WAR ON DRUGS A COSTLY FAILURE

Carl Wagner, of Ella Street, Hull is a 41-year-old father of six children.

A cannabis user for more than 25 years, he is a member of the Legalise
Cannabis Alliance and strongly believes the drug should be legalised. Below
he explains why.

BY ANY RATIONAL TEST THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND ITS USE OF THE CRIMINAL LAW, IS A
COSTLY FAILURE. Even more worrying, in the face of this political and
social disaster, is the silence offered by the administrators we pay to act
on our behalf. Their leaders are evidently afraid that even discussing
different approaches might get them labelled as soft on drugs. If they do
say anything we can predict what it will be: lots of talk about getting
tougher on drugs and on the people who buy and sell them. A little lip
service may be paid to the need for more "treatment" for drug users-so long
as it's tough. But drug prohibition is as dangerous and illogical as the
American alcohol prohibition was 70 years ago: It criminalises millions of
people, gives rise to organised crime, increases underage usage, diminishes
freedom, promotes disrespect for the law, and last but not least, does NOT
curtail usage.

Cannabis is illegal but more than 600 million throughout the world and 45
million in Europe still use it. As seen in Holland, legalisation does not
increase usage; it simply allows those who would smoke it anyway to do so
legally. If there was one drug that relieved the nausea caused by
chemotherapy and AIDS-induced wasting as well as the symptoms of glaucoma,
arthritis, Tourette's syndrome, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis,
migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, PMS, asthma, fibromyalgia, epilepsy,
and some skin ailments, wouldn't you expect to find it in every medicine
cabinet?

It stands to reason that if the Government can't illustrate why a law is
necessary, then that law should not exist. So just why is cannabis illegal?
One would assume that, because cannabis is classified under the dangerous
drugs act it is, therefore, a dangerous drug.

As the father of six daughters it would be irresponsible of me to dismiss
out of hand the allegations of harm directed at cannabis: that it can cause
cancer, psychosis, paranoia and a-motivation. But the fact remains that
people are smoking cannabis regardless of the law. Besides, isn't psychosis
a matter of health and not law? Alcohol causes terrible health problems for
heavy, and not so heavy, imbibers yet you do not see many drinkers behind
bars simply because of their recreational habits. So what makes enjoying
cannabis an imprisonable offence?

The illegal status of cannabis simply drives the power and profits into
nefarious hands and the assumption that drugs are somehow safer when placed
in the hands of criminals seems to me quite ludicrous. Many health problems
associated with cannabis can be attributed wholly to the tainted street
cannabis or 'soap' most widely available to consumers. It is 'stretched' to
maximise profit and contains substances such as shoe polish, varnish and
opiates.

The law, in its futile attempt to stem the tide of youth and social
evolution, succeeds only in endangering the lives of those it claims to
protect.

Prohibition is directly responsible for countless deaths, social deprivation
and the incarceration and persecution of millions of innocent people. It
strikes at the very heart of democracy and impoverishes us all. And the
people who support this international scandal? The out of touch drug
warriors; a self-proclaimed moral majority forever shouting "No!". In my
opinion these people lack experience of real life and are incapable of
empathising with the terrible suffering that comes with shattered families
and persecution. And the crime? The victimless "non crime" of smoking (or
eating) cannabis; A therapeutic herb, a weed that grows in god's earth, a
religious sacrament; a miracle of nature, used by an estimated 600 million
people worldwide. And has never been held responsible for one single death!
I've taken a wide range of drugs over 41 years, and used cannabis for 25 of
them. But I - and the majority of other cannabis users round the world -
have never been even tempted to try heroin. Vulnerability, poverty and
social exclusion are the main causes of heroin addiction and illogical myths
should be put to rest. Nobody is fooling anybody with any drug awareness
with misleading statements such as "95 per cent of heroin addicts started on
cannabis". It may be the case that most heroin addicts have previously used
cannabis: but only a very small proportion of cannabis users will ever take
heroin.

Legalised Cannabis could replace many of the industries responsible for
raping and destroying the Earth. It has an incredible 25,000 uses it; One
acre of Cannabis produces over four times the amount of cellulose as one
acre of trees. Cannabis is the perfect material to replace trees for pressed
board, particle board, and concrete form work. It has six times the tensile
strength of cotton and makes a plastic with ten times the impact strength of
steel. It also contains all 8 fatty acids the body needs!

And here's the twist in the tail.

Legal Cannabis could replace petrol as a cheap pollution-free fuel and is
capable of reversing the greenhouse effect. Why are we waiting?

Cannabis does have dangerous side effects. But they are political, not
physical.

Carl Wagner