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Welcome to UKCIA
A website dedicated to the issue of cannabis law reform

What is UKCIA?
Contact UKCIA
Cannabis pragmatism and the case for law reform

Home Affairs Committee Inquiry into the Drug Laws

The Home Affairs Committee has extended the period for submitting written evidence to 7th February. If you haven't already done so, please tell them what you think of the prohibition of cannabis

Cannabis History

Listening to the politicians you might be forgiven for thinking cannabis is a new drug being introduced by evil pushers. The truth couldn't be more different as the history section demonstrates

Cannabis timeline
The history of cannabis at a glance

Indian Hemp And The Dope Fiends Of Old England
Sean Blanchard and Matthew Atha.
The drugs history of colonial Britain, is examined in this article, including the rise of the prohibitionist movement, and their battle with the free-trade movement. Also featured is the background to the famous Indian Hemp Drugs commission.

Marijuana - The First Twelve Thousand Years
Ernest L. Abel
The complete history of the cannabis plant and it's relationship with mankind
The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs
Edward M. Brecher and the Editors of Consumer Reports Magazine, 1972
Drug prohibition, an examination.

Law Library

The UKCIA law library contains the full text of the most important legislation governing the use of drugs, including cannabis in the UK. Please note this information is given for guidance only and should not be taken as authoritative. If you have legal troubles, please do not rely on the information given here for your defence.

Please consult a law professional for any questions on the legislation and interpretation of drug laws!

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
The main Act governing the usage of 'illicit' drugs in the UK. Updated to take into account changes in legislation.

UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961

UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971

UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 1988

Human Rights Act 1998
This is the Act which a number of people have been trying to use as a defence against punishment for cannabis possession. Is it compatible with the 1971 MoDA? (86k)

Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
The regulations banning cannabis from being medically prescribed under any circumstances, despite its proven effectiveness.

Drug Trafficking Act 1994

UKCIA Research Library

The UKCIA research library contains links to important articles and reports on subjects relating to cannabis, it's one of the largest publicity accessible collections of cannabis research in the UK.

In the interests of truth and objectivity, we are attempting to present the available research without bias. The intention is to spread knowledge about cannabis because we believe that knowledge is the best weapon against prohibition.

We hope the result is a useful resource for researcher and campaigners alike.

Full text search - to search for keywords in the main body text

 



Governmet petition site

Please sign the government petition to debate legalising cannabis



Transform drug policy foundation
Transform Drug Policy foundation

After the war on Drugs - A blueprint for regulation.

The highly respected drug law campaign Transform have just published their latest report looking at options for the regulation of a legal drugs trade. Worth a look.

More information here (Transform website)

BEEN BUSTED?
NEED HELP?
IDMU logo
The Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (IDMU) has legal advice and a find a solicitor service.

IDMU
Please complete the IDMU drug user survey

Toke pure

Perhaps the most important cannabis use information there is - DIY harm reduction: say "no" to tobacco! Tokepure

 

Pot Culture
By Russell Cronin

Cannabis and popular culture

This is a major article on the influence of cannabis on music from the 30's to the 90's, from the days of "Reefer madness" to the Acid house dance culture revolution at the end of the 1990's.

If you thought "jive" was a dance, click here

CLEAR logo

CLEAR press confernece at Westminster
to launch the IDMU report into taxing cannabis and the CLEAR plan for a regulated market, 14th September 2011

Membership just £5 per annum (£1 concessions)

TokePure on CLEAR

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CLEAR - Cannabis Law Reform

 

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Important news!

The new sentencing guidelines for cannabis "offences" have been released and represent potentiall very good news. UKCIA will give more information about how this will all work when the dust settles a bit, but for now see this excellent summary from the IDMU -
New Sentencing Guidelines for Drugs Offences in England & Wales

UKCIA Newsblog
News and comment on the unfolding story of cannabis law reform
Latest Entry 5th February 2012

TokePure on CLEAR
Reply to Anne Milton re Tokepure – Safer Use Campaign . Following the frankly stupid reply from Anne Milton at the Dept of Health regarding my request that the government runs a campaign similar to TokePure, I've just sent this to my MP. Don't hold your breath.

Toke Pure – More Ann Milton madness. The continuing saga of my request that the government run a campaign similar to TokePure designed to encourage cannabis users not to mix cannabis with tobacco. Honestly, you would think was asking for something terrible. Instead, guess what. The party line is more important then honesty, so it seems

The Lancet: Three papers worth a read Pt 3.How well do international drug conventions protect public health? - Just how well has all this prohibition madness worked? Not very well is the answer, actually it's worse than not very well...

The Lancet: Three papers worth a read Pt 2. Drug policy and the public good: evidence for effective interventions - it is hardly a ringing endorsement of current policy

The Lancet: Three papers worth a read. As the Home Affairs Committee investigation into UK drug laws gets underway, the Lancet has three very interesting papers about drugs and drug policy, well worth a read. This is a review of part 1: “Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease” as it applies to cannabis.

daily mail logo
The cause of Reefer Madness V2? (and no, it’s not skunk) - The Daily Mail is not alone in its misreporting of the cannabis debate, but it stands out as the worst offender - and it's very influential. Read all about it and try not to go psychotic...

The Daily Mail Reefer Madness Archive - added 28th December

Reefer madness returns? RETHINK, the mental health charity are back again with their cannabis campaign. They were largely responsible for what became known as "Reefer madness V2", with the claims of "Skunk" being 35 times stronger and all the rest. Will it be any different this time? It could be.

Govt policy on drugs

Stupid, scared of the Daily Mail or corrupt? Well, what is it? Why are the government so unwilling to listen to anyone when it comes to drug policy? Yet again it has ignored the advice of its own expert committee - the ACMD. Is it really that our politicians are just plain stupid, or is there something else driving drugs policy; corruption of some sort?

Image from Twitter

COMT; another “wrong” result for the reefer madness hype. - One of the big planks of the reefer madness scare has been undermined by a new study - the COMT genetic weakness. 25% of us are not, in fact, at increased risk from cannabis.

A regulated cannabis trade: IDMU report and CLEAR proposal - It's been quite a day for the cannabis law reform campaign CLEAR!

2011 Review of the Year

All around us essential services are being cut as we enter a new age of austerity. Everything, that is, apart from the insanity of the War On Drugs, But it's certainly been an interesting year.

Pt1 January – March: People begin to speak out

Part 2 April - June the prohibition lobby start to panic

Part 3 June - October - The prohibitoin argument gets more extreme, CLEAR gets a new website editor (me) and we realise the PCC is close to useless.

Part 4 - October - December - COMTP bites the dust and, destroys one of the main pillars of Reefer Madness. More government stonewalling and and exposing the Daily Mail

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TokePure - a campaign whose time has come - CLEAR launches TokePure as a major new cannabis law reform campaign campaign. This is how it started and why it's so important.

Does cannabis make you mad? Just what is the truth behind the reefer madness claims?


Video library

A TV

A growing collection of online videos about cannabis and law reform here

 
 

Cannabis - the real risks
Stereotype warning: Using cannabis makes you listen to loud music, wear jeans and hoodies and grow long hair! - for rather more honest information about what cannabis might do, see UKCIA Risks Section

A cannabis stereotype, but a nice one. Click for the risks section

The Government on Drugs - talk to Frank if you must

Skunk Panic!

We're told cannabis has increased greatly in strength in recent years, just what is the truth behind the hype?

THC, CBD and the misleading concept of "potency" - why potency is not strength.

The Home Office potency study 2008 - the "evidence" that cannabis has changed and the unscientific way it was collected.

Does cannabis make you mad? Just what is the truth behind the reefer madness claims?

Talk to Frank is back!

Talk to Frank Spliff Pinball

Remember Talk to Frank? It's been relaunched and features the amazing new game "Spliff Pinball". Play it and remember, we paid someone to create this.

The British Government on Drugs

 

Some people smoke weed poster

Support the
"Some People Smoke Weed"
campaign

Download and print the poster - click here

 

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