Few police were present at the Hyde Park event
By Hattie Lee, David Eggboro, Jonathon Ferrari
Last month’s National Pot Smoking Day saw large groups of pro-cannabis demonstrators gather in Hyde Park.
While some Londoners were outraged that protesters were allowed to smoke cannabis during the event, at which few police were present, a recent survey found that 53% of Britons would like to see cannabis legalised.
Peter Reynolds, leader of Cannabis Law Reform, a political party campaigning to end the prohibition of cannabis said: “This ludicrous oppression is not only counterproductive but immoral.”
He added that cannabis farms are bad for communities but they only exist because of demand.
The Party estimate the cannabis production market to be worth over £6 billion per year which they say has been gifted to criminals by our government.
Currently cannabis farms are being targeted with the launch of the nationwide campaign ‘Scratch and Sniff’ by Crimestoppers this month.
The initiative will familiarise communities and individuals with the smell of cannabis helping them to identify potential cannabis factory locations.
London has the fourth highest amount of cannabis cultivation properties nationwide with over 1,200 premises.
Across the capital, police are cracking down on cannabis with Operation Hawk which has to date seen 387 arrests made, 34 cannabis farms closed and 544 warrants executed.
In Croydon last month, 31 addresses were raided and more than 80 cannabis plants were seized.
Chief Inspector Ray Rodgers said: “We’re determined to keep on targeting those within our communities that are involving themselves in drugs and other criminal activity in Croydon.”
In the UK, the penalty for supply and production of the Class B drug is 14 years in prison, a fine or both.
One way to reduce this demand is to rid individuals of their drug addictions.
Teddington based Hypnotherapist John Asher of Acacia Therapy has a 60% success rate, having treated over 1,000 people with addictions.
“Classification of drugs is a waste of time and reclassifying drugs is nonsense,” he said.
Mr Asher said that it usually takes 2 sessions of hypnotherapy to treat an addiction but it only takes three weeks to form a new habit.
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