WE NEED LEGALISED POT SHOPS

A CANDIDATE is hoping to be elected as a ward councillor after mounting a
campaign to set up legalised cannabis cafes.

Widnes woman Emma O'Neill was the most effective candidate for the Legalise
Cannabis Alliance party in the UK's 2001 local elections. Now she is
re-launching her bid to become a ward councillor. But Emma, 27, is
determined to get her campaign on a stronger footing this year by raising
UKP 1,500.

She needs a UKP 500 deposit to stand in the election and aims to spend the
rest on printing flyers detailing her party's arguments for cannabis
legalisation. She hopes to send her message out beyond her target ward to as
many as 28,000 homes across the borough.

She is looking for at least 30 campaigners to help out and for venues to
hold debates. Emma, who scooped 7% of the Appleton Ward vote in 2001 for the
officially registered Legalise Cannabis Alliance, compared with an average
1-2% for its other candidates, thinks her belief in cannabis legalisation
will appeal to a wide cross-section of people.

She hopes to attract more votes this time as she will no longer campaign on
a single issue - young people, education and transport will also figure
highly on her agenda.

She said: 'I want to appeal to a wide cross-section of people in the
community who want to change things.

'The Government's policy has seen the possession of Class C drugs changed
into an arrestable offence.

'The new rules have just clouded people's judge-ment of what is happening.

'Both the police and the public should know exactly what the outcomes will
be of being caught in possession of cannabis.

'The current law criminalises people unnecessarily and causes confusion -
many people even think it is already legal.'

She added: 'There should be coffee shops in Widnes where people can get
good, clean weed and have a 'homey' environment to smoke in. The problem is
that the stuff you get at the moment is often contaminated with plastic and
petroleum to improve its weight and appearance.

'A regulatory body could ensure it is clean and OK. Cafes would also make
it more difficult for young people to get hold of cannabis.

'Alcohol causes violence and the hospitals are full of people going yellow
from liver failure - but not cannabis.

'Personal-use cultivation combined with organised outlets would break the
links with organised crime.

'I really want to push this this time and get a wider audience, but
fundraising is difficult because of the stigma attached to the issue.'