UK drug laws used as tool of systemic racism, says ex-No 10 adviser - Ethnic Voices Podcast Launch
Simon Woolley says failure of drugs legislation is having a devastating impact on public health
“It creates anxiety, stress and alienation that contribute to the high levels of mental health harm experienced across our black communities,” he wrote in the BMJ, as he appealed for doctors to speak out on the issue.
“For decades, politicians from all sides have either turned a blind eye to drug policy failures or weaponised the debate to score cheap political points,” he said. “This has led to half a century of stagnation, which has landed with force on our black communities, driving up needless criminalisation and undermining relationships with the police.”
Photo and text Courtesy of Guardian News & Media Ltd
https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2147 - Also mentioned in the British Medical Journal which will highlight the relevance to black medical cannabis patients - a factor that can no longer be ignored by a newly formed white medical cannabis industry.
What does this mean for black medical cannabis patients?
I think on this matter, it will take more than one voice to be heard. I am organising a podcast for the new black patients that are finally starting to follow in my footsteps and sign up for medicinal cannabis. It is absolutely awesome to finally escape isolation, and one voice is simply not enough to be heard. It has really and truly taken it's toll on me trying to highlight these issues singlehandedly. It is so easy for it to be perceived as me-me-me, when I am actually speaking up for a community. A lot of my blogs are based on conversations and are not always my personal view. But given the position I am in, I am still convinced that opening up and inviting dialogue is the way forward, or at least planting the seeds for some food for thought. The points are always so valid and I feel them to my core when they are passionately expressed in conversation (as we do !)
I've come a long way since that very first time I opened up, and I am very proud of myself for doing so with no qualms or any mincing of my words, and speaking to both sides of the damn fence. But the lone-ranger ride must come to an end, I mean helloooo patient over here fighting a mighty fight every single day as it izzzzzz!!! So it's time to finally open you up to some of these frank conversations, given its the British Medical Journal, a black ex MP, highlighting exactly what I have been so frantic about, maybe now everyone will listen and take me seriously. Maybe the industry has to stop and think 'whoops' and accept the blind eye and medical cannabis is water and oil, they simply cannot mix - The End.
So it's about that time, Im going to give the entire medical cannabis industry, a peep over that fence, it's exclusive, because anyone except me will probably have HELL and need tools of torture to extract a voice out of these folk lmao!!! But hey, they cant leave me to do it all, and it has to be done, and the word has to spread. It's not just for cannabis medicine either, its about black mental health full stop and being conditioned to suffer in silence. I love hearing peoples enthusiasm to speak up and speak out to help others to do the same. We can get the best medicine for this now, the one we already know is the best that has carried us through for as long as we know - none of this is NEW to us, only the white presence is new, and that's why the blind eye and exclusion is triggers such an absolutely 'hell no over my dead body' response which needs to be managed. As you can already see in the USA, this is especially the sensitive stance of the diaspora - the globally spread descendants of the slave trade.
The industry cannot just ignore this an sell bud to black patients and say "don't worry it's legal your good" with no sense of moral obligation to the impact on a black life. This is exactly WHY this whole things looks like it is set up EXCLUSIVELY for white patients. I get that given the privilege means that without a trigger these things don't even cross your mind, but that does not mean it's not the reality that you also live in. I though we were supposed to be equal now it's 2021 right? Well this shows that for black patients it isn't, so does this even matter or not? If it doesn't, then this is indeed exclusively for white patients then because only they can truly enjoy the benefits with no harm right? For a black patient it uproots and triggers a lifetime of historical trauma. An MP has said it now, it cant be ignored its in the BMJ and this cannabis is medical soooooo.........?????
But again, I can start to just be my own personal voice now, 'just Maz' and not 'the weight and heat of my community' and the spokesperson of 'all that radical black stuff shes always banging on about'. I've never wanted to impose any guilt or bad feeling. If I wanted to do that I could do it epic and no one could ever do it better, and I would have got much more support a lot faster lmao! Im not here for a ganja race war, Im here for an equitable, diverse, and inclusive industry where we all have fun getting well and getting money together and meds are on the NHS, this is cannabis, peace and love, rastas and hippies cmon people, lets get this right from the start and get the ugly ironed out early in the game. This is the only energy that should be encouraged, and both sides of the fence needs to act right to do it, and it needs to happen yesterday!
Im going to break them in easy with audio podcasts firsts, and then we can graduate to Zooms. Also if anyone is interested in organising direct zoom meeting to actually discuss the special needs of black patients I have an awesome working group in the making and we are here to help everyone to achieve "Maz's PLEA" as stated above! The 1st recording will be this week and I am soooooooo excited and even more relieved to finally be more than just one single tiny voice.
The podcast is called "The Smoke Break" - as we all know, all the tea and juice and heart is always spilt...during the smoke break at work!!!"
Stay tuned beautiful people, exciting times ahead!