This cost 2.2 million pounds

The first thing that happens when you Talk to Frank about Cannabis? He offers you a virtual spliff.

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BALLS

The soaring rate of testicular cancer in the UK and other Western countries is linked today to the increased popularity of cannabis...

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FINALLY THE HERB COME AROUND...

Cannabis is the world's favourite drug, but also one of the least understood. Can cannabis cause schizophrenia? Is it addictive? Can it lead you on to harder drugs? Or is it simply a herb, an undervalued medicine?

Addiction specialist Dr John Marsden discovers that modern science is finally beginning to find answers to these questions. John traces the cannabis plants' birthplace in Kazakhstan; finds the origins of our sensitivity to cannabis in the simple sea squirt; and shows just what it does to our brains.

He meets people who have been changed by this drug in drastically different ways - from those whose lives have been shattered to those who lives have been revived.

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NEW YEAR BOLLOCKS

OK. Why not as it is the fourth already I can safely pop up and say Happy New Year. We ended up doing a really good gig musically which enough people seemed to get into. When we finnished it descended into mayhem pandemeonium and scraps. There isn't usually any formal "security" at the squatted pub we play at so I was amused to see both people who were kicking off disappear backwards one after the other, collar held by some looming shape. They both came back in a little bit later much more peaceable. Fucking good bouncer. I will make enquiries.

As it is New Year and I am trying to at least start a little bit positive I am not even going to bother commenting about Palestine. I am a bit annoyed with my Repub buddies straight away wading in but I shouldn't be surprised eh. I'm not there. I have never been there. I don't know. Sunny is keeping me fairly sane with his carefully principled weave through all of this. Do take a look.

Yeah. I'm trying to start positive..

Then I read this on The Home Office website:

Cannabis is scheduled to be reclassified to a Class B drug in 2009.

The Home Secretary has recommended that cannabis should be reclassified to a Class B drug.

and the reasoning?

Why reclassify now?

The move to reclassify cannabis reflects the fact that skunk, a much stronger version of the drug, now dominates the UK's cannabis market. Skunk has swept other, less potent, forms of cannabis off the market, and now accounts for 81% of cannabis available on our streets, compared to just 30% in 2002

so by YOUR OWN FUCKING REASONING shouldn't you just make skunk class B then? Happy New Year to you too you fucking pieces of SHIT.

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Don't Mix Tobacco With it...

DECRIMINALIZATION

Cannabis Advice ignored

I wasn't going to blog about this but the news today has tipped me toward exposure. The other day I was cautioned for possession of marijuana. A van load of them stopped us on the way to a gig. A thick Bermondsey girl said she would have to confiscate the minuscule amount she found in my wallet. I suggested she could also give it back to me instead as I wasn't raping anyone, stealing from them or mugging them. This might sound like a long shot. I don't know, it has happened before. I'd say it works- with humans. I also suggested in no uncertain terms that they could all give up trying to make me feel like a criminal as it wasn't going to work.

Three days later, dressed up all nice in my suit off to meet Rachel and Musa for the Quilliam launch round the corner from my house they pounced again. Now I have nothing against the Police in London. I have met a lot of them over the years I was squatting in very difficult circumstances and found them to be OK. Sensible. The ones WHO ARE LOOKING FOR CRIMINALS that is. These ones are like the little misfits from school who tell on people. They aren't looking for criminals because they are scared of them. They are scared they might get hurt. They wear the uniform but they leave the Police work to others.

UPDATE:

Cannabis will be raised to a class B drug with a maximum five year jail term for users, the government said on Wednesday, rejecting a recommendation from its own drugs advisers to leave the classification unchanged.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the decision had been made because of concern, particularly amongst the public, about the "alarming" use of skunk, a stronger strain of the narcotic which now dominates the market.

So make skunk class B. This is really disappointing in the fucking 21st Century.

hal·le·lu·jah

Bong Hits 4 Jesus-

Kenneth Starr, the Independent Counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton, on matters ranging from the death of White House Counsel Vincent Foster to the Whitewater real-estate transaction, and ultimately the Monica Lewinsky scandal, has found a new mission:

To help school districts punish students who even joke about marijuana, even outside of school hours and off of school property.

High school students in Juneau, Alaska held up a banner that read, “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” as the Olympic torch was being carried past, in order to be caught on television cameras.

What is he complaining about? A lot of effort went into making that sign..

weapon of my distraction

A CHANCE MEETING

When I say "malung" I'm not really in the strictest sense a "Malung" anymore because I'm trying my hardest to stop smoking dope. It's amazing how regular drug taking seeps into your whole personality, and how living without is like staring into an abyss. One of the main reasons I ended up at Finsbury park was because I was trying to give up drugs and needed something to involve myself with to fill the gap and distract me from the bong.

Cycling around exploring my new home in South london I spied a head shop. As I said, I've been trying to give up but I still parked up outside to have a look. In the doorway was a great big Turkish looking dude with a moustache and slicked back hair smoking a skunk spliff. The shop's owner came over to ask him to smoke it outside.

"Where do I know you from?" he asked me.

I couldn't judge if he was angry or pleased so I sort of umm-ed and ahh-ed a bit.

"You're a newspaperman innit?" he said.

"I'm a fim maker...have you passed through Finsbury park?" I answered.

It was then that I recognised him from way back when I first started filming in Finsbury park. He didn't have a moustache then but he was one of Mr. Hamza's "security" guys who pushed the camera's (including mine) away.

I hadn't seen him in ages but told him a bit about the problems I've been having and that I still hoped to get the film finnished one day. Nice guy. I'm going to drop a cd of my clips in for him next time I pass by.

POLICE OFFICER DON'T GIVE ME PRODUCER

After being involved in various Reclaim the streets and Mayday demo's it felt good to be around something where I was proud of the British Police although in truth I haven't been anti British police for many years. Living the life of a vagrant in London they had always been kind to me when I was pavement drawing. Doing squat parties in London we would often have the whole night patrol come slamming through the door. What we were doing was blatantly illegal, yet as we concentrated all their problems in one area, and were polite they always left without busting us.

One time we were having a party where we lived in a squat in Hoxton st. It was a Halloween fancy dress. We invited three sound systems and had a theatre, which included the stage and scenery from the hit west end show Bottom which started Ade Edmonson and Rik Mayall.

There were a few Osama Bin Ladens and an amazing mummy. We were all joking that if the Police were going to bust us it had better be tonight. I was standing by the door, painted red from head to toe with not much on, and what I did have on was made of fur. Sure enough, 2 van loads of Police turned up. We tried to close the heavy wooden door but they barged it open and tried to push in against a growing barrage of costumed people.

Seth who is six foot four (see BRING THE WAR TO THE FLOOR earlier) was there in a mini dress and a Merlin mask. He had his hands on a Policeman’s shoulders until the policeman realised and got agitated, so Seth let go. I leaned through

" Excuse me Merlin. I think you'll need this..." I picked up a plastic sword from the ground and put it in his hands. The policeman nearest me started trying to assert himself.

" Look mate you're getting red paint all over your uniform." I warned him.

Eventually two senior looking dudes with caps on stood forward. The older guy turned to the younger and said

" Right. What are you going to do." apparently we were to be part of a training session.

" We have suspicions of an illegal bar here. " he said to one of our number. " Can the two of us search the premises? "

This was agreed to and the officers were escorted, the long way, around the building. The guy doing the escorting was hoping someone would be going the short way to trash and hide as much of the bar as possible. I have no idea who was running it. I was just hanging around my front door to make sure no thieves left with anything from my house. The party was heaving and sweating with 400 costumed people totally out of their nuts some of who were shouting at these two policemen complimenting them on their fancy dress outfits.

By the time the officers had got downstairs the alleged bar had allegedly disappeared but there were still 4 fridges to negotiate. The younger guy opened one fridge to find one Alco pop bottle. Then he went upstairs. I wasn't there but I heard a story that all the other fridges were brim full of beer. I was still with the other police by the door who we were already getting on good terms with. The officers came back upstairs grinning from ear to ear obviously impressed with everyone’s costumes.

Everyone thanked them for coming and said that if they wanted to come again there was no need to bust the door, they could always talk to us. We asked if they wanted to stay for a beer but they said no, they unfortunately had to work. When the door eventually closed we all jumped around like kids for a little bit. None of the Metropolitan Police want to bust you for hash; they quite sensibly don't want to waste their time. Like most British people they just want you to be polite. The Police were the main force behind Cannabis being lowered to class " C " whatever that means. At times they seemed to be campaigning for it to be decriminalized more than most dope smokers I know. In truth the Police in Finsbury Park were turning a blind eye to all sorts of homophobic statements, punches and kicks and I didn't blame them at all. It was, totally the British thing to do.