From: [p--l] at [shuv.demon.co.uk] (Phil Stovell)
Newsgroups: uk.politics.drugs,talk.politics.drugs,rec.drugs.cannabis
Subject: Cannabis use causes rapes - official it's in The Daily Mail
Date: Sat, 20 Apr 1996 10:53:35 GMT

Posted To:
uk.politics.drugs
talk.politics.drugs
rec.drugs.cannabis
UKCIA-L

Article from The Daily Mail Friday, April 19, 1996 page 23.

<Start of Article>

_Curse of Cannabis, by rape case judge_

By Anthony Doran

  A judge condemned calls to legalise cannabis as he spoke yesterday
of the 'devastation' caused by drugs.
  Judge Keith Matthewman was passing a nine-year jail sentence on a
man who raped and assaulted a 16-year-old prostitute while high on a
cocktail of cannabis and alcohol.
  He said: 'More and more, I deal with cases where the use of cannabis
is referred to as "being behind the crime".
  'Perhaps people who say the drug should be legalised should sit
where I do and see the devastation it can cause to other people as
well as the defendants.'
  The judge jailed 21-year-old Asif Masood at Nottingham Crown Court
after hearing how he kidnapped and raped a teenage girl who had turned
to prostitution after becoming 'hooked' on TV's Band of Gold. She was
subjected to four hours of 'violence, terror and sexual degradation.'
  The judge told him that it was no mitigation that his victim was a
prostitute. Masood's lawyer said his client 'felt great remorse' and
blamed the cannabis and alcohol for his actions.
  Later Judge Matthewman said too many people talked 'too freely and
unthinkingly' about the legalisation of drugs, particularly cannabis.
  More and more people were blaming cannabis for the commission of
offences. 'In many cases I have been involved in recently, cannabis
has overtaken alcohol as the reason by defendants for committing
crime.'
  After the case it was revealed that the Government is to launch a
counter-offensive against showbusiness celebrities and MPs calling for
cannabis to be legalised. Home Office Minister Tom Sackville said:
'Lots of people, including prominent television people, are pushing
towards a campaign of legalisation. But it strikes very little chord
with the public and the Government.
  'This talk of legalisation is highly irresponsible. We need a
message which says all drugs are bad.'
  Last October, Labour front-bencher Clare Short was forced to
apologise for suggesting cannabis should be legalised.
  But opposition backbenchers continued to press for a relaxation of
the drug laws.
  Deputy prime Minister Michael Heseltine's daughter Annabel, a
33-year-old journalist, has said that legalisation is the answer to
Britains drug crisis.
  Without specifying cannabis, she said last month that legalising
drugs would reduce crime and allow police more time and resources to
investigate other crime.

<End of Article>

The above article is copyright The Daily Mail and is reproduced with
the usual UseNet consent, i.e. none.

Does this indicate that cannabis is becoming the latest fiend to be
blamed for all crimes like video nasties were? "It wasn't me that
raped/mugged/burgled/assaulted it was the cannabis".

Anybody who's tried a mixture of cannabis and alcohol would probably
agree with me that any kind of violent act is most unlikely.

At least they quote Annabel Heseltine, who seems sensible.
--
Phil Stovell
Petersfield, Hants, UK
[p--l] at [shuv.demon.co.uk]