XPost: uk.politics.drugs, uk.legal   
   From: drjohn@NOSPAM.hotpotmail.com   
      
   Noticed at Tue, 12 May 2009 07:08:01 +0000: Svenne informed us:   
      
   > On Tue, 12 May 2009 05:11:15 +0100, Dr John Watson   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >>But David Anderson, professor of African studies at Oxford University,   
   >>who co-wrote The Qat Controversy with Klein, said: "The medical evidence   
   >>[of harm] is so flimsy compared to other substances. It's really quite   
   >>difficult to justify [a ban]."   
   >   
   > Bollox.   
   >   
   > It is dead easy to justify a ban. Just put a Daily Mail journalist on   
   > the job for ten minutes and angry mobs will be storming Parliament   
   > demanding criminalisation with life imprisonment for Qat.   
   >   
   > I read a Swedish report on the social effects of Qat a while ago. I'll   
   > post a brief synopsis of it when and if I get the time to dig it out.   
   >   
   > Svenne   
      
   I can't understand why they can't just be honest - it's getting high,   
   stoned or whatever they want to call it that they want to criminalise.   
      
   The health effects are just an excuse for them. They know it's impossible   
   to prove that anything at all is 100% safe, and probably nothing is.   
      
   Somebody gets a slight cough on a "drug" - it has to be class A/B/C to   
   protect The Children (tm).   
      
   Meanwhile, 115,000 people die annually from tobacco, 30,000 the chronic   
   affects of alcohol, 5,000 the acute effects of alcohol and 110,000 people   
   hospitalised for mental health problems caused by alcohol. Then there's   
   the glassings and other mayhem filling the A&E depts every Friday and   
   Saturday.   
      
   Crazy.   
      
   --   
   Dr John Watson   
   Baker Street   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)