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 Dr Hemp's e-mail to the Straw Man.
Dr Hemp decided to e-mail Jack Straw MP (that's
Britain's Home Secretary for the benefit of Americans visiting this site)
pointing out the results to our opinion poll and telling him to legalise pot.
The lazy git couldn't be arsed to reply personally, but we did get a reply from
some dude called Fiona Pembroke of the Home Office Action Against Drugs
Unit. |
Dear
Mr Straw,
We recently included on our web site
www.canedintotnes.co.uk an
opinion poll asking the question "Do you think marijuana should be legalised?"
The results are quite compelling:
| Do you think that marijuana
should be legalised? |
| Yes 1128
(96%) |
| No 48
(4%) |
As you can see, with over 1,100 people taking part in
our poll an overwhelming majority of 1,080 (96%) voted yes in favour of the
legalisation of marijuana, whereas, only a mere 48 people (4%) voted
against.
Marijuana has been proven to have many medical purposes for
people suffering with cancer, AIDS, MS and many more conditions. Reports have
confirmed that marijuana does not lead to harder drugs. It's potential for
addiction is not significantly serious, and it's side effects are within the
range tolerated for other legal medicines / substances. Alcohol is potentially
far more dangerous than marijuana. How many times has a policeman been called
to somewhere because a stoned person stoned is being violent after taking
marijuana? Not very often, if ever, I should guess! Ask the same question to a
policeman about a drunk person being violent after drinking excess alcohol and
I bet the answer would be every week.
The majority of people that I
know regularly smoke pot anyway, regardless of what the law says, as they know
the law is wrong and unjust. But why should they be classed as criminals and
face potential prosecution when they are doing nothing wrong? The answer is of
course they should not! In view of these facts and the results of our opinion
poll can I ask that you as Home Secretary seek to legalise marijuana in the UK
as soon as possible.
I look forward to your reply.
Kind
regards,
Dr
Hemp. |
Dear
Dr Hemp,
Thank you for
your email of 15 February addressed to the Home Secretary concerning the
legalisation of cannabis. As I am sure that you will appreciate, due to the
sheer volume of correspondence that he receives, it is simply not possible for
the Home Secretary to answer it all personally. Your email has been passed to
the Action Against Drugs Unit for response, and I must apologise for the time
taken to do so.
The Government appreciates the effort you have made to
carry out this research, and notes the final results. Our misuse of drugs
legislation allows for the use as medicines of controlled drugs which have
established therapeutic uses (eg morphine and the other opiates) but prohibits
the medicinal use of those which do not. It is based on two United Nations
drugs conventions. In line with their provisions, cannabis is controlled as a
drug that has no currently recognised therapeutic uses. It cannot be prescribed
but the misuse of drugs legislation permits research into such drugs to be
undertaken under Home Office licence. Similar controls apply in other
countries.
The prohibition on the prescribing of cannabis hinges
directly on the fact that the medical benefits of the drug have not been
scientifically demonstrated. Whilst there is considerable anecdotal evidence of
its medical benefits in alleviating the symptoms of a number of medical
conditions, there is little research-based evidence, and the results of such
research as has been carried out are inconclusive.
The Government does
not believe that doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis unless and
until the quality, safety and efficacy of a medicinal form of the drug have
been scientifically established and a marketing authorisation issued by the
Medicines Control Agency, a procedure that all prospective new medicines have
to go through.
We consider that a move to allow cannabis to be
prescribed now would be contrary to the principles of the medicines legislation
which is designed to protect patients and ensure that medicines are safe,
effective and of certain quality. Whilst the Government has great sympathy with
those people who cannot obtain relief from their symptoms from existing
medication, it would not be right to accept in relation to cannabis lower
standards than would be applied to any other potential medicine. As I have
indicated above, the Multiple Sclerosis Society endorse this view and do not
support the prescription of cannabis for multiple sclerosis in advance of
proper trials.
The Government welcomes and has encouraged research into
the possible medicinal uses of cannabis. The Home Office has licensed a number
of laboratory and medical research projects over the last few years, including
the research you mention being conducted by Dr Guy of G W Pharmaceuticals
Limited. This research has now been underway for two years during which time a
standardised form of cannabis has been developed under scientific botanical
conditions overseen by the Medicines Control Agency. Safety studies in human
volunteers have been accomplished and full clinical trials have now commenced.
These trials will investigate the potential effectiveness of cannabis in
treating multiple sclerosis, spinal back injury and other severe, intractable
pain conditions. They will involve approximately 2000 patients in a number of
NHS teaching hospitals. In addition, we expect another major research project
to get under way shortly. Dr John Zajicek has been awarded a grant of more than
a million pounds from the Medical Research Council to conduct trials to test
out the effects of cannabinoids on the spasticity of people with MS. These
trials will involve approximately 600 patients.
If the trials into
cannabis are successful and lead to a medical preparation which is approved by
the Medicines Control Agency, the Government has made it clear we would be
willing to amend the misuse of drugs controls to allow the prescribing of such
a medicine. It would be premature to take such a step before its quality,
safety and efficacy have been established.
Fiona Pembroke
Action Against Drugs Unit
Home Office
Unit, 50, Queen Anne's
Gate
London SW1H 9AT |
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