EVIDENCE TO JUDGE
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n868.a08.html
Note: Jack Girling is Chairman of CLCIA

Sirs,

His Honour Judge Paul Downes who branded cannabis as "dangerous" has
now called on legalisation campaigners to take a close look after the
latest case involving the drug. (Evening News, October 4.)

The judge was dealing with the case of a man convicted of burglary,
theft and possession of a Class A drug.

The newspaper report said that the man "had been put into care at the
age of seven...started taking drugs from the age of 14, starting off
with cannabis, graduating to solvents and amphetamines and by the age
of 24 moving on to heroin, methadone and cocaine."

Where did his problems really start,with cannabis, in care, or before
that? Clearly his crimes were due to his need to get cash to buy hard
drugs from the illegal market where prices are high and quality low.

It would do well to remember that all these problems occur under the
present system of prohibition.

To step from this man's problems to such a generalisation that
cannabis is a dangerous drug is indeed a giant leap.

Judge Downes must have read my last letter about cannabis.

May I now take this opportunity of challenging him.

If he, or anybody else, would like to organise the venue we would be
pleased to bring along experts in cannabis to testify before him, that
pure cannabis is non-addictive, does not lead to hard drugs, is not
toxic, does not a-motivate and does not significantly detrimentally
effect motor or cognitive skills.

Yours sincerely,

Jack Girling Chairman of the CLCIA Norwich