cannabisnews.com: Minister Sees Cannabis Pilot Minister Sees Cannabis Pilot Posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 08:36:26 PT Cannabis laws are under review Source: BBC News The results of a police initiative relaxing controls on cannabis use are being seen first hand by a Home Office minister. Bob Ainsworth met officers and residents of Brixton, south London, where possession of small amounts of the drug is being punished by confiscation and a verbal warning rather than arrest. His visit coincides with a meeting between pro-legalisation groups and the all-party Homes Affairs Select Committee. The MPs will hear arguments in favour of decriminalising all drug use from campaigners including civil rights groups Liberty, Transform and the Legalise Cannabis Alliance. Hard Drugs Mr Ainsworth will be told by Brixton police that they supported a change of policy towards cannabis because senior officers were spending too much of their time dealing with offenders. The government said the six month scheme was allowed to go ahead so that police could concentrate on the fight against hard drugs. It denied the scheme was a step towards the legalisation of cannabis. Proponents have suggested it could serve as a possible model for reform in other parts of the country. 'Travesty' Danny Kushlick from drug reform group Transform said the meeting with the Home Affairs Select Committee was a valuable opportunity. It is our job to...show the committee why so many European states have already decriminalised the possession of all drugs and why Switzerland and Holland are now seeking to legalise the supply of cannabis." Mr Kushlick said Home Office evidence to the committee had been a "travesty", adding: "Their evidence has manipulated data to support an untenable position." The meeting follows Home Secretary David Blunkett's recent announcement that he would look at the case for downgrading cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug. It would mean possession of small amounts of cannabis would no longer be an arrestable offence. Last week the committee also faced a strong rebuke from chairman Chris Mullin MP. He attacked members' failure to look at the arguments surrounding radical measures, including the legalisation of all drugs. Source: BBC News (UK Web)Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2001Copyright: 2001 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Contact: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/Related Articles & Web Site:Legalise Cannabis Alliancehttp://www.lca-uk.org/Transform http://www.transform-drugs.org.uk/Unease Among Regional Forces http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11184.shtmlCampaigners Applaud Cannabis Reform http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11177.shtmlWhy Britain is Going Dutch http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11175.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 13:35:26 PT Dr. Russo I understand and thank you. All the people that are taking Cypro now, some must have bad nausea if they react to antibiotics like I do. Cannabis would help those people and it can't. That is wrong. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by greenfox on November 06, 2001 at 13:27:33 PT AND... you can PURCHASE opium-bearing plants from:www.herbal-shaman.comit's not a plug- it's just that this guy is GOOD! And anyone going to that site should ALSO check out the Salvia Divinorum AND the Kava Kava- BOTH come with a GREENFOX GUARENTEE!!oh well.... ;)sig,fik, -gf Herbal Shaman- BEST online herbal store out there!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by greenfox on November 06, 2001 at 13:24:13 PT Answering questions... OK first of all, I have to say that I disagree regarding the papaver being the only species to be psycoactive. A good book I reccomend everyone read is: Dale Pendell's "Pharmako/Poeia" (and yes, that's how it's spelled- exactly!) In this book he scientifically evaluates that very claim.FOM: most do have pods. The papaver, (esp. the "gigantium" var.) have rather LARGE pods, so varience is inherient.TROUTMASK: I got the info from that book, and another called "Plants of the Gods". and also- let me say this- I have had opiates in my body before. I have smoked true opium, and I have eated "charras", (opium pods mixed well with water and lemon juice for the extraction) ((and no, I"m not addicted to smack- my consumption rate is less than once a month))ANYWAY my point: if the californica var. DOES NOT contain opiates, then my body doesn't know the difference! :) I've used this EXACT var. of poppies for pain, and they work abso-f*cking-lutley GREAT!any other questions?:)sig,fik, -gf [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Ethan Russo MD on November 06, 2001 at 12:43:02 PT: We Live in an Anachronistic World, FoM You are a sensible person, and realize that the law does not make sense. More people with common sense should be making these decisions.Opium is active orally, but is more often smoked for "recreational effects." Any of the opiates may provoke nausea. People often get used to that effect, as the receptors (mainly serotonin type 3) can become saturated. Cannabis blocks that effect, and this is one reason that a combination of cannabis and opiates is so effective for severe pain. The other is that the analgesic (pain relieving) effects of the two plant products are complimentary and act by distinct mechanisms. With adjunctive cannabinoids, the doses of opiates can be reduced greatly, with a much lower risk of side effects such as nausea, constipation, and other problems. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 12:32:55 PT Another Question Do people only smoke Opium? I really have no idea. Does Opium smoking make you sick to your stomach? I've been told Heroin the first time can make you feel sick. I really am very ignorant about a lot of drugs. How can Pennyroyal (I think) be legal when it can cause a pregnant woman to miscarry? Very confusing. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Ethan Russo MD on November 06, 2001 at 12:18:43 PT: TM is Transcendentally Correct Opiates have not been found in any species other than Papaver somniferum, just as phytocannabinoids are, so far, unique to cannabis. Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, is a beautiful golden flower that is perhaps psychoactive, and is recommended by some for insomnia. however, the German Kommission E saw little evidence for efficacy, and I have never met anyone that found it enjoyable. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by TroutMask on November 06, 2001 at 11:41:40 PT poppies They slice them to allow the opium to extrude through the pod sheath. They then gather the raw opium after it's had a while to dry and harden.greenfox: I have never heard nor can I find any evidence that any poppies other than Papaver somniferum contain any appreciable amount of opiates. Where did you get your information?-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 11:35:23 PT greenfox Do they all have those pods? Maybe they aren't called that and why do they slice them. We were watching the news and saw them over in Afganistan slicing a pod. Why do they do that? Do you know? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by greenfox on November 06, 2001 at 11:18:04 PT FOM a little information for you... FOM - It's interesting to note that "Papaver somniferum L." (the opium poppy) is not the only psycoactive poppy. In FACT, there are varieties of poppy that aren't even Papaver, and are QUITE psycoactive. One such example is the completely LEGAL "Eschscholzia californica" which is available from many websites (including my favorite herbal online shop, www.herbal-shaman.com). Anyone interested should check it out. I think I've stated my thoughts on poppies, opium, heroin, etc., but for the books I'll go over it again. I think all plants are useful, INCLUDING the ol' papaver. Pain management is an important aspect of many sick peoples' lives. It sucks, but given a choice of pain or poppies- well, you know what they pick. It's sad that we have to regulate the papaver flower, (a beautiful flower,) when it has so many uses and - amazingly - other LEGAL varieties have a higher morphine & opiate count. So if the purpose is to keep morphine "away from the kids" - well ... it isn't working. :)sly in green, foxy in kind, -gf [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 06, 2001 at 10:02:34 PT Interesting article: Not sure what kind of Poppies Poppies Light Up MonumentTuesday, 6 November, 2001, 06:23 GMT The poem "In Flanders' Fields" will be read outImages of poppies will be projected on to a London monument in memory of British soldiers who have died in war. The six-metre high flowers set against a blue and green background will move across Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner topped by the message "We Will Remember Them". A Chelsea Pensioner will switch on the illumination on Tuesday and it will be displayed every evening evening until 10 November. It marks 80 years of the Royal British Legion and the poppy appeal, which supports thousands of ex-service people. Complete Article -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1640000/1640030.stm [ Post Comment ] Post Comment