Eagle-eyed Oldbury residents tip off police about cannabis factory (From Halesowen News)

We need to stop this stupid and unwinnable war against cannabis. It is causing far more harm to our communities than it prevents. If we had a properly regulated system of production and supply we'd have no more illegal cannabis farms, instead we'd have thousands of new jobs. We'd have no more dealers on the streets. Cannabis would be available to adults only through licensed outlets and we'd have some control over the THC and CBD content.

Doctors would be able to prescribe one of the most effective medicines that has no serious side effects at all. At the moment the government has given GW Pharmaceuticals an illegal monopoly on cannabis so they make millions out of a medicine that you can grow in your greenhouse for virtually nothing.

If we introduced a legally regulated system we would solve nearly all the problems around cannabis. Science proves how much safer it is than tobacco, alcohol, prescription medicines and all other recreational drugs. If anyone does have a problem with it they could get help without having to confess to a crime.

CLEAR published independent, expert research last year which shows that a tax and regulate policy on cannabis would produce a net gain to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion per annum.

It is a scandal that our government, our judges, our courts, our police and our newspapers keep misleading us about cannabis. Find out the truth for yourself and wake up to the lies you have been told.

The police are doing their job directed by a duplicitous government. It's easy brownie points for the police under pressure for results to target gardeners. But they are chasing their tails wasting their time, the courts time and our tax to the tune of £500,000,000 per year. Cannabis is not an illegal drug, it is a controlled drug. Or at least it's supposed to be. However, prohibition has rendered any form of government control totally impotent and handed this control to international drugs cartels and organised crime. The only way to satisfy the huge demand for cannabis is to legislate properly and control access, purity and quality and allow responsible adult users to access their drug of choice in safety (just like alcohol). Potentially £6bn of tax to be had! The only illegal thing about any 'controlled' substance in this country is the possession, cultivation or supply of said substance. So the only illegal aspect in this whole chatade is the exercise of our basic human rights. The only harm is that caused by prohibition.

The laws against cannabis are immoral in principle and unworkable in practice. All that this police action will achieve is to create a very small temporary localised shortage. As any economist will tell you this will simply have the effect of increasing the price, and so more people will be attracted to enter the supply industry. It would be far better to draw back this huge industry into the mainstream economy, to the benefit of the whole nation.

Alan Hobday
CLEAR media team
Cannabis Law Reform

Great words Alan