Cannabis is grown in a bath (From Ledbury Reporter)

Why don't we try taking a completely new approach to cannabis? In Britain, 30% of us use cannabis in our lifetime, three million people use it at least once per month and we consume more than three tonnes every day. The idea that we can prevent people using it is nonsense.

We waste billions every year on police, court and prison resources when a large proportion of society uses cannabis without any problem at all. In fact, the only real problem with cannabis is that it's illegal.

The risks to health are very small - much, much less than alcohol or tobacco. Professor Terrie Moffitt of the
Institute of Psychiatry said recently that cannabis is "safe for over 18s". If we took responsibility and introduced a tax and regulate system we could protect children far more effectively than we do at present.

We could have a properly regulated supply chain with no criminals involved, no theft of electricity, no human trafficking, no destruction of property and disruption of neighbourhoods. Then there would be some control over this huge market. There would be thousands of new jobs, sales would be from licensed outlets to adults only with guaranteed quality and safety. Then our police could start going after some real wrongdoing instead of trying to fight a crime that exists only because of a misguided government policy.

Also, very importantly, science now proves that cannabis is one of the safest and most effective medicines for a wide range of conditions. While the government promotes the lie that "there is no medicinal value in cannabis", it has granted an unlawful monopoly to GW Pharmaceuticals to grow 20 tonnes a year for, you guessed it, medicine!

Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR) published independent research last year that shows a cannabis tax and regulate policy would provide a boost to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion pa as well as reducing all health and social harms.

The only thing that keeps the present absurd status quo in place is weak politicians corrupted by Big Booze
and the GW Pharma monopoly.

''found were 63 grams of skunk cannabis''

Another statement that makes no sense. Once again. 'Skunk' is a term misused by the media to further the demonization of this medicine.

Skunk is cannabis and cannabis is skunk, in fact, the term skunk describes separating males from females in the growing process, leaving them non pollinated. It also describes a very specific strain of cannabis bred by the Dutch known as 'Skunk#1', this is a very specific strain, since then, hundreds of strains have been bred, not all of these are skunk or have skunk 1 genetics. Skunk is just the name of the strain, like 'white widow', and it describes non pollinated female flowers, sensimilla (without seeds). Calling all strong variants of cannabis 'skunk', makes no sense. Its like calling all strong booze, 'Jack Daniels'. Under prohibition dealers sell the strongest stuff for the most money, the media have misused the term skunk to further the demonization of this relatively harmless plant. There are non pollinated strains with low THC and high CBD, like 'Jamaican Lion' or 'Cannatonic', (THC6% CBD9% for example) but not in the UK as its illegal and once again, dealers only sell the strong stuff. Thanks to prohibition.

Cannabis is legally grown and sold in the UK by G W Pharmaceuticals. they grow 60,000 high potency plants in state of the art greenhouses in Kent. They sell the full extract, called Sativex or Nabiximols, to the NHS at huge profit and receive very generous tax breaks. They are doing no different to these enterprising people apart from the fact they are growing considerably more. The government deems Sativex (liquid cannabis) safe and effective medicine. So if you are a friend of the gov you don't get arrested and are free to make a profit. If you aren't, then you attract the attention of the police intent on wasting their time and your tax planning and executing these futile raids.

Its an outrage that someone can get a criminal record for this.

The police and government say they are helping the people by giving them a criminal record, they are not.

Obama, Price Harry and others smoked it. If say Obama was busted at school smoking it (he said he did in school) would his life be better today? Would be still be president of the USA? NO he would not! His life would be trashed for good and he wont be able to travel places around the world and get locked out of the job market.

Making it illegal is just costing tax payers money policing it.

Studies claim its a gateway drug, yes this might be true but you know why that is? Its simple because its illegal and this means people have to go to back street "drug dealers" to get this drug, them dealers also sell other drugs. The dealers offer deals on the other drugs for the customers to "try" then they get hooked.

If it was legal this problem would no be around, your have less people in harder drugs and less tax payers money being spent!

The real reason it wont be made legal is simple, its because of the NHS. If they made it legal it would be for medical use. This means your be able to get it for a standard NHS charge. It is also to easy to produce in the home so the government would loose out.

Cannabis has so many health benefits along with many other drugs but they are just not allowed to be tested cheaply, this means the UK has to import not drugs at an extra cost. If we were able to create new helpful drugs here we would save money!

This is just odd.

I'm with you all on the daftness of cannabis being illegal. However, it is wrong to say GW Pharma are doing exactly the same as some bloke cultivating it in his bath. GW are producing for specific legal purposes under very strictly controlled conditions with lots of testing required to ensure their product is safe in use. That's a very big difference.

Andrew Warmington wrote:
I'm with you all on the daftness of cannabis being illegal. However, it is wrong to say GW Pharma are doing exactly the same as some bloke cultivating it in his bath. GW are producing for specific legal purposes under very strictly controlled conditions with lots of testing required to ensure their product is safe in use. That's a very big difference.

With respect, it's not a substantive difference except for the ludicrous legal position. Pharmacologically the products are the same. It's like the difference between buying your tomatoes at the supermarket or the farm shop or growing them in your greenhouse.

No it isn't the same at all and, with all due respect to you too, I know what I am talking about here. I write about pharmaceutical chemicals for a living.

The process of production is critical to the quality of any drug, which is why it is difficult under the law for drug producers to change the process even if they think they have found a better/cheaper one.

Those grown in a bath MAY be safe for most users but it cannot be guaranteed. Their quality and side effects may be totally different to what GW produces. Just like the 'whisky' produced in a still in a shed is not the same as the whisky produced by Bells.

Another reason, IMHO, for legal production and distribution under controlled conditions.

Andrew Warmington wrote:
No it isn't the same at all and, with all due respect to you too, I know what I am talking about here. I write about pharmaceutical chemicals for a living.

The process of production is critical to the quality of any drug, which is why it is difficult under the law for drug producers to change the process even if they think they have found a better/cheaper one.

Those grown in a bath MAY be safe for most users but it cannot be guaranteed. Their quality and side effects may be totally different to what GW produces. Just like the 'whisky' produced in a still in a shed is not the same as the whisky produced by Bells.

Another reason, IMHO, for legal production and distribution under controlled conditions.

I agree with your last point entirely but I fear you are overstating your case.

As Geoffrey Guy himself says, Sativex is composed of about 420 different molecules whereas virtually every other pharmaceutical product consists of just one.

Of course there is a difference in quality and exact chemical composition when cannabis is grown in the sort of clean room conditions that GW and Bedrocan use. However, I chose my words very carefully, the effect (the pharmacology) of cannabis grown with modest competence at home is pretty much the same as that grown by GW/Bedrocan.