Medical Cannabis UK? Home Office Stays Tight Lipped
It was announced recently that a registered disabled man from Dorset in the UK had obtained a medical cannabis prescription after seeing a doctor in Holland . But the Home Office remains tight-lipped on the legal status of imported herbal cannabis for medical use, even though a number of voters have written to them asking the same question.
Well known cannabis activist Jim Starr had arranged an appointment with a Dutch doctor off his own back, after being told by his own doctor a cannabis prescription was impossible in the UK.
Jim took all his medical records with him to The Netherlands, and was quickly prescribed just two grams of cannabis per day, or about £20 worth at current prices on the street.
For the sake of saving Jim making the same journey every week the doctor prescribed Jim Starr with three ounces of cannabis, or a three month supply.
On the back of the story the message boards and social networks became alive with conspiracy and speculation.
Had Jim Starr unearthed a legitimate way for the sick and infirm to circumnavigate the UK's irrational laws on cannabis?
Or had he 'been lucky' not to get caught bringing the weed into the country? Even though he phoned HM Customs & Excise to tell them he was coming and that he was bringing with him legally prescribed cannabis?
Cannazine Cannabis News wanted to find out more so one of our staffers, who's mother is 73 and suffers with crippling arthritis, wrote to the Home Office to ask if his mother gets a prescription from a dutch doctor, can the cannabis which was prescribed be brought into the UK legally? Either under the Schengen Agreement, or the Geneva Convention?
A week on and the Home Office is saying nothing. Leaving tens of thousands of people in a state of legal limbo. A heartless display by the people who are meant to be running our country.
So we will ask the Home Office again, and if you think you deserve a prescription for medical cannabis, perhaps you should too?
The contact details are below.
Write to:
Home Office
Direct Communications Unit
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
Tel: 020 7035 4848
Fax: 020 7035 4745
Minicom: 020 7035 4742
Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.ukThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Cannazine Comment
Simply allowing the government to carry on with its 'ignore it and it doesn't exist' ethos of governance is no longer an option for people like Jim Starr.
If cannabis helps Jim get some hard-won sleep, and it makes him feel just a little bit better about life, who on earth in their right minds would try to take that away from him?
Source
Medical Cannabis UK? Home Office Stays Tight Lipped
Legal Medicinal Cannabis In Britain? Yes You Can!
Legal Medicinal Cannabis In Britain? Yes You Can!
There have been many different 'loopholes' over the years, which British citizens have contemplated using so they may legally use medicinal cannabis in the UK.
To date, none of them have actually been seen to work. Until today that is.
Here's how it works. A British citizen heads out to Amsterdam and gets an appointment with a licensed doctor.
The patient takes any pertinent medical information to back up their claims for medical cannabis, and if everything is as it should be under Dutch law, the doctor writes a prescription which the patient then goes and gets filled in one of Amsterdams legal cannabis pharmacies.
Then the patient sticks their parcel under their arm and presents themselves at their point of entry back into the UK. Where they are at the mercy of British customs and excise.
This is exactly what well-known cannabis activist Jim (Pinky) Starr did recently with three ounces of prime herbal cannabis wrapped in a package about the size of a telephone directory.
In the interests of fair play Jim even phoned ahead to tell HM Customs he was coming.
What happened next? You won't believe it, but its true.
Blogger Peter Reynolds takes up Jim's story below;
Legal Medicinal Cannabis In Britain
Last week Jim Starr flew into Bristol Airport from Amsterdam carrying 80 grammes of herbal cannabis as prescribed for him by a Dutch doctor. That’s just under three ounces of dried flower heads. He was carrying it in a parcel about the size of a telephone directory.
There was no one at customs, even though Jim went through the red channel and had telephoned ahead to advise the airport that he was bringing the cannabis in. He waited, even looked around for someone, anyone but there was no one to be seen at all. He wanted to declare what he had with him. He’s never wanted to break the law. He knew that he was risking confiscation of the cannabis, possibly even arrest but the coast wasn’t just clear, it was deserted. The authorities had evidently decided that in their “war on drugs”, this time, discretion was definitely the better part of valour. They were in full scale retreat.
Jim had confirmed to the airport that he had the necessary paperwork to prove it was prescribed medicinal cannabis.
His doctor had told him that he was protected under Article 75 of the Schengen Agreement which states “persons may carry the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances that are necessary for their medical treatment provided that, at any check, they produce a certificate issued or authenticated by a competent authority”
Of course, even then, it didn’t stop the journey being a nerve wracking and tense experience. Now, safely at home in Dorchester with his family, Jim understands from the Home Office that he is entitled to bring in the cannabis as prescribed for him by his Dutch doctor. He can bring in up to three month’s supply at a time if he carries it on his person. Otherwise he has to apply for an import licence and have it shipped to a UK pharmacist.
Source & rest of article
There have been many different 'loopholes' over the years, which British citizens have contemplated using so they may legally use medicinal cannabis in the UK.
To date, none of them have actually been seen to work. Until today that is.
Here's how it works. A British citizen heads out to Amsterdam and gets an appointment with a licensed doctor.
The patient takes any pertinent medical information to back up their claims for medical cannabis, and if everything is as it should be under Dutch law, the doctor writes a prescription which the patient then goes and gets filled in one of Amsterdams legal cannabis pharmacies.
Then the patient sticks their parcel under their arm and presents themselves at their point of entry back into the UK. Where they are at the mercy of British customs and excise.
This is exactly what well-known cannabis activist Jim (Pinky) Starr did recently with three ounces of prime herbal cannabis wrapped in a package about the size of a telephone directory.
In the interests of fair play Jim even phoned ahead to tell HM Customs he was coming.
What happened next? You won't believe it, but its true.
Blogger Peter Reynolds takes up Jim's story below;
Legal Medicinal Cannabis In Britain
Last week Jim Starr flew into Bristol Airport from Amsterdam carrying 80 grammes of herbal cannabis as prescribed for him by a Dutch doctor. That’s just under three ounces of dried flower heads. He was carrying it in a parcel about the size of a telephone directory.
There was no one at customs, even though Jim went through the red channel and had telephoned ahead to advise the airport that he was bringing the cannabis in. He waited, even looked around for someone, anyone but there was no one to be seen at all. He wanted to declare what he had with him. He’s never wanted to break the law. He knew that he was risking confiscation of the cannabis, possibly even arrest but the coast wasn’t just clear, it was deserted. The authorities had evidently decided that in their “war on drugs”, this time, discretion was definitely the better part of valour. They were in full scale retreat.
Jim had confirmed to the airport that he had the necessary paperwork to prove it was prescribed medicinal cannabis.
His doctor had told him that he was protected under Article 75 of the Schengen Agreement which states “persons may carry the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances that are necessary for their medical treatment provided that, at any check, they produce a certificate issued or authenticated by a competent authority”
Of course, even then, it didn’t stop the journey being a nerve wracking and tense experience. Now, safely at home in Dorchester with his family, Jim understands from the Home Office that he is entitled to bring in the cannabis as prescribed for him by his Dutch doctor. He can bring in up to three month’s supply at a time if he carries it on his person. Otherwise he has to apply for an import licence and have it shipped to a UK pharmacist.
Source & rest of article
Cannabis is The Tree of Life
-
Twichaldinho
- Posts: 3830
- Joined: Sat 21st Jul 2007 07:08 pm
Interesting story, I wonder if a mainstream press release would get picked up. In this day and age, if enough people on the internet (in different places) talk about it then the media cannot ignore it.
I can't help but feel though that this is probably an easy loophole for the UK government to close.
As for his quoting Schengen, it is well known that the UK does its own thing and has border controls (unlike Schengen countries) so I think that side of his argument is worthless.
The prescription I know you can get. I met a chap who got one himself here.
Maybe custom are in on this ploy to ignore this story. So if you want to get through, just tell them you're coming
I can't help but feel though that this is probably an easy loophole for the UK government to close.
As for his quoting Schengen, it is well known that the UK does its own thing and has border controls (unlike Schengen countries) so I think that side of his argument is worthless.
The prescription I know you can get. I met a chap who got one himself here.
Maybe custom are in on this ploy to ignore this story. So if you want to get through, just tell them you're coming
-
Sir Niall of Essex-sire
- Posts: 3106
- Joined: Thu 20th Mar 2008 04:38 pm
-
dope_demand
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Thu 28th Oct 2010 11:40 pm
- Location: dirty old town
-
articulomortis
- Posts: 193
- Joined: Fri 5th Nov 2010 12:14 pm
- Location: Carlisle, United Kingdom
-
happydaze777
- Posts: 478
- Joined: Wed 24th Sep 2008 07:46 pm
- Location: Den haag
Exactly why you wouldn't want the media to get hold of it...
Sometimes it is easier to turn a blind eye if people don't make a fuss. I am thinking about a cafe that was open in Stoke for nearly 5 years (with our old Tory government) where smoking cannabis was openly accepted. The owner of the cafe wrote to the then Home Secretary and the local police chief, explaining exactly what they were going to allow and the only conditions that came back were no dealing and no prostitution (the cafe was smack bang in the middle of the Hanley Red Light area). This 'coffeeshop' would open at 3pm and stay open until the early hours of the morning, long after the clubs/pubs had shut.
In contrast the Stockpot Dutch Experience coffeeshop was opened with max publicity and huge fanfare and was shut down fast!
Maybe 'blind eye' is what we should be pushing for? Easier to swallow for lots of middle england voters?
Sometimes it is easier to turn a blind eye if people don't make a fuss. I am thinking about a cafe that was open in Stoke for nearly 5 years (with our old Tory government) where smoking cannabis was openly accepted. The owner of the cafe wrote to the then Home Secretary and the local police chief, explaining exactly what they were going to allow and the only conditions that came back were no dealing and no prostitution (the cafe was smack bang in the middle of the Hanley Red Light area). This 'coffeeshop' would open at 3pm and stay open until the early hours of the morning, long after the clubs/pubs had shut.
In contrast the Stockpot Dutch Experience coffeeshop was opened with max publicity and huge fanfare and was shut down fast!
Maybe 'blind eye' is what we should be pushing for? Easier to swallow for lots of middle england voters?
-
Sir Niall of Essex-sire
- Posts: 3106
- Joined: Thu 20th Mar 2008 04:38 pm
You mean OUR Government, complict in human right violations just done a huge trade deal with China one of the biggest human rights violaters in the world....doobydave wrote:It can't not happen, eventually.
Standing in between a suffering person and their most effective medication is just plain wrong.
They don't give a shit about right or wrong man.
Defeating evil with a thing called love