This never goes well: by now you would have thought that police forces around the country would have warned each other about the dangers of bragging about busting people cultivating cannabis for personal use. The latest embarrassment for the British Police was earned by Essex Police when they took to Facebook to boast about catching someone growing a small number of plants in what they themselves admit to being “a little grow” in “a spare bedroom”. Hardly a cannabis “factory” hey, lads? Oh how the streets are safe once again in Tendring, Harwhich.
The picture shown clearly displays a 1.2m tent with several (well under 10) tallish looking plants through the half open zip doors. We’ll be honest, it doesn’t look like a very big yield, so any assertions made by police about street value should be knocked on the head straight away. The police however love to exaggerate and the risk that this could end up as a Proceeds of Crime Act aren’t impossible – despite the charge being designed for kingpin gang bosses. But yeah… spare bedroom, we have seen them try it whilst working as expert witnesses over the last decade.
Within four hours the post had already received over 500 comments and 150 shares. The public have judged and the people have come back with a verdict. Essex Police are guilty of wasting police time and resources which are funded by taxpayers – thats the people on Facebook you are boasting too…yeah do the maths; we aren’t happy!
When we get 500 comments and 150 shares on a post we are pleased; usually we are being congratulated though when that happens, I can’t imagine having so many negative comments fired at us – what excuse are we going to make? “I was just doing my job” doesn’t cut it in 2019 when the public are having this disrespect for human rights shoved in their faces on social media.
2 + 2 = 5
The most bizzare thing is cannabis is now a medicine and the police still haven’t worked out that the people getting benefit from medical cannabis ARE ALL GETTING IT ILLEGALLY! When you talk to an officer about medical cannabis they are generally all for it. They don’t want to people suffering as, believe it or not, that’s why they wanted to become a cop in the first place. Yet when it comes to cultivation many still can’t turn that blind eye that makes the difference between someone living a life of pain legally or a life with relief, albeit illegally.
And sometimes patients are too sick to grow their own and a healthy person has to grow it for them. Stealing someone a life line – like armed police who raided a Newcastle-based patient’s medicine last year the week medical cannabis was legalised – is the furthest thing from being a good human you could be. Some patients have even had police sit them down after a raid and tell them to go back to buying it on the streets. The police have walked out with the plants in their pots still, then the patient never hears anything about going to court. What do they do? Go to the police? Yeah ok… Just one of the reasons we suggest being part of our tagged plant model.
The police should be able to be held accountable but sadly, prohibition does not allow for that. Instead it allows the country to become an illegal playground for gangsters and rogue police that don’t mind partaking in corruption but also don’t mind busting disabled patients and robbing their medicine. There are of course genuine police genuinely just doing what they think is right and still being dragged into destroying innocent people’s lives because they believe in prohibition. When the police want to try and exploit cannabis consumers on social media though, a line needs to be drawn.
Many patients find solace on social media yet police forces have decided to try and inflict the fear that stops many of them spending more time in public directly to their screens. It’s no wonder so many people have taken the time to write a comment on the post.
Sadly, Essex Police Facebook responder expressed that they didn’t really give a care as to what people outside of their town thought about their policing tactics and tried to shut the discussion down by using the “#justdoingmyjob” hastag. In any case this specific area of the law has questionable legal standing given the nature of how the law was first introduced over 90 years ago which we now know was from the racist agenda of Harry Anslinger. That’s right, the law being enforced in Tendring is based on a guy from America that didn’t like people if they weren’t white. He was previously responsible for maintaining alcohol prohibition but when that collapsed he had to find a new racket. “Don’t tell us what to do in our town” doesn’t wash with us, sorry!
Police & Public Relationship
Their budget has become weak, the public don’t feel like they get the service they pay for and the crimes that go without being followed up or having police turn up three days late have lead to some pretty poor trust issues. The police are meant to be there when you need them, not when they feel like it. Sadly, as we looked at briefly above cannabis consumers can’t call the police when a crime is committed against them because the chances are they will end up with the criminal record for their herbal choice.
Considering there are 5 million+ cannabis consumers in Britain, that’s a lot of crime that’s probably going unreported. Unreported crimes are effectively a let down to society as it allows further crimes to be committed. Reported crime, the police will tell you, helps prevent more serious crimes from taking place later on. Yet they are happy to let such a large demographic of the UK go unprotected – and even worse be a target for them. Or just troll them on Facebook…
Saying things like “we don’t like drugs in our town” whilst alcohol, tobacco and coffee are available if you want it within seconds from a number of retail outlets just goes to show how the police look at the world – like it’s 1985 still. Let’s not forget “The Only Way Is Essex” is literally a show about getting shit-faced on alcohol and then being irresponsible. One hundred per cent of the officers involved in the raid will have taken a drug, paracetamol, perhaps codeine, if anyone of them had a filling at the dentist they will have been exposed to cocaine derivatives to numb their gums, maybe they were born with Pethedine coursing through their veins after their mothers were given it as a pain control at birth? Still don’t like drugs in your town
The Police should wake up to this, realise that having cannabis consumers on their side is a better idea than having us against them and maybe we can see society really get cleaned up?
It’s no secret that the UK Cannabis Social Clubs have made bold moves to engage with local police forces around the four nations and in some areas like Durham and North Wales there have been some great successes, even having the Police Crime Commissioners speak in favour of UKCSCs. This complete 180 degree turnaround has lead to some traction in helping resolve key issues caused by prohibition to local residents – not being criminalised for a personal choice that affects no one else being one of them.
Hopefully the Essex Police force will come around to the work of Ron Hogg and Arfon Jones sooner rather than later. Until then, stay safe Essex tokers! #NoVictimNoCrime
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