Introduction:
Do you believe cannabis is safer than alcohol and
tobacco?
Are you frustrated at the slow progress towards
legalisation?
Do you want to help speed up that process?
Our forthcoming campaign is designed to be very
simple and easy but allowing anyone to develop their
own local campaign further if they'd like to. The
campaign also aims to be above reproach. We would
like everyone interested to e-mail or post a letter
to your local newspaper in January 2004, after the
official announcement of the reclassification of
cannabis to Class C. You can send it anonymously by
giving your name and address but saying 'Name and
address withheld'.
PALAD is a drug education voluntary group who
believe cannabis is a safer alternative to legal
drugs. EVERYONE is being denied that safer
alternative and being mislead into believing legal
drugs are safer than illegal ones - even the most
prejudiced should care about that. Here's the letter:
Few people realise the enormity of the drugs
problem facing society. A
quarter of all adults are now drug addicts. A fifth
of all deaths are caused by drugs. However these are
not problems caused by illegal drugs but by the only
recreational drugs legally available, alcohol and
tobacco.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD)
was established by the Misuse of Drugs Act as an
independent group of experts with the legal duty to
advise Government about drug dangers. They are the
highest legal authority on drug harm in the UK. The
ACMD have stated in their report Reducing Drug-Related
Deaths that tobacco "smoking kills about 120,000
people each year, and between 28,000 and 33,000
people die annually as a result of alcohol". The
ACMD have also stated in their report The
classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs
Act 1971 that "the high use of cannabis is
not associated with major health problems for the
individual or society".
Which drug would you rather your teenager adopted as
their drug of choice? "
We want the Government to fulfil its own policy.
The Government's Updated Drugs Strategy 2002
says "it is vital that the Government's message
to young people is open, honest and credible. Drug
laws must accurately reflect the relative harms of
different drugs if they are to persuade young people
in particular of the dangers of misusing drugs".
But public opinion is holding the Government back.
We can make a difference. By writing to your local
paper you can see that difference as people reply to
your letter. We've got a lot of sample letters on our
website if you want to continue a local letter
writing campaign. We'll provide every bit of help and
guidance via forums or e-mail and there's plenty of
quotes and resources on our website. You can set up
as co-ordinator for a local branch of PALAD, even
register as a drug education voluntary organisation
and influence local drug policy through input to your
local Drug Action Team - the group of authorities
implementing the Government's strategy. Did you know
that all government organisations misuse 'drugs', the
word? They use the word to only refer to illegal
drugs, contrary to its legal definition in the Misuse
of Drugs Act, contrary to WHO & UN definitions
and contrary to what children are taught at school.
We want to help everyone take the campaign as far
they want.
But at least send that one letter in January and see
what response you get in your local paper. On our
website you can see the 3 letters
we've had published in The Independent - they go
for the jugular!
e-mail me or post on a forum if you're interested
in the campaign. And if you've got a good idea for a
letter about the health benefits of cannabis
legalisation, let us know.
More campaign details, with further examples, are here.
I'm really hoping to hear your views on this. And
don't forget what our old mate Plato said: "The
price of apathy is to be ruled by evil men".
Duncan Cameron
Parents Against Lethal Addictive Drugs (PALAD)
North Wales
[email protected]
http://www.palad.org.uk/
