This week the media has been dominated with responses to Sadiq Khan’s controversial fact-finding mission to LA and plans for hashish decriminalisation.
Though tales of police raids and hashish farm busts proceed to make up the vast majority of main hashish headlines, the mainstream media is more and more masking new developments within the hashish house, from coverage to affected person tales.
Over the previous few days, MPs have been responding to Sadiq Khan’s controversial trip to LA cultivators and dispensaries, whereas the Each day Specific reported on a brand new research a couple of cannabis-based product aiming to deal with continual ache. Listed below are the week’s 5 high hashish headlines to not miss.
New research into hashish for continual ache
Daily Express spoke to the managing director of LVL Well being, Tony Samios, concerning the firm’s feasibility research which explores the results of a cannabis-based product for continual ache. The research will use hashish flower in pre-filled cartridges and goals to construct the information and proof wanted to enhance affected person entry on the NHS.
Samios instructed the Specific that the research is ready to be a “game-changer in bridging the hole between proof and making change utilizing a rigorous scientific method” offering “dependable knowledge that’s primarily lacking”.
Sadiq Khan’s time could be “higher spent specializing in knife and drug crime”, says Patel
Priti Patel made her ideas on Sadiq Khan’s plan to think about hashish legalisation in London clear in a Twitter put up final week.
“Sadiq Khan’s time could be higher spent specializing in knife and drug crime in London. The Mayor has no powers to legalise medicine. They break communities, tear aside households and destroy lives,” Patel stated within the Tweet.
Her rebuke comes after Sadiq Khan’s latest journey to the US which included a fact-finding mission to LA to grasp extra about a global evidence-based method to lowering drug-related hurt within the capital. The London mayor additionally introduced the launch of a brand new London Medication Fee.
Policing Minister Package Malthouse expressed an analogous view to Patel. Final week he told The Sun: “I discover it baffling that simply final week, the Mayor of London thought it acceptable to stage a photoshoot in a hashish farm in LA, to reiterate his help for the legalisation of this entry degree drug. I profoundly want he would concentrate on knife crime and violence happening within the capital as an alternative.”
Khan initially made his plans clear final 12 months previous to his re-election, saying that he would take into account decriminalising hashish within the capital if he have been to be voted in as mayor for a second time period.
The Labour get together’s response to Khan’s hashish plan
The likes of Huffington Post, Daily Mail and iNews reported on the Labour get together’s response to Sadiq Khan’s plans for hashish regulation reform final week.
The get together’s stance was made clear in a press release that acknowledged: “Labour doesn’t help altering the regulation on medicine. Medication coverage isn’t devolved to mayors and beneath Labour would proceed to be set by nationwide Authorities.”
HuffPost UK reported that various shadow cupboard members have been “livid” at Khan’s feedback, together with Yvette Cooper. “Yvette is livid about it,” a Labour supply instructed HuffPost UK. “Persons are simply rolling their eyes as a result of it undoubtedly isn’t the official get together line.”
Though it goes towards his get together’s official stance, Khan’s plan displays knowledge gathered by YouGov which has discovered that almost all of UK residents are in help of hashish legalisation.
One other supply instructed the net outlet: “Sadiq has positioned himself as a progressive mayor on the facet of the general public ready to tackle the powerful inquiries to genuinely sort out crime relatively than pointless posturing that isn’t even well-liked anyway.”
In the meantime, iNews reported that Labour MPs “let rip” in a personal WhatsApp group. “That is going to go down like a bucket of chilly sick in my little bit of the suburbs simply now… Crime up, police numbers nonetheless method beneath the place individuals assume they need to be, so Labour goes to have a chat about medicine… Impressed,” stated Gareth Thomas, the Shadow Worldwide Commerce minister.
Not all Labour MPs have responded negatively, nevertheless. The Each day Mail reported on Shadow Cupboard minister Ed Miliband’s response to Khan’s plans. Though he highlighted that Khan didn’t mirror the Get together’s place, he stated Labour “welcome[s] Sadiq these points as a result of this debate ought to stick with it”.
“Hashish ruins lives and legalising it gained’t assist”
In response to Sadiq Khan’s US go to, journalist and campaigner Louise Perry supplied her opinion in an article for the London Night Normal. Whereas she stated she could be “glad” to see possession of small quantities of hashish made authorized, however added that legalising the hashish business is “one other matter solely”.
The article is unlikely to take a seat properly with hashish campaigners and advocates due to its comparability between hashish and tobacco, a concentrate on the hazards of psychosis and the shortage of consideration given to research exhibiting the constructive results of hashish on well being and wellbeing.
“Industries make use of lobbyists to disguise the dangerous results of the merchandise they promote,” Perry writes. “This has occurred many occasions earlier than.
“By the early 50s, the scientific proof was clear: tobacco was killing individuals. And but it could be 20 years till warning indicators appeared on the facet of cigarette packets offered within the UK. This tardiness was the results of lobbying by the tobacco business, which opposed well being authorities each step of the best way.”
Affected person faces dispute with council over housing
A person residing in Norwich who holds a personal hashish prescription says he’s dealing with difficulties discovering a brand new place to reside after being instructed by town council to reveal his indoor hashish use to landlords.
As reported by Norwich Evening News, Danny Wilson is prescribed authorized hashish by TMCC Medical Clinic for continual ache, ADHD and nervousness. Wilson – who’s at present on common credit score and private independence funds on account of his situation – pays between £700 and £1,000 per thirty days for his remedy.
Mr Wilson stated: “I’ve repeatedly instructed them forcing me to go round approaching landlords and brokers this manner is inflicting me trauma however they ignored me.”
Regardless of by no means having being in jail, town council supplied him a spot at Home of Genesis, a rehoming initiative for ex-offenders.