The UK Cannabis movement and where are we at?

Over the last few years, the wave of understanding and acceptance concerning medical marijuana has built steadily throughout varying parts of the world. At the same time, the acceptance for recreational cannabis clearly lags behind, with far less open support shown for its cause. The United States (or at least parts of it) certainly took a leading role in helping things move forward. Through their sheer size and scale of media presence globally, the US and the individual "Green" states in question have become one of the few existing measures governing other countries and their governments, when it comes to medical marijuana/recreational cannabis, their use, production and all the various legalities of such changes in policy. With that said, how are things progressing if at all here in the UK? Things are a little confused and fragmented in the UK presently. Even though many neighboring countries throughout Europe have now legalized medical usage and, in some cases, decriminalized the possession/use of small amounts of cannabis etc., the UK unfortunately seems to be making no such headway. Just as in the US, our government seems conflicted on the same unsustainable standpoint. Whilst still legally recognizing cannabis to have NO medical properties, a cannabis-based product named "Sativex" is already legalized and available on prescription since 2010. This openly contradictory position is just absurd and surely warrants some rethinking towards cannabis, at least, on a medical basis, here in the UK.

Cannabis as a gateway drug

Unfortunately, at present, we seem to have an establishment too concerned with its own survival and future progression to even open the debate any further, let alone commit to any valid change. With cannabis reclassified from a class C to a class B drug in 2009, we're certainly not a nation moving in the right direction. Even our current government stands in the old belief that cannabis is a gateway drug. Combine all this with a police force that has a fractured view with differing attitudes from one part of the country to the next with regard to cannabis and, as said, things become somewhat confused. An all too familiar story?

We certainly seem to be following the same muddled path as the US walked previously. Instead of learning from those who have gone ahead, our government seems blinkered, unwilling to break stride or provide any worthwhile accountability on the topic of medical marijuana in the UK. At more of a grassroots level, police forces seem to be recognizing that the sheer scope of cannabis use renders any attempt at its continued prohibition unrealistic, especially on a financial basis, currently costing our already struggling police and prison services greatly. This brings us swiftly to the other side of the monetary argument for legalization, the huge potential influx of revenue generated by both the taxation of medical marijuana and the possible generated savings to our law and legal establishments. This new source of finance could certainly provide the nation's treasuries with the funds needed to help prop up our failing public services or even provide our public-sector workers a decent, respectable wage. Ineptly though, our nation's policies on medical marijuana are still bound down with obsolete information on cannabis. Outdated information still stands at the base of our clearly outmoded laws. With no recent, independent data being used at the core of our nation's approach to cannabis, we seem to be going nowhere fast.

Education and information

Luckily, we have some great work in re-education going on around the UK. Events such as The Product Earth Expo/Festival are really pushing things forward with their efforts to try and educate and inform on the truths about hemp and cannabis. The event also provides a vital public arena for us to be scrutinized as a group, held to a level of accountability by the police and local authorities. This gives us the chance to show them on mass that we're not antisocial, dodgy, criminal types, but just ordinary, decent people extending from all social classes.

With a recent gain in public support for medical cannabis in the UK, the media here has been swift to mirror the nation's change in opinion. For example, within the last six months, there's been a noticeable upsurge of positive exposure on cannabis; engaging, balanced news pieces, well-informed documentaries and regular interviews on our prime television, most sharing stories and successes of various ordinary families turning to cannabis in one form or another to combat often life-threatening or debilitating illnesses.

This is a message that's all too common and one so many of us already involved with the cannabis movement have understood and tried to raise awareness of for some time now. These heart-breaking stories, unfortunately, by default, become the most powerful message at our disposal to promote change. We as a group need to switch up our arguments from the old favorites such as comparing the illegality of cannabis against the legality of alcohol and tobacco. Instead of comparing the health risks and becoming bogged down with the same old conversations, we need to be remarking on the irrefutable truths of how cannabis, hemp and many of their derivatives have a wide range of proven medical applications. After all neither tobacco or alcohol provide any known medical benefits, whereas marijuana is now widely accepted throughout the medical world as having a myriad of both proven and potential medical benefits.

Misinformation on the media

We, as a movement, must also accept that there's been so much misinformation presented by the government or media over the years, that in return it may now take us years of re-education to turn the tide of public opinion fully back to one based on unbiased and current information. So, our message must be reinforced constantly and presented with clear unity, in short, we need to come together under one banner, otherwise, our message risks becoming lost amongst the usual wave of negative press so often generated against cannabis and the recreational side of its use. With our focus split, our chances at seeing real change come about here in the UK are lessened. Leaving one simple and apparent truth; that until medical marijuana is accepted and shown to carry real legitimacy here in the UK, the chances of legalization for recreational purposes remain basically zero. Still, this hasn't stifled popular outcry for the total legalization of cannabis here in the UK, and with so many people using it for either medical or recreational purposes, it's hardly surprising. Although this could all prove rather short-sighted when fully considered! With such high numbers of the population already partaking in the use of cannabis, it stands that a large section of this number would be employed, fully contributing members to society. With this comes a new issue that, with outright legalization, mandatory workplace drug testing would appear almost overnight! So, vital, contributing members of society, who may currently relax in the evenings or at weekends with cannabis and have remained undetected, would now instantly lose this half freedom/ability to stay under the radar. Overnight their employment status would be put at risk!

So, if totally legalized, the adjustments made by society could in turn heavily influence and limit which parts of the population would still be able to use cannabis once legal. This would certainly stall the progression of the movement and push its usage back down to where the establishment has always seemingly wanted to keep cannabis and its use associated; with that of the unemployed and disenfranchised.

Battle for medical marijuana

The ONE AND ONLY battle we need to be fighting is the one for medical marijuana. This is the only platform concerning cannabis and its usage that we have proper undeniable evidence in and, therefore, traction. Simply put, medical bodies in the UK, US and beyond already recognize the medical benefits of cannabis-based medicines. So surely now it is the time for us to apply pressure on our governments and demand they open the debate more, demand they, at least, start listening to their own medical institutions and the wider international medical community. Only once our government has acknowledged the medical properties of Cannabis on a legal and public basis, can we start to try and effect real change.

I, as so many, believe medical marijuana to be a global issue. Within this statement perhaps lies some hope for the UK concerning cannabis. As more countries legalize medical marijuana, so builds our understanding and documented evidence needed for the support of our argument. Surely, with the growing weight of international research now steadily building, it's only a matter of time before our government is forced to reevaluate their position and stop their hypocrisy regarding medical marijuana.