http://uk.news.yahoo.com/011215/80/clqnt.html
Saturday December 15, 01:55 PM
LONDON (Reuters) - A British member
of the European parliament has been arrested for possession of cannabis
after he turned himself in to police with some of the illegal drug in support
of a cannabis cafe in North West England.
Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies,
who represents northwest England, planned the event to show support for
a constituent, Colin Davies (no relation), who was arrested in November
at an Amsterdam-style cannabis cafe he ran in Stockport.
"I am glad to have added myself to
the dozens of people who have already been arrested in protests aimed to
demonstrate their support for Colin Davies," the MEP said in a statement
on Saturday.
Police confirmed a man was being
interviewed after arriving at Stockport police station in Manchester with
a small amount of the illegal drug.
Chris Davies said he had never used
illegal drugs, but expressed support for the Chief Constable of North Wales,
Richard Brunstrom, who told a meeting on Friday that the only way to win
the war against drugs might be to legalise them all.
"The legal priorities are wrong.
Last year nearly 800 young people in Britain died of alcohol-induced cirrhosis
of the liver. Not one person died from the health effects of cannabis,
yet some 50,000 people were arrested for possession of the drug," Davies
said.
"It is not surprising that many police
officers admit that they have better things to do with their time than
arrest people for a supposed offence which causes no harm to anyone else."
Brunstrom said a Royal commission
should be set up to consider how to tackle the issue of drugs, the British
Broadcasting Company (BBC) reported.
Colin Davies' cafe sold cannabis
for recreational purposes but gave the illegal drug free to those wanting
it for medical purposes, his brother Mark said.
Colin Davis smoked cannabis himself
to alleviate pain resulting from a car accident six years ago.
"The people who will miss out most
are those in the Multiple Sclerosis Cannabis Association," Mark Davies
said.
Many people say the symptoms of multiple
sclerosis and other diseases are alleviated by cannabis. British commentators
have called in recent months for the drug to be legalised and the government
has promised to at least relax laws against it.
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By Jonathan Kent