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| Bishop Calls for Cannabis Law To Be Relaxed |
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Posted by FoM on March 17, 2002 at 12:27:45 PT By Jonathan Petre and Hazel Southam Source: Daily Telegraph UK 
The Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev John Oliver, has become the first senior cleric in the Church of England to call for the decriminalisation of cannabis.The bishop, who denied having tried the drug himself, told The Telegraph yesterday that so many young people now smoked it that the law had become discredited and the police would be better off using their resources to tackle hard drugs. The 67-year-old bishop said that when he was a student in the early 1950s cannabis was "virtually unknown" but was "sure" that other bishops must have experimented with it. His comments follow the publication earlier this month of photographs of the body of Rachel Whitear, a 21-year-old Herefordshire student who died of heroin abuse. Her parents, who had allowed the pictures to be shown to deter other young people from drug taking, have acknowledged that she almost certainly used soft drugs before becoming addicted to heroin. Her stepfather, Mick Holcroft, and mother, Pauline, said yesterday that they were not experts in the field. They added, however, that they had lost their daughter to drug misuse and "if she hadn't been taking drugs she would be here today". Valerie Riches of the Family and Youth Concern group said that it was a "shame" that the bishop had "jumped on this bandwagon". She added: "One wants bishops to speak up for things like marriage and the family, but they are not equipped to comment on complex issues like drugs. If you legalise anything, it becomes acceptable and the doors are thrown wide open." Bishop Oliver was speaking after his diocese, the most rural in the Church of England, became the first to vote for decriminalisation. A motion supporting the decriminalisation of the use, if not the supply, of cannabis was passed by a majority of four to one in the diocesan synod, last weekend. The bishop was one of those who voted for it. "In the debate we heard from young people as young as 12 about the pressure from peer groups who were already into drugs," he explained yesterday. "Teenagers who go clubbing said there were hundreds of thousands using it. The very few who are caught and punished for the possession and use of cannabis are unfairly penalised in comparison with the overwhelming majority to whom the police turn a blind eye." He added: "We were well aware that cannabis was not a harmless drug. Nobody was saying that it was a good thing to use it. But we were saying that the present system is unsustainable. "I was very influenced by the change of heart by many senior police officers who used to take a hard line on cannabis but now think it diverts attention from other forms of drug taking." He said that the argument that it was a "gateway" drug which introduced people to harder drugs was not compelling. "I'm sure that for some people it is a gateway to other drugs but for some, if you decoupled cannabis from other drugs, you would actually prevent them becoming the victims of dealers. The argument can be quite plausibly be made either way." David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, has already announced that the Government is considering reclassifying cannabis from a class B to a class C drug. This would mean that anyone caught with a small amount for personal use could no longer be arrested by the police. Under the plans it would still be a crime to possess or use cannabis, but not an arrestable offence. Other Church dioceses are now expected to discuss the issue, leading to a debate in the General Synod. Last year, a paper submitted to MPs by the Church's Board for Social Responsibility, which considers social issues, argued in favour of the decriminalisation of cannabis, saying that although it might be wrong, it should not be punished as a crime. Source: Daily Telegraph (UK) Related Articles: Public Support Relaxing Law on Cannabis Cannabis Report Renews Pressure on Ministers Downgrade Cannabis, Says Official Report Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #14 posted by freedom fighter on March 18, 2002 at 12:46:20 PT |
| Anti Drug = Pro Jail = Pro Terrorism = Pro Organized Crime Any question? ff [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #13 posted by Dan B on March 18, 2002 at 11:14:51 PT:
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| Great sound bite--easily digestible for the masses. Thanks, JR Bob Dobbs. One might accompany that slogan with the analogy that parents don't want their children to run out into traffic, but when their children do run into traffic (a life-threatening act, far more dangerous than taking any drug) parents do not give the state the authority to throw that child in prison. Yes, there will likely be discipline (anything from explaining the danger [what a concept: teaching!] to a spanking [of which I personally disagree]), but that discipline is not the job of the state. It's the job of parents. And once a person leaves home, those punishments will also end. By thenm the parents have either instilled discipline in their children or they have not, and the state still has no right to intervene in the person's personal decisions unless those decisions lead to actions that actually cause harm to another person. Dan B Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #12 posted by Jose Melendez on March 18, 2002 at 05:17:40 PT:
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| "One wants bishops to speak up for things like marriage and the family, but they are not equipped to comment on complex issues like drugs."
Sure. They speak up for moral issues like marriage and family, and have simultaneously remained silent on pedophilia within their own ranks. I am glad this bishop is speaking out, hopefully someone will point out that religious leaders who are against his position on cannabis remained silent while the Church was reassigning child-molesting priests to areas where their criminal activities were not exposed... Just say know. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by dddd on March 18, 2002 at 03:06:01 PT |
| "The 67-year-old bishop said that when he was a student in the early 1950s cannabis was "virtually
unknown" but was "sure" that other bishops must have experimented with it." .. .....AHA!!!,, He was "sure"!!!!.....we want to know more about why he is "sure"............................ ...next weeks headline;;;;;........"British Pothead Clergy Exposed!..... ..It's good to see such a brazen suggestion from a "bishop".,,it's a good thing,I hope it has an impact on people,,,,but,,,I couldnt help but notice that it was undoubtedly somewhat milquetoast in its' qualifications..... "I was very influenced by the change of heart by many senior police officers who used to take a hard line on cannabis but
now think it diverts attention from other forms of drug taking."
.. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by gloovins on March 18, 2002 at 01:35:52 PT |
| Did cannabis kill this girl? No. Heroin did. If she would have just used herb she'd still be here. Truth hurts -- but it needs to be told. Lets take the incentive to deal drugs to kids & others & LEAGALIZE & TAX & REGULATE ALL DRUGS SOFT/HARD NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For a safer planet. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by E_Johnson on March 17, 2002 at 20:12:01 PT |
| She added: "One wants bishops to speak up for things like marriage and the family, but they are not equipped to comment on complex issues like drugs. Today's religious leaders tend to have fully modern educations including advanced dgrees in subjects like theology and philosophy and even psychology and social work, and they spend their careers learning to ponder complex moral and social issues as they pertain to their religion. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by MikeEEEEE on March 17, 2002 at 16:51:42 PT |
| We're all feeling the momentum of the drug war breaking in the UK. Get used to this feeling, the next country may be Canada.
[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by Rainbow on March 17, 2002 at 16:51:34 PT |
| She added: "One wants bishops to speak up for things like marriage and the family, but they are not equipped to comment on complex issues like drugs. If you legalise anything, it becomes acceptable and the doors are thrown wide open." HUH? Isn't our fight to relax and legalize a for the family statement? I am sorry but doing drugs is a lot is complicated that raising a family. This lady is bonkers. I like it the added war cry Anti-Drug = Pro-Jail If you remember Observer who always pointed that out to us. But now we have it very succinct and usable. Finally a sound bite the sheeple might understand. Thanks Rainbow [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by mayan on March 17, 2002 at 16:26:28 PT |
| When the clergy declares the war on this plant immoral, the antis have no "moral" argument to hide behind. The wall will fall so fast we won't even know it fell. I beleive the church will be key in dismantling this bogus war here in the U.S. also. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by The GCW on March 17, 2002 at 15:44:42 PT |
| "Bishop Calls for Cannabis Law To Be Relaxed", because they are an indicator of change. When more clergy teaches (at all) that plants are a blessing, then this war show is over. The opitome of hypocrasy is when God says on the very 1st page that all the plants are good, and clergy comes around and says otherwise. It makes it easy to know who your friends are. It is, in actually, a litmus test. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by The GCW on March 17, 2002 at 15:37:15 PT |
| Anti-reality... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Toker00 on March 17, 2002 at 15:28:35 PT |
| "If you legalise anything, it becomes acceptable and the doors are thrown wide open." And the problem with that, as far as Cannabis is concerned, would be...? Peace. Realize, then Legalize. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 17, 2002 at 14:31:16 PT |
| You said something that we need to hear more. It is true. Being anti-drug is being pro-jail. Very Good! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on March 17, 2002 at 14:18:19 PT |
| >>If you legalise anything, it becomes acceptable and the doors are thrown wide open."<< As opposed to the present system, where it becomes widespread, and doors - big metal ones with bars - are slammed shut for a long long time. And society considers it "normal". These poor parents whose daughter died of heroin are obviously unaware of the comparable rates of cannabis and heroin use between the UK and Holland. And they may not be aware that by being "anti-drug" they're really "pro-jail". [ Post Comment ] |
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