Cannabis has a long history of medical, recreational and sacramental use in many parts of the world. The legislation that is in place (here in Northern Ireland and the UK), to regulate against misuse of drugs, is designed so that the Minister can make it lawful for persons to produce, cultivate, possess and supply controlled drugs using the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act's legislative powers in sections 7, 22 and 31.

End recreational discrimination

The Minister of Health for N.I. has the powers to let us grow, possess and supply ourselves with cannabis or get it on prescription (under section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).

Hello, my name is Judyta. I came here almost seven years ago from Poland to do a postgraduate course at Queen’s, and I decided to stay here. Believe me or not, but I have grown fond of Belfast and I like living here.

Last Friday I was even more happy with Belfast than usual. It was because on that day I went to the 420 smokeout event at the front of the City Hall.

Up to 1,500 people packed into the Guildhall Square on Saturday afternoon to call for the group Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) to stand down.

There will be a City Centre rally against RAAD in the Guildhall Square this Saturday at 3pm.

Reading about this case (Cannabis campaign legal bid failure - U.TV) has been a very useful exercise indeed! James Torrens-Spence is to be commended for running this, and whilst he didn’t nail it exactly, we can see from what he has said, and what the judge has said, why this attempt failed.

OK – So, I am not having a go at James, but this is a very common mistake that the judge seized upon:

“He argued that the Class B drug should have parity with both alcohol and tobacco.”

Tribute to Tony Reid the toker, grower, activist and friend who passed away on the 20th August 2011. 

Drug use in Northern Ireland's prisons could go undetected if a controversial new test is introduced, a senior officer - who helps run the drug testing unit at Maghaberry - has warned.

Figures just published show a continuing rise in alcohol and drugs-related deaths in Northern Ireland.

A FOREIGN national remand prisoner took his own life after becoming depressed at the thought of spending years away from his family, according to the prisons watchdog.