Ban the bong?!
I just found this one, I think it's from two weeks ago:
A British city council are putting feelers out with regard to banning equipment which it says, are used solely for the purpose of consuming illegal drugs such as cannabis.
Council officers from the Wirral on Merseyside have gained all-parties backing for the controversial move, which would see the sale of bongs, chilum's and vaporizers outlawed if the law comes to fruition.
The quest to 'ban the bong' has been tabled by Birkenhead and Tranmere councillor Brian Kenny, who commented recently "It may not be illegal to sell the equipment, but it is sold in retail outlets across the Wirral and Merseyside, with the knowledge that it is likely to be used for illicit drugs."
According to sources on Merseyside the proposal has received a large amount of support.
"I’m hoping that the report we get back gives us the opportunity to take steps locally," added councillor Kenny.
But according to a spokesperson for the British Cannabis Lobby, banning the sale of bongs and vaporizers is likely to have absolutely no effect on the war against cannabis and its users.
"In fact" said cannabis lobby spokesman Bill Stone, "Its likely to have the opposite effect and actually cause more harm than it saves."
"Its fair to assume a bong can be used for consuming cannabis but thats far from the only use a bong has" said Stone.
"The fact is a great many people are substituting tobacco with herbal "tobacco free" smoking mixes which are available in a great many high street tobacconists. In many instances this action is being undertaken on the advice of the government, via the picturesque and colourful advertisments which are printed on packets of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco these days"
"As a result a lot of people are moving away from tobacco based products, preferring to consume herbal mixes such as those available at
http://www.natures-world.co.uk ".
Products like the special herbal mix which contains marshmallow, red clover and rose petals, or the farmers mix, which is an aromatic mixture made from a blend of natural herbs matured in honey and apple juice. All of which are guaranteed tobacco free and nicotine free.
"The problem with a lot of these mixes" continued Bill Stone, "is the fact that the material being smoked tends to be a lot larger, more coarse than regular hand rolling tobacco's, making it very difficult at times, to roll into a cigarette as you would with a product such as the popular hand rolling tobacco's from Golden Virginia or Old Holborn".
"So its not unusual" said Stone, "to find people consuming these herbal mixes using a bong or chillum instead."
Its also been noted that in these days of a multi-cultural society its not uncommon to find Turkish or Arab ex-pat communities coming together at social events in the UK, which sees family elders sitting around a "hookah" pipe, in which is smoked a special blend of flavoured tobacco which has charcoal added, to enhance the smokers experience.
Hookah pipes are also used by some people, to smoke cannabis, which brings about something of a legal and cultural paradox.
According to the cannabis lobby spokesman "This is nothing more than another knee-jerk reaction as the British government proves once again it has not only an irrational fear of cannabis, (even though it is legally available in 14 US states under a doctors medical cannabis card - thats fully 25% of the United States population of 306 million people who are now legally entitled to use cannabis with their doctors recommendation),the UK government clearly has absolutely no idea how to deal with the cannabis issue".
"In this day and age, with the country already on its knee's financially thanks to this current Labour administration, it seems obscene to carry on throwing millions of pounds at the prohibition of cannabis, when every expert asked about cannabis law in the run up to the reclassification of cannabis, agreed the majority of harms caused by cannabis come not as a result of the substance itself, which is a relatively harmless, benign substance for over 99.99% of its users, but as a result of prohibition and exposure to the judicial system after being caught in possession of cannabis."
Dying for a drink
"In the meantime" concluded Bill Stone, "over 150,000 British voters die every year as a result of tobacco or alcohol. Thats over 90% of all British drug related death's, which the British population pay tax on, for the pleasure of dying legally".
Other items which may be used for consuming cannabis;
"PET" drinks bottles
Hosepipes
Rizla papers
Beer cans
Other "means" which regularly kill British citizens
Teenage drivers kill 200+ every year
Public transport - 5000 fatalities per year
Road traffic accidents kill 5000 per year.
But do we ban teenage drivers, public transport or roads?
"No" says Bill Stone. "We educate people how to use the roads safely, and perhaps we as a nation could learn something from that, in the implementation of a workable national drugs policy".
