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One year ago, the Psychoactive Substances Act came into force after months of legal wrangling, set-backs, and delays. The law has been widely ridiculed by policy experts, scientists, and even the police, but despite this the Home Office still consider it a success. Their aim was to shut down headshops and appease the Daily Mail, and they succeeded on both of those fronts; the increased strength, availability, and subsequent potential for harm of many of the substances outlawed by the Act is therefore irrelevant. The countless deaths merely collateral damage.
Most of the public discourse surrounding the PSA in the year since its inception has focussed, perhaps unsurprisingly, on 'Spice,' the generic name given to Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists, or SCRAs. Spice use has become ever more visible in the last year, particularly amongst the homeless population of the UK. Countless ill-conceived news reports have painted users as 'zombies,' due to the almost catatonic state that their drug use can cause them to enter.
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Few things in this world could ever match up to a mother's love, and I am in no doubt that prohibition isn’t one of them.
This week on ISMOKE we meet the warrior women - the mothers of mercy desperately fighting to treat their children using cannabis and cannabis-derived medicinal products.
Too often these women who are not only having to fight against the odds, but their doctors, the law and even the very services that have been established to help heal and treat their offspring’s ailments and to protect their health.01
This week on ISMOKE we are comparing two of the most popular drugs that are consumed recreationally by the British public, alcohol and cannabis, and comparing the effects that these substances have on the consumer, society and on British culture in general.
In 2015, there were 8,758 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, an age-standardised rate of 14.2 deaths per 100,000 population. Also in 2015, there were 1.1 million estimated hospital admissions where an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition was the primary reason for admission or a secondary diagnosis. Men accounted for two-thirds of those admissions.27
The event numbers for 420 this year were huge! Well over 10,000 people attended throughout the day.
When people gather in groups of that size they are completely unpoliceable - despite there being lots of police at the event, attendees were in relative safety in numbers, as it wouldn't make sense to arrest someone for something everybody in the immediate vicinity is doing.20
The 20th April marks a worldwide celebration of cannabis culture.
Today, cannabis consumers and advocates from across the planet will gather to promote the benefits of this wonderful plant and to try and make their voices heard in the worldwide legalisation effort.
To everybody who is supporting the cannabis legalisation movement - thank you - we…
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- Canada is set to fully legalise cannabis, including for recreational use.
- Cannabis will become a federally controlled, legal, substance on ‘Canada Day,’ July 1 2018
- Minimum age for purchase will be 18, as with alcohol
- Canadians will be allowed to grow four plants per household.
There is some glorious news coming out of Canada this week! The North American state is set to take a historic step and legalise cannabis for recreational use, on a federal level, next year.
From the 1st July 2018, which is also Canada Day, cannabis will be available for legal purchase for everyone, over the age of 18, in Canada. This includes tourists, which could make Canada the new mecca of cannabis!21