Letters to the Editor

OXFORD University Students' Union council believes that the possession of
cannabis should no longer be a legal offence. A change in the law would
lead to a decrease, rather than an increase, in the use of hard drugs, as
it would break the first step of the illegal drugs ladder.
Simon McDougall Oxford University Students' Union President

I AM in court on cannabisrelated charges. I have been growing cannabis and
I use it as a pain killer for injuries I received in 1980 when I was run
over by a doubledecker bus. I am persecuted and in pain. Byron
Eckhardt, Sheffield

AS A recovering alcoholic who has been dry for 12 years, I gave in to my
fears of cannabis about six months into my sobriety. Whereas the alcohol
controlled me for many years, now I control my intake of dope. Philip
Wood, London

MY HOUSE has just been raided by 14 police officers, who woke up my
housemates by smashing in the doors at 7.30am, and bursting into bedrooms
while people were asleep. The police found five plants and some resin. I
was cautioned. Sean Sinclair, London

MY WIFE and I use cannabis for medical and recreational reasons. My wife
suffers from migraines and arthritis. After I was made redundant, my GP
diagnosed depression and put me on medication, which made me feel like I
was going mad. Then I started using pot. Since then we have enjoyed good
sleep and I claim the herb has saved our marriage, and possibly our lives.
R Lincoln, Lancashire

I HAVE been smoking cannabis for 25 years. In that time I have amassed
fines of £850 for possession. There were four raids on four flats,
involving over 30 plainclothed officers. The haul amounted to a value of
£25. How can the police justify this waste of manpower when violent crime
is rife through alcohol abuse? Albert Darlington, Stirling

SUPPORTERS of your cannabis campaign may like to know of a similar campaign
called the "Legalise Ganja Campaign" started in Jamaica in October 1996.
Jamaica revels in the reputation and revenue generated by the works of Bob
Marley, Peter Tosh and other Rastafarian musicians for whom ganja was an
inspiration. Yet hundreds of Jamaicans are charged every year for
possession and ganja crops are destroyed by spraying and burning.
Rastafarians protested against the antiganja laws and suffered for their
beliefs. In 1996 Rastafarian elders came together with leading
professionals and launched the campaign.

Public reaction was favourable; political reaction was not. The Minister of
National Security and Justice declared that he would not legalise "even an
ounce". One of the opposition parties flirted with a proposal for
decriminalisation but backed off when the US Ambassador told them that
Jamaica would be ostracised from all aid programmes.

We live in Jamaica under the shadow of a US Caribbean policy which, under
the cover of the "war against drugs", does more to harass ganja growers
than to stop the traffic in cocaine.

Sustaining the campaign is difficult. The economy is in a dreadful state.
Supporters do not have the money or time to put in. The priority is to
survive and make ends meet.

We would like to commission an opinion survey; to organise a "legalise it"
concert; to petition parliament with thousands of signatories. But funds do
not stretch even to pay a secretary.

We welcome the campaign, which will help us to gain ground in Jamaica. Your
supporters may find that a breakthrough in Jamaica, home of some of the
finest weed, will be significant internationally. I am a barrister
practising mainly in Jamaica and a founding member of the Legalise Ganja
Campaign. Messages of support can be sent to me at: 21 Church Street,
Kingston, Jamaica. Lord Gifford, QC

IT IS not as if cannabis is a substance that has only just come to the
public notice. In the 1930s I was offered a reefer in the prefects' common
room and there was alcohol at the pub. Surely both should be treated the
same, allowing the police more time to catch the "other" criminals? B D
Baines, Cambridge

IN December 1994 I was admitted to hospital for manic depression. I was
convinced I needed cannabis, and tried it. The effect was immediate. From a
highly excited state, I calmed down. But then I was forced to take orthodox
medicine. I shall never forget the humiliation of being surrounded by six
male nurses and put in an arm lock. I was forced on to a bed and had a
needle rammed in my backside. Later I slipped out of hospital, unable to
take any more, and threw myself under a lorry. If I had been prescribed
cannabis, I do not believe that I would have suffered such deep depression.
Name supplied