FREEBIES PROMISED AT POT PICNIC
undercurrents | 11.08.2001 00:59
Crews from indymedia and CNN will be a part of the media scrum heading for the south coast this weekend to report on a picnic in support of cannabis legalisation.
Hampshire Police have issued statements saying they will "come down hard on dope smokers" at this Sunday's Smokey Bears Picnic in Portsmouth.
Despite concerted Police efforts over the years, the Smokey Bears have remained elusive yet effective. The seaside town has been dotted with stickers advertising the event. Even a major intersection into Portsmouth now hosts a grafiitted advertisement for the Picnic in 5 foot high red lettering. This will be the eighth year they have organised this unlicensed event adjacent to the sea front on Southsea Common.
Undercurrents has met local campaigners calling for a change in the law. They believe the debate surrounding the legalisation of cannabis has already been won; the talk now should be about how to put this into effect.
Local police however are sticking to the letter of the law. In recent years a zero tolerance approach has seen sniffer dogs, attempts at mass arrests and scuffles when they targeted notorious cannabis smuggler Howard Marks.
By deploying video surveillance teams, plain clothes officers and by their sheer weight of numbers, the police obviously regard the Smokey Bears as public enemy number one.
Last year, after making fun of a police officers' ginger wig, local man Jon Neil was arrested. He was released without charge but not before police had slandered him in details given to local media. This astonishing 'foot and mouth' fiasco resulted in a four figure sum in compensation.
Mr. Neil plans to attend this weekend's event with £100 worth of ice cream and 'munchies' to distribute. He said "I think my arrest last year and the entire police operation was about bullying. But by using part of my compensation in this way some of Hampshire Constabulary's money will be put to more constructive use".
Also set to attend will be Labour councillor Jason Fazackarley, head of the city's public protection committee, who supports a change in the law. He has said that those taking part have every right to demonstrate.
With cannabis topping the political agenda and a majority of people supporting some change in the law it remains to be seen how the tactics of the police will effect numbers attending this years event.
http://www.smokeybearspicnic.com
bear@hotpotmail.com
Hampshire Police have issued statements saying they will "come down hard on dope smokers" at this Sunday's Smokey Bears Picnic in Portsmouth.
Despite concerted Police efforts over the years, the Smokey Bears have remained elusive yet effective. The seaside town has been dotted with stickers advertising the event. Even a major intersection into Portsmouth now hosts a grafiitted advertisement for the Picnic in 5 foot high red lettering. This will be the eighth year they have organised this unlicensed event adjacent to the sea front on Southsea Common.
Undercurrents has met local campaigners calling for a change in the law. They believe the debate surrounding the legalisation of cannabis has already been won; the talk now should be about how to put this into effect.
Local police however are sticking to the letter of the law. In recent years a zero tolerance approach has seen sniffer dogs, attempts at mass arrests and scuffles when they targeted notorious cannabis smuggler Howard Marks.
By deploying video surveillance teams, plain clothes officers and by their sheer weight of numbers, the police obviously regard the Smokey Bears as public enemy number one.
Last year, after making fun of a police officers' ginger wig, local man Jon Neil was arrested. He was released without charge but not before police had slandered him in details given to local media. This astonishing 'foot and mouth' fiasco resulted in a four figure sum in compensation.
Mr. Neil plans to attend this weekend's event with £100 worth of ice cream and 'munchies' to distribute. He said "I think my arrest last year and the entire police operation was about bullying. But by using part of my compensation in this way some of Hampshire Constabulary's money will be put to more constructive use".
Also set to attend will be Labour councillor Jason Fazackarley, head of the city's public protection committee, who supports a change in the law. He has said that those taking part have every right to demonstrate.
With cannabis topping the political agenda and a majority of people supporting some change in the law it remains to be seen how the tactics of the police will effect numbers attending this years event.
http://www.smokeybearspicnic.com bear@hotpotmail.com
undercurrents
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Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
what are you smoking ? ? ?
11.08.2001 09:02
In Holland as everyone knows smoking cannabis is legal.
I go down to the coffee shop amd score some good quality hashish and thats that. You can't get ripped off , cos if you do, and you feel cheated you simply call the cops.
In the late seventies in London it was possible to find many different types of hash , lot's of exoctic types from India
slightly more commercial stuff from the Pakistan . (border)
Afghanistan, well what can I say, various qualities of morocco, lebanese, red and gold. Many people who lived in the big squatted communities will remember how the cops allowed the junkies to freely peddle smack in the area and only arrested them so they could make them sweat for a few hours and then squeeze info out of them about the local dope dealers. When the dope dealers got busted they didn't get out in 24 hrs , they might not be seen again for months. The good hash is long gone unless you have unlimited funds and extremely good connections you have to smoke what I believe is commonly called 'Soap Bars' A strange dark black/greenie/brown shit which spells horrible when it burns .
When I come to UK people often produce bits of this strange substance and roll it up .
I have also heard, from a good scource, that it is 'manufactured by the mafia and the mainly consists of instant coffee and solvents.
So whilst in Holland, dutch parents know that there kids are smoking hash and believe that the effects are not harmfull.
The cops also test E at raves to make sure that there is no dodgy killer tabs around . In the UK there are no such controls and kids are smoking false hash and who knows what
damage this is doing to them . But it seems strange that the cops have never tumbled this, they bust tons of this stuff coming into the country , they surely must send it to a lab to find out exactly what it is . But if they do know they have never said anything. I never heard of anyone being charge with importing fake hash ????
they have illiminated real hash from the UK and replaced it with the mafia substitute. Perhaps a similar group to Camra should be set up . CAMPAIGN FOR REAL HASHISH !!!
Bong
Londons Burning(good dope)
12.08.2001 07:00
Everyone knows soap bar is crap and mixed and repressed with all sorts of shit. Only kids and idiots smoke it regularily. And as for you calling the police if you get ripped off in a coffee shop!!! In England we see the police as enemies of the people, enemies of the revolution. Brutal, evil, fascist bastards. Rather have nothing to do with the boys in blue. Pill testing kits, marques reagent, is freely available in the UK as it probably is anywhere.
VIVA ZAPATA
Jacks Draw