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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 13 November 2009

Coping with cannabis in a civilised café culture

• I READ with interest Sebastian Saville’s Forum piece (Drugs – all tough talk and no science, November 6).
Having just returned from a trip to Amsterdam I note that their drug laws on cannabis are so relaxed that you can go into a coffee shop and straight away you are given a menu of various types and strengths of cannabis to buy and smoke on the premises.
The atmosphere in these coffee shops is so laid back and chilled, with people just quietly sitting around smoking joints.
It is all very civilised.
Here in the UK if people want to smoke cannabis they have to buy it in a sordid, uncivilised, way and – unlike in Amsterdam – they are not getting the choice of different strengths of more natural cannabis.
They are for the most part having to resort to smoking a very strong, genetically-modified skunk weed, which is completely different from the much milder versions of cannabis Amsterdam has to offer.
The laws surrounding the use of cannabis are verging on the hysterical and so uptight and against freedom.
More and more people are having their freedom taking away what with the anti-smoking laws in public places and being criminalised for smoking a joint.
It is true what Mr Saville says about how he has never noticed people under the influence of cannabis behaving in the unspeakable way of those fuelled up on alcohol.
Of course, moderation in everything is the best policy.
London would be a lot more laid back if they introduced these coffee shops here, and would help clear the streets of cannabis drug dealers.
Name and address supplied, NW3

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
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