date of publication.

You can also find the northlondonhippy on Twitter: @nthlondonhippy – follow him and receive a free gift*)

(*There is no free gift)

‘Tis the Season

19 December, 2017Uncategorizedthehippy

Hey ho, remember me, your friendly neighbourhood hippy? I’m also the author of “Personal Use”, a book about my rather extensive experience over several decades with mind altering substances. It’s available wherever good books are sold. You would dig it!

When I published my book, I promised to donate 10% of my profits to drug charities, annually. Now that the book has been out for over a year, I’ve made my first donations.

It wasn’t easy to decide who to give my donation too, since there are so many worthy organisations doing excellent work trying to reform our drug laws. In the end, I couldn’t decide, so I have split my donation between two extremely worthy causes.

The first is LEAP UK, otherwise known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. They’re made up of a group of former cops who have seen first hand the damage done to society by our ridiculous drug laws. They know the laws do more damage than any drug ever could and they tirelessly fight to change those laws.

If former cops are telling you the drug laws don’t work, everyone should listen, especially our politicians.

The second charity I’ve chosen is Anyone’s Child. They’re a group run by parents who have lost children to drugs. Drugs can kill people and prohibition makes that more likely. Anyone’s Child would like to see a legal, regulated supply, which would significantly reduce the harms caused by drugs.

To me, this is the sanest response to losing a child. Drug laws don’t prevent drug deaths, but a safer supply definitely would.

While I’ve been as generous as I can be with both charities, I know that both could still use even more money. If you can afford it, both groups are very worthy of your support and donations. You can do it online, quickly and easily.

Here are links to both organisation’s websites:

LEAP (UK)

Anyone’s Child

That’s it from me. Everyone out there in internland, please have a great Xmas and a fantastic New Year. And that’s an order from your old pal, the hippy!

The northlondonhippy is an anonymous author, online cannabis activist and recreational drug user, who has been writing about drugs and drug use for over a decade. The hippy’s first book, ‘Personal Use’ details the hippy’s 35 years of recreational drug use while calling for urgent drug law reform.

You can also find the northlondonhippy on Twitter: @nthlondonhippy

Check out my last minute gift guide!

The night Princess Diana died (Extract from Personal Use)

9 August, 2017Uncategorizedthehippy

With the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana rapidly approaching at the end of this month, there’s been a glut of coverage of her life and untimely demise in the media as they try to exploit what could be the last big opportunity to capitalise on her fame.

Well, here I am, doing the same thing, because below is a brief extract from my book, ‘Personal Use’ about the night she died.

But unlike other accounts of that fateful night you may read, your friendly neighbourhood hippy spent the evening under the influence of some very strong blotter acid otherwise known as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide or LSD.

If you enjoy this extract, I hope you’ll check out my book, ‘Personal Use’.

the hippy

9th August 2017

* * *

Extract from Chapter 13, Random Stuff…

The fourth time I took LSD is also the last time I took acid. I remember the date clearly, it was Saturday, 30th August 1997. You’ll understand why that date stands out, shortly.

Mrs. Hippy and I hadn’t been living together that long and we had been out for the evening. We had a nice meal in a restaurant and had come home in a good mood, quite relaxed and chilled. A friend had given me a couple of blotters weeks before and I thought it would be a good night to try it.

Mrs. H had never had any psychedelics before and being the good (or bad) influence that I am, I suggested we sample it. Don’t blame Mrs. H, it was all my idea.

We took the blotters around 10pm and waited for the come-up. It was happy acid, a bit giggly and clean. We were both enjoying it, as we watched TV.

I had cable TV at the time, which meant we had a wide variety of channels to dip in and out of throughout the night. We were transfixed by an infomercial for Toaster Bags. They appeared to be the most ingenuous product ever produced. You could cook anything in these reusable miracles. The guy in the advert was reheating cooked pasta, making toasted sandwiches, all sorts of miraculous acts of kitchen wizardry. If I could have worked the telephone and read out my credit card number, I would have bought half a dozen. And it would have become my exclusive cooking method.

Eventually we ended up on CNN, when the news broke that Princess Diana was involved in a car crash in Paris that night. Shit.

Only a week before, I was at work, instructing freelance cameramen in France to try to get shots of Diana and Dodi Fayed together on holiday. This will come into play shortly, as you will see.

Now, Mrs H was a big fan of Princess Diana. As a young girl, Mrs. H was drawn into the coverage of Diana’s fairytale wedding and nightmare marriage to Prince Charles. She was very upset by the news.

I just wanted to know if she was dead, so I called my office and spoke to the overnight news editor. He was happy to hear from me and begged me to come in and help.

As fucking if! I was in no condition to be in a newsroom, I was on heavy drugs. I giggled and explained this to my friend. You can imagine how impressed he was with me. Oooops. No, no I can’t come in. Coming in would be BAD.

All I wanted to know was if she was alive or not, and as far as my friend knew, she was alive. He told me another friend and colleague of ours, who was a cameraman based in Paris, was already in the tunnel and filming. So I phoned him.

My friend in Paris was jazzed and full of adrenaline. This was a big story and he knew it. He thought I was at work, and I quickly explained my current situation. You know, on heavy drugs, tripping balls, blah blah blah. Just another Saturday night at my house.

I only had one question: Is she alive or dead? As far as he knew, she was still alive.

Finally, the news broke, and it was confirmed that Diana was dead. Mrs. H wailed and cried. She’d lost one of her childhood heroines. She was also on heavy drugs.

Now you can understand why I am so precise about the date. My last acid trip coincided with a event of historic proportions.

And then on CNN, Tom Cruise phoned in. He was talking about the paparazzi chasing him through the streets of Paris, and how dangerous it was. He said the press killed Diana.

Everyone was saying the press killed Diana. A week before, I was shouting down a phone line at someone to get pictures of her, no matter what.

I helped kill Diana, or so the television and my twisted drug-fuelled brain told me. I was part of the problem, along with anyone and everyone who ever worked in the media.

The narrative that the press killed Diana lasted longer than my LSD trip. There are people today who still say the press killed her, but I call bullshit on that.

A drunk, dangerous driver killed Diana. Or the security services, though personally, I don’t buy that because I am not a conspiracy theorist. The most obvious explanation is usually correct and that explanation is a drunk driver.

The next day, I began a run of a week of nightshifts and it was easily one of the worst weeks I’d ever had professionally. My colleagues who were tasked with covering the huge outpouring of grief were spat upon and abused by members of the public, for killing Diana. I don’t think I was ever busier, it really was relentless.

In my LSD hungover state, I felt guilty and I questioned whether journalism was the right career for me. Thankfully, the questioning and the hangover didn’t last long and things got back to normal after the funeral, a week later.

After one of my shifts, Mrs. H and I went to Kensington Palace early in the morning to see the massive floral tribute that had been left there in her memory. Before I saw the flowers, the smell hit me. It reminded me of walking into a funeral home, only more intense. The floral scent was overwhelming, as was the absolute sea of flowers spread throughout the gardens.

I haven’t had any LSD since that night, around 19 years ago. I definitely prefer psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. The high is far cleaner, purer and less artificial. LSD is too speedy for me, but never say never. If the right opportunity presented itself at the right time, I could be tempted to take it again.

And no, please don’t send me any. I try not to take head candy from strangers any more.

* * *

You can also find the northlondonhippy on Twitter: @nthlondonhippy

Thank you!

27 March, 2017"Personal Use"thehippy

Just wanted to post a little update on my book, ‘Personal Use’, now that I’ve had some sales reports. You guys have bought loads of them, more than I ever expected. Thank you! You’ve surprised this old hippy, in a very good way.

And thanks for all the nice tweets, comments and reviews too!

When you write a book, or rather when I wrote a book, I genuinely had no idea how it would be received or perceived. It’s one thing when your friends tell you they like something you’ve written, you know they are biased in your favour. Or polite. Or both. But it is another thing entirely when complete strangers pay actual cash money to read it and then tell you they enjoyed it. It’s kind of blown my mind.

All this is new to me. My career in the media has always been way behind the scenes. I help make other people look good. how I’m perceived has never been an issue, until now.

I’m trying to draw confidence from the positive reception I’ve received. And I’m trying to believe in the book and myself more, which isn’t easy when I’ve spent most of my life undermining my own progress and success. Hey ho.

It’s amazing I’ve had any attention, considering my bumbling and cack-handed approach to promoting it. But if I really believe in what I am doing, I know that it will require a bit more commitment.

I’m ready to make that commitment, I’m ready to do more as the northlondonhippy, but I think I’ve gone about as far as I can go on my own. If I want to take things up to the next level, I am going to need some help. I need to find someone who is good at PR and promotion to work with me. The problem is, I don’t know anyone creative, hungry and up for the challenge of trying to get exposure for an anonymous author who is not comfortable with this sort of thing. Mission impossible, eh?

There’s a lot I am willing to do. I’ll participate in podcasts, do print interviews, radio interviews and I would consider public speaking too. How about a university speaking tour? That would be cool. I’m still in no rush to do anything on television, but that may change in the future. I know part of this is trying to infuse my message with some showbiz razzmatazz. Let’s see how that works out. I’m sure I could get some laughs, probably before I even uttered a single word.

Someone quite nicely described ‘Personal Use’ as a ‘future underground cult classic’, which is a very kind, flattering, over the top thing to say. But let’s pretend, just for a moment, that might be true. What should I be doing to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity? What would you do? If you have an answer, any answer, please get in touch. I really do need all the help I can get.

The northlondonhippy is an anonymous author, online cannabis activist and recreational drug user, who has been writing about drugs and drug use for over a decade. The hippy recently published his first book, ‘Personal Use’ which details the hippy’s 35 years of recreational drug use while calling for urgent drug law reform. 10% of all profits from this book will be donated to drug charities, annually. You can also find the northlondonhippy on Twitter: @nthlondonhippy

The personal risk of “Personal Use”

14 January, 2017"Personal Use"thehippy

I might have mentioned that I was interviewed on LBC the other day, by none other than James O’Brien. It was a unique experience for me. I’ve never been the northlondonhippy outside of my home before. I’ve never been interviewed for anything other than a job. So lots of firsts.

It hit home when I arrived in reception at LBC and I had to give my name. The only name LBC had for me is ‘the northlondonhippy’. Guess what I had to say out loud?

Yup.

I prefaced it by telling the guy at reception that “…what I am about to say is going to sound ridiculous, but my name is the northlondonhippy. They’re expecting me.”

When he phoned upstairs, they said someone would come to collect me shortly. Thankfully, they didn’t tell the receptionist to phone security immediately.

My time slot was pushed back slightly, so I got to relax just outside the studio and listen to the programme while I waited.

Mr. O’Brien trailed my interview in a very complimentary way. It was suddenly, very, very real. I was about to be on national radio, talking about my book, Personal Use.

We discussed filming the interview for possible online use, and even talked about me wearing a disguise. They also gave me the option of turning the cameras off, which is what I opted for in the end. So there are no photos or video of my appearance.

Even though my schtick is to call for urgent drug law reform, I’ve framed a lot of it through my own recreational drug use. As that shit is all still foolishly and pointlessly illegal, it’s prudent, for the time being, that I conceal my identity. There may come a point in the future, where that changes and everyone says, “so what”? But for now, there is a personal risk because I wrote “Personal Use”.

Did you see what I did there? I even put it in the title of this post.

So they brought me into the studio a few minutes before I was live on-air and I got to meet Mr. O’Brien. He is as nice and as charming as he seems on the radio and TV. I’ve worked in the media myself for a long time, and his sort of charisma and likeabiity is genuine. And it is also very rare.

All the LBC staff that I met were really nice, friendly and helpful. It meant I was relaxed and comfortable when it was show time.

I put on the headphones and before I knew it, James was asking me questions. And he expected me to answer them coherently and in complete sentences. I did the best I could.

I planned on disguising my voice, but I don’t think I did a great job. I probably sounded more like me that I had hoped. The headphones threw me off a bit, as did being so far out of my comfort zone. I don’t think I could have walked and chewed gum at the same time at that point.

I prepped up on a couple of cannabis and drug law reform topics, thinking I would be able to use them during my conversation with James. I even posted some information to back up my claims, RIGHT HERE.

I didn’t get to touch on either subject. It all went really fast, my 10 minutes in the studio flew by so quickly, that it was all over before I knew it.

I didn’t expect James to spend so much time talking about my book. I know that talking about my book is a good thing, and that’s how author interviews are supposed to go. I guess I don’t really see myself as an author. A writer, sure, but being an author is different. I’ve used the word “author” in promotional material, but I don’t think I’d ever really referred to myself that way in the first person or in my head. Does that make sense?

Maybe I really am an author now.

I was prepared to talk about the wider issues around cannabis and drug law reform. I was ready to explain the difference between Sativas and Indicas and I was going to touch slightly on strains too. And I wanted to try to put the word “skunk” to bed, as it is used incorrectly by the newspapers. I hate inaccuracy. I had material prepared, that I didn’t get to use.

I could easily do a 30 minute interview about cannabis and drug law reform. I didn’t expect to do 10 minutes about my book. Ooooops, my bad.

I’m not complaining. It’s one thing to have people you know tell you what you’ve written is good. But it’s entirely different when you’re being praised so highly, by a very well respected stranger. I really didn’t expect that either. Can you tell I have extremely low expectations? It’s an excellent way to avoid bitter disappointment.

I’ve had a chance to listen back to the interview, once. I can hear every mistake I make, every long pause. I know there are no second chances, but if I could do it again, I could do it so much better.

I don’t think I bombed, I didn’t die on my ass, but I didn’t nail it either. When I do something, I like to do it well. And if I can’t do something well, I don’t bother doing it. I think I could do radio well one day, and if I ever get the chance to be interviewed again, I know I will do better.

Towards the end of the interview, Andrew Castle came into the studio, to prepare for his programme, which followed Mr. O’Brien’s. James makes a joke, and you can just about hear me say that “I recognise Mr. Castle”. I don’t think he even glanced in my direction, but if he did, he didn’t recognise me. Many, many years ago, I did some freelance shifts in the same place he was presenting. I was quite lowly there, and just passing through, so I am not surprised I didn’t make an impression. But for the briefest moment, I thought there might be an awkward flash of recognition. I’m happy to say, that it didn’t happen. Phew!

This might have been my 15 minutes and it really only ended up being ten. You can judge for yourselves how it went, as I’ve posted the full interview below. Happy listening!

Oh and you should check out my book, “Personal Use”. James O’Brien digs it, you will too.

The northlondonhippy to appear live on LBC with James O’Brien today

13 January, 2017Uncategorizedthehippy

The northlondonhippy on LBC with James O’Brien

Hey, hey. I’ve been invited to appear live with James O’Brien to discuss my book, ‘Personal Use’. I’ll be on-air Friday 13th January 2017 at 12:30pm.

While I am on the radio, it is likely that the false link between Cannabis and Psychosis will come up. The UK seems to be the only country on earth, where this is an issue. Much of the research has been published in The Lancet, Britain’s best known medical journal. That includes a careful deconstruction of the research, from Dr. Carl Hart and Dr. Charles Ksir.

People are so desperate to demonise weed, that they will misrepresent facts.

To sum it up, while there is a correlation between cannabis use and psychosis, there is no causal link. What that means is that people with psychosis may be more likely to use cannabis, but there is nothing to suggest that cannabis is the cause of any psychosis. It is bad science and bad journalism that perpetuate this myth.

Here are some links:

The original article published by The Lancet: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301925555_Correlation_still_does_not_imply_causation

And here is the story written up for laymen like us, in High Times magazine: http://hightimes.com/culture/scientists-call-out-bad-data-linking-weed-to-psychosis/

The other thing that is likely to come up is prison overcrowding & drug law reform, so I just wanted to post this graphic:

Let’s release all non-violent drug offenders & ease the prison overcrowding crisis

I hope to call on the government to immediately release all non-violent drug offenders from prison. It is the right & compassionate thing to do.

Thanks for reading this, and for listening.

The hippy’s ‘ultra last minute’ gift guide

20 December, 2016Uncategorizedthehippy

TIFU:

I forgot to get someone I care about a Christmas gift.

But what if it is Christmas Eve, what can I do?

Don’t worry, this hippy has you covered with a ‘no stress’ solution!

You can send them a copy of my book, “Personal Use”, electronically. Other eBooks are available, but I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend my own.

Here’s how to send my book via the iBooks Store:

Click on this link on an iOS device:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/personal-use/id1158069130?mt=11

It will open up the product page:

Then click on the share sheet icon on the top right of the screen:

That will bring up the share sheet at the bottom of your screen:

And on the bottom left, is the Gift icon.

Tap on it, fill out the email with the address of the person you want to send the book to and Apple will do the rest.

The recipient will receive an email with a link to redeem their gift. When they click it, the book will be downloaded to their device. And you will receive an email confirming your gift has been received.

For Amazon’s Kindle, they already have a guide to sending ebooks as a gift. It’s HERE.

CLICK HERE for the book listing on Amazon UK

Or Amazon USA RIGHT HERE

Here’s to a stress free Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone!

Personal Use – Now in print!

28 November, 2016"Personal Use"thehippy

Remember I wrote and published an eBook, back in September? Maybe you even got a free copy? Groovy on you if you did, but check this out:

My book is a printed book now too!

Want to buy a copy? Here’s some links:

Click here to buy it directly from the publisher

Click here to buy it from Amazon UK

Click here to buy it from Amazon USA

Click here for links to buy the eBook

Personal Use – Now available!

9 October, 2016"Personal Use"thehippy

The northlondonhippy is very pleased to announce that his new book, “Personal Use”, is now available to download.

“Personal Use” chronicles the northlondonhippy’s 35-year love affair with mind altering substances. From tobacco and alcohol, to cannabis, cocaine and LSD, the northlondonhippy doesn’t hold back on his colourful drug history.

From the late 70s, through the 80s, 90s, 00s, and right up to to present day; and from America to eastern and western Europe, all the way to Africa and of course north London, the northlondonhippy takes you around the world with him. And the hippy got high everywhere he went.

The northlondonhippy is an anonymous blogger, online cannabis activist and recreational drug user, who has been writing about drugs and drug use, specifically his own, for over a decade. He has also worked in the media, for some of the world’s largest organisations, mainly as a journalist, for 30 years.

The hippy thinks drug law reform is long overdue. And he hopes the punitive drug laws that have ripped families and society apart for decades, will soon be coming to an end.

10% of all profits from this book will be donated to drug charities, annually.

Click here to buy a digital copy right now

Nearly there!

25 September, 2016Uncategorizedthehippy

Just a little update on my book. It will be on sale very soon and I expect it to be popping up on Amazon’s Kindle Store, Apple’s iBook Store and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Store, shortly.

While I wait for that, I have been giving away free, no obligation, digital copies in the ePub format to anybody that would like one.

Would you like one? I can send you the direct download link via email or Twitter DM. This is a limited time offer and the free digital download will be deleted once the book is available for retail sale.

Here’s the marketing blurb:

The hippy thinks drug law reform is long overdue. And he hopes the punitive drug laws that have ripped families and society apart for decades, will soon be coming to an end.

10% of all profits from this book will be donated to drug charities, annually.

Coming in September 2016, for Kindle, Nook and iBooks on the iPhone and iPad.

Setting out my stall

3 August, 2016"Personal Use", cannabis, decriminalisation, drug use, societythehippy

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have caught that I’ve been writing a book.

It’s true, although I am no longer writing it. It’s finished now and I will be self-publishing it next month as an eBook.

My book is entitled “Personal Use” and it chronicles in vivid detail, my 35 year history of recreational drug use.

It’s a drug mémoire, if you will.

I’ve been using drugs regularly and responsibly for nearly my entire adult life. I started with tobacco and alcohol as a child, moving on to cannabis and other substances as a young adult.

I am still a daily cannabis smoker and I continue to have an affinity for magic mushrooms. And along the way, I’ve dabbled with mescaline, LSD, cocaine, benzos, prescription opiates, MDMA, and ketamine, to name but a few.

Basically, I’ve taken a lot of drugs over many years and they have enriched my life in countless ways. My experiences with drugs have been overwhelmingly positive. That’s a view you don’t hear often, and one that deserves a much louder voice.

I would like to be that voice.

I’ve worked in the media for 30 years, mainly as a journalist for some of the world’s largest news organisations. I’ve never kept my drug use a secret and just about anyone who knows me in real life, knows I like drugs.

It’s cool, the media is awash with substances, so it has never been an issue.

One of society’s problems with drug use is that the media only ever cover the bad side of drugs and that’s not fair or accurate. Actually, it is more than a bit hypocritical, since many of the people I know, who cover the news, are as prolific as I am when it comes to getting high. I know, because I get high with them sometimes myself.

The majority of people who use drugs are like me, and they also use them responsibly, with no adverse effects on their lives. That’s the most common drug experience of all, and it is given precious little attention. That needs to change.

My hope and aim with this book is to let people know that there should be no stigma attached to drug use. And more importantly, that there should not be any criminal sanctions either.

Our outdated, silly and cruel drug laws are not fit for purpose. Criminalising people for altering their brain chemistry is wrong. Our drug laws cause more harm to society, families and individuals than the actual drugs every could.

My book starts in the late 1970s in America, and goes right up until present day, London, where I am now. I cross the globe more than once and take you with me to such diverse locations as Somalia and Bosnia, along with many others. And yes, I got high everywhere I went.

But it’s not just about taking drugs, it’s also about finding drugs too. An awful lot of time is spent looking for drugs, or waiting for someone to turn up with them. From my very first ever weed dealer, through indoor cannabis gardens in the 90s, right up to the darknet markets of today, I try to explain what it’s like to be a regular consumer of all the good substances that have been foolishly prohibited by law.

I’ve let a few people I know read the rough draft and they have found my book entertaining and informative, but then I would say that, wouldn’t I?

I’d like more people to read it, before it is published next month, so I will be making digital copies available, free of charge, to anyone who wants one. If you would like a copy, just ask. The answer will be ‘yes’.

And when it goes on sale, I will keep the price very low. In the interest of transparency, I’m aiming to make a pound (GB) a copy myself, but I don’t have the final retail price worked out yet. It will be cheap, and the only way I will make any real money is through volume.

I don’t expect to make any real money, my sales expectations are very low. My joke is that I am aiming to sell one million copies. I know I won’t, but that’s the goal.

It’s good to have goals.

I’ll be plastering info on Twitter and Reddit over the coming month, as I will need your help too. I need all the help I can get. I’m useless on Facebook and don’t even have an account, but if you would like to share stuff there, you would be doing me a huge favour. Just let me know if anyone liked it!

As an anonymous and unknown writer, I know it will be an uphill battle to get people interested in my book. But I have faith in the strength of my product. I know that if you read the book’s “Forward”, you will be hooked and you will want to keep on reading. I’m kinda counting on that!

I am hoping to have the final, retail version, in the ePub format, before the end of this month. So if you get a free copy, you can be sure you will be getting the exact same version that will go up for sale.

So that’s it. I’ve set out my stall. And in about a month, there will be one product available on my virtual shelf.

I look forward to bringing you “Personal Use” and I hope everyone who reads it, enjoys it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Years ago, I had a tag line that I used on my website, that I hope will apply to my book as well:

“The northlondonhippy – he will make you laugh, he will make you think, and he will make you wish you were a hippy too!”

Let’s see if I can live up to my own hype.

the northlondonhippy

3rd August 2016

Your president is a violent thug

8 June, 2016Uncategorizedthehippy

Check out this piece of shit:

Click here

No, not Donald Trump, but Rodrigo Duterte, the newly elected president of the Philippines.

This guy is a real piece of work. He’s rumoured to have his own death squads and he advocates killing drug dealers. You know, extra-judicially. He will even give you a medal if you do.

Is this what our world has become? Can the leader of a sovereign nation really advocate state sanctioned murder and not be widely condemned for it by, well everyone?

Apparently not.

The comedian, John Oliver, has labelled Duterte, “the Trump of the east”. Check out this gem, where Duterte, while attending a mass wedding, offers to de-flower the brides.

Click here

I don’t think he is joking. He’s quite a slime ball.

Duterte is a pig, he’s disgusting and an entire nation elected him. It boggles the mind.

Now, if I wanted to sink to his level of stupidity, I would call for his assassination. He is a dangerous criminal and he should be stopped, but by the rule of law, not through vigilantism. Duterte needs to be hauled up in front of the International Court of Justice, tried and imprisoned for his crimes.

But there is a larger issue here, on how we view drug users and drug dealers.

If you believe, like I do, that drug use is a basic human right, then drug users deserve your respect and help, to make sure that their drug use as safe as possible.

And drug dealing is just a business, it’s simply capitalism in practise. If there is a demand, the supply will always rise up to meet that demand. Drug dealers shouldn’t be murdered in the streets like dogs, but should be taxed and regulated, just like any other business.

If you want to remove the violence from drug dealing, then legalise recreational drugs. Do pharmaceutical manufacturers resort to violence to protect their territory? Of course not! It should be the same with recreational drugs.

This should be a cautionary tale for America, as it careens ever closer to electing another thug, piece of shit to the office of president. But it won’t.

I hope the Philippines can survive a Duterte presidency. And if you’re a drug dealer there, I’d invest in some body armour, because your president is fucking insane.

A quick post about Lord Sewel and the law

23 September, 2015Uncategorizeddrugs, law, lord jewel, media, policethehippy

This might be cocaine. Or it could be salt

There seems to be a lot of anger and outrage online over Lord Sewel. He allegedly snorted cocaine with hookers and made some disparaging comments about our Prime Minister of pork, while wearing ladies clothing. We know this because of an undercover newspaper sting.

The newspaper in question, The Sun, is appalled that the police didn’t prosecute him. The Met’s reason was their was lack of evidence.

Roy Greenslade of The Guardian, quite unusually, agrees with The Sun. It’s Greenslade’s piece, which you can read RIGHT HERE, that inspired me to quickly post this.

We can all sit in judgement over Lord Sewel, as many of us have been doing since the allegations were published. He cheated on his wife, with prostitutes, while allegedly taking coke. The shock, the horror.

Here’s the thing, under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, you need to be in possession of said substance, for the police to charge you. There needs to be physical evidence, that can be tested in a lab, for the police to be able to charge someone. The evidence needs to hold up in a court of law. A photo of alleged drug use is not conclusive proof.

While the photos may depict Lord Sewel snorting something that is thought to be cocaine, the police have no way of confirming the composition of the substance from a photo. The police did search his property, but I am sure that if anything was there, it was and cleared and cleaned very thoroughly before that search happened.

Someone could have sold Sewel powdered sugar. How could you tell the difference from a photo? You can’t. Without physical evidence, there would be no way to charge him.

It was the same with Nigella Lawson. She may have admitted to drug use, which is a perfectly legal thing to do, as long as you don’t have any drugs on your person. She didn’t.

Drugs are not illegal. What is illegal is the act of possession. You can’t make things illegal, only actions. Possession of a drug is the illegal act and you have to be in possession of drugs to be charged and prosecuted.

If the police could make arrests for being pictured taking drugs, then a lot of people posting to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram would be in a helluva lot of trouble. Do you think the police have the time to investigate every drug related photo posted to social media? And would that be enough proof to prosecute? Of course not!

Don’t get me wrong, if you post a photo of yourself online, taking drugs, you could still inspire a property search, so I wouldn’t recommend doing it. Though I’ve seen enough of of these sorts of photos online to know that any warning won’t matter. Lots of you out there in internetland, do it, every day.

All drugs should be decriminalised. What Lord Sewel or anyone else ingests, is a private concern and should be a health matter, rather than a criminal one.

Prosecuting drug use is a waste of time, money and resources, for the police, the courts and the media. The drugs laws do more harm than drugs ever could and you are more likely to have a worse outcome if you get in trouble with the law.

We can all feel morally superior to Lord Sewel, but it’s not a matter for law enforcement. The police have done the right thing by dropping this case. On the basis of the evidence and the law, it was the correct and only decision they could make.

Have you used your nose?

19 June, 2015Uncategorized#apple, #applewatch, #techthehippy

Here's my actual watch. And my hairy wrist is included for no extra charge — Here’s my actual watch. And my hairy wrist is included for no extra charge

Quick post, with a quick thought. Have you used your nose?

I’m talking about using your nose to tap something on your Apple Watch.

I have, more than once.

I was baking some (special) cookies today and using the watch as a timer. It’s very cool, because you can do it hands free, with the “hey Siri” voice command.

I was baking my cookies for 12 minutes, so they came out nice and crisp. While preparing the next batch for the oven, the timer went off, telling me to take the current batch out of the oven. My hands were gooey with dough, so I used the tip of my nose to dismiss the timer alert on my watch.

I’ve been wearing my Apple Sport Watch for around 6 weeks now and I like it a lot. Notice I didn’t say “loved”.

I love my iPhone, I love my iPad, I love my iMac. The watch doesn’t inspire that sort of awe for me.

I think it is beautifully crafted, fantastically designed and executed. It’s nearly everything I would want in a watch from Apple. And the rest is coming in the next OS in the autumn.

But I don’t love it, like I love the other devices. The interactions I have with it are very brief, as they are meant to be, but also very useful.

The watch has fit right into my life, but I wore a watch before. I’ve always worn a watch. If you don’t wear a watch now, then the utility of the Apple Watch may not be as apparent to you, but for me it is just an extension of what my previous Casio G-Shock did.

Utility is the word I keep coming back to when I talk about my watch. It’s all very useful and very cool, but it lacks the fun factor (for me anyway) of my other devices.

Yes, I know there are games for the watch, but they really don’t appeal to me, on something with such a small screen.

What I find useful are the alerts. I don’t miss texts any more, ever. And breaking news…it is so cool to receive a breaking news alert on your wrist, before you see it any place else.

I use the watch to remotely skip tracks on my music player. I’ve already mentioned the messaging. I’m looking forward to being able to reply to emails, a feature which is coming in the autumn. Yes, It should have been included in the first version, but it wasn’t.

I’ve used it for walking directions, I’ve used it to plot journeys on public transport and I’ve used it to summon an Uber. That’s actually cool as fuck and very futuristic.

So is Shazaming a song on the radio, in the car, while stopped at a red light.

I’ve taken phone calls as well, which is also surreal and I’ve seamlessly handed it off to my iPhone.

I definitely fiddle with my iPhone far less, and I really only grab it when I need something the watch can’t do.

Utility. A very attractive, comfortable to wear, device that provides me with utility.

Everyone who’s seen it, asks me the same question: Should I get one?

Tough question. If you’re reading this and thinking everything I’ve mentioned sounds cool, then yes, get one. But if you’re thinking £339 (around $400) for the cheapest model sounds like a lot of money for a watch, then it probably isn’t for you.

I’m glad I bought one, I would miss it if I didn’t have it and I will probably buy the next one, if it really has a Dick Tracy style videophone in it. But I love toys and gadgets and sometimes like to be an early adopter.

It’s Apple’s most personal device, and I think they are right. Everyone will have a different relationship with their Apple watch.

My original question remains….have you used your nose?

northlondonhippy.com

The internet's favourite fake hippy!