Source: Evening News (Norwich, UK)
Contact:  Fri, 9 Oct 1998
Author: Jack Girling, Chairman, CLCIA
Fax: 01603 628311

PRO-CANNABIS CAMPAIGNER ISSUE A CHALLENGE

I'LL PROVIDE THE EVIDENCE TO JUDGE

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 
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Checked-by: Mike Gogulski