Recent UK shroom articles/court cases

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3892131



Wed 15 Dec 2004



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6:39pm (UK)
Magic Mushrooms Law Probe Move

By Nick Mead, PA Political Staff

The law relating to magic mushrooms is being examined by the Government, it was disclosed tonight.

Junior Home Office minister Caroline Flint pledged to “take the necessary steps to ensure it is clear that it is unlawful to import, export, supply or possess with intent to supply magic mushrooms”.

Under existing legislation it is not an offence to grow, gather, possess or sell fresh magic mushrooms.

However, the hallucinogenic chemicals in them are controlled as class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

During a series of court cases it has been held that once the mushrooms have been dried, made into a powder or frozen they are covered by the Act.

This loophole has led to fresh hallucinogenic mushrooms being sold openly by market traders and on the internet.

Ms Flint said tonight: “We are currently examining the position.”

She was replying to a Commons written question from shadow Home Office minister Cheryl Gillan asking what plans there were to make the selling of fresh magic mushrooms a criminal offence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1372982, 00.html

Trip over?

Magic mushrooms have never been more popular. More than 400 apparently legal 'shroom' shops have sprung up in the past two years, and growing kits have become a must-have Christmas present. So why has the government suddenly turned tough on sellers? Stephen Moss investigates

Tuesday December 14, 2004
The Guardian

Six months ago, when the NME described 2004 as "the third summer of love", it put the benign mood down to one thing - the return of magic mushrooms. The drug idolised by cult author and psychologist Timothy Leary in the 1960s - he said that his first experience of mushrooms in Mexico in 1960 taught him more than all his years of study - was back. According to the NME, which produced a "top tips for top trips" guide, mushrooms were a safe alternative to ecstasy, and what's more - they were legal. It was time to "turn on, tune in, drop out" all over again.
Except that nobody told the Home Office and the police, which have now declared war on magic mushrooms. In Gloucester, two local men have been charged with supplying a class A drug by selling them. It promises to be the start of a long and complicated legal battle to determine the status of Britain's latest drug of choice. Other cases are pending in Birmingham and Canterbury - cases which the Home Office hopes will establish once and for all whether magic mushrooms are innocent, hippy-dippy playthings, or a menace to be stamped on.

The nation's mushroom sellers are confused. Two years ago, a more easy-going Home Office sent out a letter advising them that "the growing of psilocybe mushrooms" and their "gathering and possession" did not contravene the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It was not illegal, the letter went on, to sell or give away a growing kit, or to sell or give away a freshly picked mushroom, "provided that it has not been prepared in any way". Recipients of the letter took it as a green light to sell fresh mushrooms, and there are now an estimated 400 "shroom" shops in the UK.


This distinction - between a fresh mushroom and one that has been "prepared" - is crucial. It is not an offence to possess or consume a mushroom, because it occurs naturally, but a psilocybe mushroom contains the hallucinogen psilocin and its byproduct psilocybin, both of which are deemed to be class A drugs under the 1971 Act. Any "preparation" or any attempt to turn the mushroom into a "product" (the Gloucester case and others like it may hinge on the definition of those words) could constitute the supply of a class A drug. Maximum sentence: life imprisonment.

The Home Office has now, in effect, disowned the original softly-softly guidance note. "The Home Office judges that a mushroom that has been cultivated, transported to the marketplace, packaged, weighed and labelled constitutes a product," reads the latest guidelines. Applied literally, this would appear to rule out all trade in magic mushrooms, which at present are being cultivated, transported, weighed and sold openly in shops and on market stalls all over the country. Even grow-kits, which allow you to grow your own mushrooms, appear to be ruled out under the Home Office advice - a grow-kit, by definition, means cultivation. The tougher guidelines have led to a rash of arrests across the country, and to cases that will determine whether the nascent industry has a future

One retailer caught in the police crackdown was Andy Burgess, who runs the Headz "alternative gift shop" in Folkestone. Burgess, a former builder, is 61 and admits to being "the oldest swinger in town". His shop, with its blue and purple frontage, is an exotic exception to the drabness of the rest of the town. It smells of incense, has a large reclining Buddha in the window and is plastered with leaflets for psychic fayres, spiritual healing and medieval fencing. Strangely, there is also an advertisement for a model railway exhibition.

In late September, Burgess had a visit from the local police - and they hadn't come for the Indian head massage. "When I arrived here in the morning, there were two police vans outside my door," he recalls. "I said to a policeman, 'Do you want to speak to me?' He said, 'I'm afraid so.' There were at least eight policemen - they were like a Swat team.

"I said, 'What do you want?' He said, 'I want your mushrooms. Where are they?' They ended up taking my fridge, all my invoices, all my paraphernalia regarding mushroom selling."

Burgess was arrested on suspicion of supplying a class A drug and spent the rest of the day in the cells. He was interviewed, then bailed, but a few days later he was told that the case had been dropped. No explanation or apology was offered. "I can't understand it," he says. "I can't understand why they're hassling people." He also sells a range of replica firearms in his shop, but these do not seem to have excited the interest of the police.

Burgess has been selling magic mushrooms for seven or eight months to a wide range of aficionados: "I get teachers, even policemen coming in to buy them," he says. "Most people don't buy them in large quantities; they buy a small amount and share them with their friends to have a giggle. I sell them in 30g bags, which is the maximum dose for any one person, but if you do half of it you just get a giggle. Things may look a bit surreal, but that's as far as it goes. It's quite harmless."

Not everyone agrees. "Magic mushrooms are potentially dangerous," insists Professor John Henry, an expert in toxicology at Imperial College and St Mary's Hospital, London. "They clearly cause hallucinations. The hallucinations are usually short term, but there is a danger of flashbacks." Professor Henry says mushrooms have contributed to several deaths, with people suffering hallucinations being killed in accidents. "I advise people never to take magic mushrooms as a form of escape. I tell them your hang-ups will always chase you. Experienced users might just feel a bit trippy, but naive users may feel sick, spacy, quite ill. It is also frightening if they are fed to you without you knowing. That can be very scary."

Mushroom sellers, unsurprisingly, refuse to accept that mushrooms can do long-term damage. Psyche Deli, one of the biggest companies in the industry, was started by three people who enjoyed taking mushrooms and decided to turn their hobby into a business. They quote a Dutch scientific report that claims mushrooms are safe. "We never set out to do anything illegal," says co-founder Paul Galbraith. "We asked all the requisite authorities what we were able to do, and it looks like many other traders did the same. Over the past two years, although nothing has actually changed in the law, the Home Office's interpretation appears to have changed." Chris Territt, also from Psyche Deli, argues that it may be the increased size and organisation of the business - the Home Office is especially exercised by the growing volume of imports, mainly from Holland - that has triggered the clampdown.

"The law on magic mushrooms is madness," says Paul Flynn, Labour MP for Newport West. "It seems to have been written by somebody who was on a hallucinogenic drug." In May, Flynn wrote to Home Office minister Caroline Flint asking for clarification. Her reply - that the very act of selling them constitutes "preparation" - showed how far the Home Office had moved away from its original view that "preparation" meant a change in the physical nature of the mushroom, turning it into a tea, a paste or a powder, for example, to make the effect of the psilocin more concentrated.

The change of heart does not, however, appear to have penetrated the Metropolitan police, which has so far taken no action in London, where magic mushrooms are sold openly in street markets. When I visited a stall in Portobello Road, business was fairly brisk, with family groups clustered round the stall choosing from among the mushroom varieties - Mexican, Colombian, Hawaiian, Thai. Christmas is a busy time, apparently, with grow-kits rivalling iPods as the must-have present last year.

Flynn is scathing about the government's handling of the issue. "It's crazy: if you pick them, that's legal; if you keep them overnight, that's illegal because they dry out. The effect of magic mushrooms is minor compared with other drugs. There is a market for them and it would be better to allow it to operate. There are plenty of medicinal drugs that cause far more damage than magic mushrooms. But there are no signs of any intelligence in drug policy from the government. When they say the word 'drugs', you can be sure that the word 'tough' won't be far behind."

Even Professor Henry, while backing a ban on their cultivation, believes the law has become hopelessly confused. "They're not a food - VAT has to be paid on them - so what are they? They're in some other category, but nobody seems to know what."

The VAT issue is vexing to mushroom retailers. In February, one wrote to Customs and Excise to ask whether he should be charging VAT. It replied that he should and was then embarrassed when the retailer made the letter public. It appeared that it was levying a tax on a "product" which the Home Office wanted to ban. Joined-up government it wasn't.

"We did state that fresh mushrooms were subject to VAT," says Customs and Excise spokesman Paul Matthews, "but we are also aware of the Home Office view that their packaging for sale is illegal. We are really waiting for case law on this." Mushroom retailers argue that if VAT is being levied, the product per se cannot be illegal; it seems this is not the case. "Just because something is illegal doesn't mean that it can't be taxed," says Matthews.

Proponents of magic mushrooms are frustrated at what they see as the Home Office's reluctance to consider changing the law, and are critical of a policy that appears to be based on nudging the police and the courts to establish precedent. "If someone was going to make policy on this, then there would at least be a debate," says Territt, "but currently there is no debate. The crown prosecution service is not a relevant authority to be making health and safety and drugs policy."

Update, this a nearly complete version of an e-mail sent to me summarising recent happenings:

The week started with a court appearance for 2 mushroom sellers, at which the judge told the prosicution to "Chill Out", stating the law was not defined enough to classify chilled mushrooms (fridged) as prepared. This was excellent news.

The court felt that parliment should review the current law regarding psilocybe shrooms. The home office announced that they were to review the law, and a new bill had been proposed to make ALL psilocybe mushrooms illeagal, in any form.

At present, the mushroom (in a natural state)remains legal, for you to grow, pick, sell or eat. If this bill is passed by parliment, possession will be a crime, passing one to a friend could result in a 14 year jail term.

We feel that prohibition is not the order of the day, as this would force the mushroom underground, and into an illeagal market. We feel that self regulation of the sale of these, with positive progression to harm reduction is more appropriate.

Discussions are taking place within several online mushroom communities, including http://www.magicmushroomforum.co.uk as to the kind of action we can take to help prevent the unneccasary action of prohibition.

Work is underway to create a central site for a combined focusing of efforts, we will let you know more about this as soon as we find out its ready, just check out the forum for updates.

We have created a section of our mushroom forum, dedicated to collating information regarding this issue.

You can find this section using the following url:

http://www.graeme-farrer.net/tmg-ltd/magick_forum/ view_forum.php?id=45

Our aim is to compile and spread information, and present it to parliment, for inclusion in any review of the current law, with refrence to the proposed changes.

This will also be sent to the central site for further exposure.

There are several actions you can take, and these are detailed in our forum.

If you oppose the outlawing of these mushrooms, please sign the online petition :

http://www.petitiononline.com/DBPF/petition.html

Why not FAX YOUR MP, CONTACT THE MEDIA, or even BE THE MEDIA, the time to ACT is NOW!!"

www.petitiononline.com/DBPF/petition.html

Even if you're American or whatever, please take the time to sign the petition.

Something that will have a lot more effect, is sending your (If you're in the UK) MP a well-thought out, respectful letter. Don't send template e-mails as they are often ignored if an MP receives many all at the same. MPs addreses can be found in the following ways:

http://www.locata.co.uk/commons/

www.faxyourmp.com/

www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm

Legislation needs a majority to be passed in the House of Commons. Its your MPs who vote for Bils to be passes. Help them make an informed decision by writing to them, or lose legal shrooms for a long time (a Bill reversing it would not appear for a very very long time)

The Bill can be seen at "http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/ cmbills/017/en/05017x--.htm"

The relevant clause reads:
"Clause 21: Inclusion of mushrooms containing Psilocin etc. as Class A drugs

44. This clause inserts into Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 a fungus of any kind that contains the drug Psilocin or an ester of that drug. This has the effect of making such a fungus, often referred to as 'magic mushrooms', a Class A drug for the purposes of the 1971 Act. Currently, such a fungus is only a class A drug where it is in a form which constitutes a preparation or other product containing Psilocin or an ester Psilocin for the purposes of paragraph 5 of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the 1971 Act."

[maynardsdick]

there should be no shops selling shrooms. shrooms are way to dangerous to be sold in public like that, for the inexperienced and experienced alike.

home use is the only way to go.

its dangerous to cross the street to get to the shroom shop too

"there should be no shops selling shrooms. shrooms are way to dangerous to be sold in public like that, for the inexperienced and experienced alike.
"

I don't see much of a problem as long as a bit of common sense tripping education is given away with the mushrooms.

or even just let people experience life for themselves and not spoonfeed them little pieces of reality that we're sure they can handle.
Nobody blames the car dealership when some idiot goes 75 down an ice covered road and kills himself or others
however I guess common sense isn't exactly common, especially when it comes to substances that have been shrouded with negative stigma and misinformation since the beginning of western civilization. I've made stupid choices too obviously, but if you live and then learn from your mistakes you will become a stronger person.
shrooms are good for humans. People that take them and can't handle them don't take them again, but even one time teaches them humility and a little bit of openmindedness
--ooooh post #100!!

And people are genrally given info/ the opportunity to get info by asking the shop owner.

It is NOT a bad thing/stupid/irresponsable thing to sell shrooms in shops as everyone here in the UK know exactly what they are and know their risks. Nobody willingly takes a hallucangen without the understanding that they will hallucinate...

In the netherlands it is a complete success. It is no more dangerous here...

I have been banging on about this issue for a week or so now and I am looking to register an official legal church that protects my contitutional right to use mushrooms for spiritual purposes...allthough I understand this is going to be hard...if anyone (UK) wants to help then pipe up.

I have sent faxes to MP's signed petitions and will be writing to the under secretary of state soon. I will not lie down and let the British Govorment F*ck me.

anyone want to contact me then send us an email at ograzebrook@hotmail.com lets rally

[maynardsdick]

Nobody blames the car dealership when some idiot goes 75 down an ice covered road and kills himself or others

your analogy does not apply. there is a thing called a driver's license that permits you to drive, therefore there is some preparation for driving.

anyone who has never done shrooms has no idea what they're gonna experience. to say otherwise is foolish and biased.

do you expect the shop keeper to educate the customer? on what? how much to take? this will vary from person to person and such a person is certainly not qualified to give out advice. besides, their business is to sell shrooms.

people shouldnt drive while they're drunk or high, but people tripping is on a whole other level. that shit is plain dangerous.

Listen here mate... are mushrooms legal in your country...NO
have they ever been legal in your country....NO
have you been a part of a culture that condones the sensible use of mushrooms...NO
I conclude that you plain and simply do not know what you are talking about.
Come over here and see what happens on a friday night...people staggering around being sick in public, falling over in front of taxies, fighting, racial abuse....this is the binge drinking culture we have in britain. Any kind of alternative to this is a good thing. Shop keeper DO warn people and only sell to over 18's.
YOU talk of these people as if they a stupid an naaieve, unaware that taking a hallucanagen would have potential dangers. You only have to read the box. Please do not join into an argument you clearly do not know about.
MERRY XMAS

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

I am looking to register an official legal church that protects my contitutional right to use mushrooms for spiritual purposes...allthough I understand this is going to be hard...<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Could be difficult seen as we dont have a constitution , as part of the European Laws, religion is protected in some respect but to be honest I dont think it'd happenin this lifetime that they'd be protected by their spiritual use. Rastafarians were able to use religion to allow them use use weed, then the government just said, "unlucky, we've decided its illegal for you too". That was for an established religion, whereas there is no shroom religion, as such.
I do understand what "MaynardsDick" is saying, but it doesnt seem to be doing the people much harm, from what I can see.

[maynardsdick]

owen g,

i dont need to live in a country where mushrooms are legal to know the effect they have on people--and consequently on other people.

"there should be no shops selling shrooms. shrooms are way to dangerous to be sold in public like that, for the inexperienced and experienced alike.

home use is the only way to go."

I'd be interested to know what dangers you are talking about. Do you care to elaborate? Mushrooms are a path to knowledge, and IMO there will always be people wanting to limit others' access to knowledge. Knowledge is power, and if only a privilaged few have access to certain knowledge it gives them a certain advantage. I say open the floodgates. Let every adult choose for themselves which experiences they wish to pursue. If they don't do the necessary research to have a safe mushroom trip, that's no ones fault but their own.

(Message edited by omnibot on December 26, 2004)

Oh, and here's an analogy that might work better for you: hiking

Mountain trails are open to everyone. Inexperienced hikers as well as time worn climbers have equal access. It is the hikers responsibility to make sure they have the equipment and experience necessary to make any given climb. When an inexperienced hiker takes a fall and dies, the reaction is not "close the trails".

[maynardsdick]

omnibot,

what are you talking about? i think everyone should have the freedom to injest whatever they want. that is besides the point.

allowing people to take hallucinogens in public is just plain irresponsible. that can only cause problems.

In a way there seems hope or just plain dumb luck that there are actually shops selling fresh varieties of shroomz..but ..control ie: government ALWAYS takes advantage of the worst-case examples and scenarios to win their points and get their votes and new prohibition laws passed..those irresponsible-in-public come from everywhere...not just from the shops' supply..but from a friends party or where-ever..public-intoxication has always been a call-to-arms for the controlling factions. Just take a look at the lame invented excuses the US used to nix ,
cannibis and psilocybins and even frog-licking..
old ladies can't even grow their heirloom poppies in their garden..in many jurisdictions.
public-shroomizm...won't make it..
I will be suprized from this Brit. thing if they will even continue to allow folks to grow privately at home for their own use..only.
Bitian has gotten in bed with the US way of doing things ,,for sure and drug agreement is just another tying link between the two countries..for world control...
"we're all just one big corporation.." ['The Formula']
but harm is what harm does, and all it has to be is an annoyance to those who wish not to see it and those stupid enough to not control themselves can bring ruin for everyone else.
{Unless you just happen to be a Pharmacutical corp. legally killing and injurying millions of folks world-wide...from 'bad drugs" or is that another story...?? But..the MONEY...
there's the money..it always comes down to the money...tax bucks, permits, income..all
underground and missed out on by very hungry and wasteful governments..cause..
All Real Wealth Goods Production has been made mostly illegal..because of the potential for people to make a buck and keep it..or to grow for themselves and not be dependent on buying and supporting the money system, but w/o tax-base knowledge, cannibis, shroomz, poppies, tobacco, booze, peanuts,etc.. yes here in the US there are "the peanut police" even..!! So where do ya' think this control is protecting anyone..the irresponsibles in life will always be...stoned, trippin', drunk and puukin' all over society..pollutants on the village commons..
they are simply fuel for the fire of control..
>>who bets the Brit. Lawmakers will go all the way on this now that the door of opportunity is full open to them...this time they will nip it in the "bag"...or..? ?? any BETS??
then they will have more prisons to build as in the US we can't keep up cause nearly 80% or so I hear are in there for natural drug violations.
and laws against natural acts with natural goods
guarantees a never-ending and ever-growing supply
of a newly-classed n' passed criminal element..
supply and demand works both ways..
a supportive "church" may be the only way besides good buds to teach people the beauty of things..how to use and enjoy and respect as sacrement'...as a true gift of Nature..
shroomz may well have built the ideas of all of our established religions anyway..or so the theory goes but try telling that to the minister or good reverend next time you walk thru their doors....of perception. ANYWAY......
>> I wish the good folks of Britian and Canada, etc and everywhere good luck!! But..I am bettin' against their little freedom-loophole..and I hope I lose.
Hava Verry Merry ya'll
pop 'em if ya' got 'em....
responsibly that is...learn as ya' earn ..
each new day
don't let the challenges bring ya' down..
and damnit...don't ruin my buzz...!

I got a bet for ya Karl, the odds of freshie sstaying legal in Britain are the same as the odds were of Kerry winning the US election.
Not because bush was so great but becasue Kerry was a freekin moron
-and on the subjedct of the societal safety of cubie igestion; from what I've read in this post and other places, freshies sold by the proprietors of headshops or whatever, are not gonna try to sell first timers 50 grams and tell em to eat up because they want more money. They would, logicly enough, give them advice if asked and do everything in their power to make the exp. good for a first time customer so that they become RETURNING customers. Yes, people will try to abuse any drug, but mushrooms tend to kick anyone in the ass that tries to over eat, and I've never heard of anyone taking a conservative dose of 1 dried gram and trying to fly or even the 15 wet that the shopkeeper in Demus' post recommended as a first dose
good luck and happy holidayz to all you poor Brits

Whatever happens, whatever you think.... just put your names on the petition.

If we start taking the defeatist attitude that we wont win then we stand no chance. I beleve we can do it.

Im off to do some more rallying now,
Adios til later
Happy new year

Don't mean to be pesimistic, but petitions, especially the online kind often hold little sway. It only takes a few seconds to sign it and politicians realise that they aren't always very representative of a population as plenty of people who dont care sign up cos of their friends.

Writing to MPs is much more effective, but petitions is still worth your time.

yah, I signed the petition for ya'all but I was thinking the same thing as far aas the weight that that kind of thing carries.
Especially considering I know I'm not the only one who signed it twice

Well I realise that. But it is not just there to be signed so we can show it to the govournment, Its important that everyone who goes there can see that there is a large community that thinks like they do and represent the same values.
If that is enough to get someone to join our forum or write to their MP then that is what really matters.
It is a way of bringing people togeather.
There is a minute chance of winning the lottery, but people still play because they CAN win.
I wrote to 2 MP's and also to Tony Blair yesterday.
At this stage in the passing of the bill there is plenty of time to sway opinions,
It has not even been put to the House of Commons yet so if we fill the heads of our local Govornment reps with common sense then we have every chance.

later

Writing to local MPs can mak a big difference, this is just a small clause in a big bill. Think about it, how much will ur MP know about shrooms, probably nothing. Telling them the basics for not prohibitin them will make a difference, they might not realise that they aren't very dangerous etc. Inform them before Caroline Flint (Home Office woman who wants them banned) misinforms them by suggesting everyone who has a bad trip goes on to have a life time f mental misery.

bump..

www.magicmushroomforum.co.uk
www.magicmushroomconsumers.org

the Houses of Commons are determined to make mushrooms a Class A drug (crack/heroin), despite attempts to make them a class C (cannabis) by some of the MP's.....what a farce....

also there are several court cases looming for magic mushroom vendors. Despite the fact that they were operating within the law, the government will wait until the bill is passed before trial....utterly disgracefull

What a shame. Who gets to decide which drugs are worse? People that have never used them and have no idea or basis for comparison whatsoever, usually. Thats retarded. These pol's should do an experiment. Several sundays in a row they should test out diff drugs. Then, go to 'work' in the morning and decide which substance ends up making them more deranged/innefficient/dysfunctional. Everyone here, I'm sure has experienced what I'm talking about. Drink a case and try to get up at 8 and got to school/work. It sux, obviously, alky is a fuckin poison. eat an eighth, ride the coaster, and then go to sleep and go to work the next morning. Unless some horrid horrid shit went down, I'm sure you would be better off psychologically and physically. At least they recognize that weed is the most forgiving and least harmful substance out of all of those mentioned here and above.

It pisses me off the way they keep telling us they are clarifying the law.It worked OK before practically speaking, OK, it was ambiguous but their sale caused no problems. If they seek to clarify the law, why cant they make them entirely legal? That would make things simple enough.

http://www.magicmushroomforum.co.uk/forum/forum_po sts.asp?TID=1707

Anyone who wants to get very angry, go on that link. Addicts?????????

are you a member of the mgicmushroomforum Demus??

Its a great place, lots of us doing a lot of good....I have had some posotive responces from my local MP, and I am waiting for responce from Evil Caroline Flint MP, and also the home office.

Their argument seems to be based on the lie that mushrooms are like LSD and cause self harm and flashbacks.... psilocybin does not open dopamine pathways in the brain (LSD does) therefore flashbacks are a myth. Self harm....?? need i say any more. Also they mention hear conditions and psycosis....no examples/evidence have/has been provided.

defanately not voting labour, in fact i will force myself to vote tory as they stand the best chance of winning

[dark_reaper]

Originally Posted by owen

are you a member of the mgicmushroomforum Demus?

I think I have an account and I browse it occasionally but I haven't posted as I just haven't got round to it. Im a mod at TMG and am generally pretty busy but I'll make a point of posting there soon.

Originally Posted by owen

Their argument seems to be based on the lie that mushrooms are like LSD and cause self harm and flashbacks
?

I know, they basically assume they are exactly the same thing just because they are both hallucinogens, but they've taken the comparison way to far.

I sent a 2,500 word e-mail to all the MPs within the commity, but only received one reply, which thanked me for the letter.

How does the commity actually work, will it require a vote to pass the Clause and if so, by what majority. I read on MMF that there are some MPs who are sympathetic to downgrading. I feel that these could be persuaded to abstain from voting for the clause if the idea of them being allowed to at a later date make them completely illegal and downgrade was presented. This is preferable to what is proposed at present and we could always fight that point when the time came.

There has been no evidence from MPs, just, form my experience, a lot of ignorance and silence.

I'll email you my letter that I sent to the commity if you want. i didnt bother with my local MP as I thought it would be too late for him to do anything now it has gone to the committee.

Dunno who to vote for, Tories would be even worse than Labour for idiocy and ignorance. Lib Dems might not be too bad, but their leaders always seem pathetic and lacking the courage of their convictions to get things done. Remember, voting affects the numbers of seats in hte Houses of Commons too, so winning isn't everything. Labour are very likely to win anyway, so you might want to thin kabout who you would rather have more seats in the House.

[sah]

Just found this, dated March 15th 2005, from the Guardian

-Drugs bill Compulsory treatment of those who test positive in police stations and outlaws magic mushroom trade. Likely to be lost.-

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/elect...437999,00.html

Sounds promising, fingers crossed.