Colin Davies in jail again by Pete Brady (03 Jul, 2002) Manchester police re-arrest Dutch Experience founder Colin Davies (left) and Nol Van Schaik When medpot patient Colin Davies emerged from England's Strangeways Prison in May after serving six months for opening the country's first official marijuana shop, he felt like Rip Van Winkle waking from a long slumber. While Colin was locked away, enduring agony, starvation and frustration, Dutchman Nol Van Schaik and other Dutch potpeople, British medpot patients and advocates, members of the European Parliament, cannagoddess Maruska De Blauuw, and many other courageous folks were working hard to keep Colin's potshop dream alive. The Dutch Experience, founded by Davies and Van Schaik during that horrible week last September when the world changed forever, is still open, despite the "best" efforts of police in Stockport and Manchester, England. Van Schaik, De Blauuw, politicians, and at least four dozen other people have voluntarily gotten themselves arrested during the protests concerning Colin's arrest and imprisonment. De Blauuw reports visiting the local police station with her pot-toking friends, lighting joints, and giving the constables a taste of smoky green medicine. Most of those arrested have demanded jury trials. Davies says he had tears in his eyes when he was released in May, pending trial on cannabis distribution charges, and was finally able to see and hear first hand about the local, national and international efforts that kept The Dutch Experience open. He was amazed and pleased to see reports that British Home Secretary David Blunkett and Parliament are almost certain to reclassify cannabis to make it a non-arrestable "Class C" offense by mid-July. He smiled when he heard that other patients and advocates, empowered by The Dutch Experience, were creating a cannabis revolution throughout the British Isles, with "legalization" experiments successfully proposed or taking place in London, Scotland and elsewhere. And yet, somebody forgot to tell the Manchester police and prosecutors that England has terrorists and real criminals to worry about. They must have been watching Colin when he "violated" his release conditions by being in his own home in Stockport. The release conditions were handed down by the judge who released Colin in May, fearing that Colin would go right back to selling herb and hashish at The Dutch Experience. The judge had imposed home exile on Colin as a condition of release. But Colin's spinal injury medical condition caused him to visit a hospital on June 30, seeking a dose of opiate pain killers. The dose left him shaky, and he was unable to do any more than collapse in his own home. Police rousted him the next morning, and also arrested Dutchman Big Bart, formerly a contender for the Dutch National Soccer Team, for possession of marijuana. Colin was remanded into custody for breaking his bail conditions, but a judge later ruled that he could leave jail, provided he complied with the conditions of his May release. Prosecutors grinned malevolently as Colin left the courtroom, and then had him re-arrested. Some of his supporters protested, and two of them were arrested when nearly two dozen riot police descended on them like bullies always do. Now Colin Davies is sleeping in a harsh cell in the Stockport Police Station, wondering if he will spend his entire summer in prison awaiting a trial that was supposed to happen in June but is now scheduled for September. "It makes you wonder who is in charge of marijuana policy in England," commented Van Schaik, who was once dragged out of his UK hotel room in the middle of the night by KGB-imitating police agents who feared that his sticky Dutch bud might be some potent new form of superweed. "I mean, the world is on high alert about terrorists, and there are plenty of other problems that need the government's attention in England, and the government is set to loosen its cannabis policies, but the Stockport police, the prosecutors, and the judges are spending their time harassing a disabled man who has done absolutely nothing wrong. If they were more interested in helping people than in hurting them, they'd give Colin an award and let him help the government design cannabis outlets across the country and throughout Europe." - further information about Colin's plight can be found at www.wwwshop.nl or by contacting Nol Van Schaik via email at cannabinol@wwwshop.nl
High All, Please look at the folliwing link and see what has been done to a mediweed campaigner in the UK today. http://212.129.240.114/upload/showt...=&threadid=3364 And I thought we lived in a civilised country. Can I ask you all to e-mail as many people as possible and tell them whats happening in Stockport and ask them to - Contact their MPs if you live in the UK. e-mail the UK Home Secretary and Stockport police wherever you live. Do whatever else they can. Below is a rough transcript of a question asked in todays Prime Ministers Question time in the UK from a posting by Mark Gibson, LCA medical Spokesman of the LCA-UK. I turned the TV for 5 minutes this afternoon just in time to see Tony Blair being asked a question by the Scottish MP for the constituency where Biz, (CanaBiz, a MS sufferer and heroic mediweed campaigner who lives in the Orknies, Scotland), lives asking 'are you aware of the plight of my constituent, Biz Ivol, a 54 year old MS sufferer arrested for use of cannabis, which she takes medicinally? Can the Prime Minister tell us when such an obvious scandal is going to be redressed by a change in the Law?' (or words to that effect) relpy by Tony Blair 'i am aware of some situations in which cannabis can be of benefit medicinally and of course we are looking at this at the moment. When we have enough information, which we don't at the moment, we will make a decision. Meanwhile though i am sure many people feel sympathy for your constituent this has to be left in the hands of the Law enforcement agencies not the government. What a load of crap from the PM. Let's give them hell. Highest Regards, Phil L
Pressrelease. Colin Davies back to Strangeways prison after hellday in Court. Stockport/Haarlem, 3 July 2002. Colin Davies was arrested last Monday, July1, for being in his flat, for a good reason, he was just injected with a strong painkiller, that unabled him to travel to his exile destination, Todmorden. He had some cannabis about, of course, to be able to serve the 100+ people that rely on him to supply them with it, all of them suffering from serious sickness or constant pain, like himself. He was not allowed in or near his home, according to strange bailrestrictions, activated on the day of his release, May 17 2002. He was released on bail, for breaking bail, the statements of Colins parents and the doctor that injected him in the hospital, were taken into consideration by the Magistrates, who decided to release Colin on the same bail restrictions. In stead of being able to walk out a free man again, he was arrested in the Courthouse, and locked up again, this time accused with possessing cannabis in his flat. Two protesters were also arrested by the a Riotsquad, consisting of 20 Police Officers, one of them, a woman on crutches, was slammed against the wall in the proces, for standing up for her husband, who was arrested, for criminal damage, he was leaning against a policevan… The protesters and a Dutch friend of Colins, who was arrested during the raid on Colins flat on Monday, were all released after being bailed. Colin was tucked away in one of the cells of the Stockport Police Station, the GMP even told Chris Hinett, Colins solicitor, they could lock him up next to Colin, if he kept on ‘harrassing' the Police, when he protested about the second arrest for the same case. Colin asked for his doctor today, or for the doctor that treated him last Sunday, but the hospital doctor told the police that the shot from Sunday would do the job today !! Eventually, a doctor was called in from Preston, who gave Colin another shot to make him able to cope with the pain, so he could be taken to the Courtroom. Colin Davies will be remanded in Strangeways again, for the possession of cannabis. His appearance today, in Stockports Magistrates Court, was an outrageous display of misuse of power by the GMP, as they dragged Colin into the courtroom, and kicked and beat him in the accused-box. This caused an uproar in the courtroom, Colins sister and parents were in tears, and begged to release Colin, who was not able to walk by himself, and crying from pain. At least ten people witnessed how the PC's manhandled Colin, who they accuse of simulative behaviour, hard to believe from a man who's spine is broken in 5 places. The available Riotsquad was all over the courthouse, to try and maintain the order, as protesters were shouting outside the Magistrates court, demanding Colins release. One of the protesters went to the Police, to file a complaint against the way Colin was treated in the box, but he can only do so, after Colin officially filed a complaint. Coiln will be taken to Strangeways prison now, probably the hospitalward, and will return to the Stockport Court on Friday, to apply for bail again. His visit to Court will surely be accompanied by a major protest on Colins behalve, the message will be spread through all cannabis activist sites and –clubs in the UK. It is hard to believe that the UK can go about with people like Colin as they do, for cannabis, a substance that will be considered acceptable by Law soon. As the UK is switching to a more realistic and relaxed approach towards cannabis and its users, and we are just one week away from the effective declassification of cannabis, Colin is being picked on by the GMP as never before. The GMP are way out of line with the upcoming reclassification, and even more out of line in how they go about with sick suspects, especially for a non-offensive crime without any victims. The press is completely focussed on the Lambeth experiment, but they have to realise that the battle for the right to buy and smoke cannabis, is going on in Stockport, and there seem to be no rules involved. The GMP is trying to get even with a man that has dared to resist them, by making his life into a hell, just because they can't accept that the Dutch Experience, Colins initiative, is still open every day, and the activism around the place is ongoing and getting stronger. Colin Davies is the only victim in this ongoing confrontation, unless the GMP can point me another one… The UK government should call of their bloodhounds now, the hunting season for cannabisusers is about to be closed, in the entire country. Maybe Tony, the Topdog, as seen on MTV, can get in touch with them ? Nol van Schaik, 0031651852545 if you have any questions? www.dutchexperience.org www.globalhempmuseum.nl Everybody who reads this post, please forward this on to any media/political or other contact that u think can help. High Regards, Phil L
relpy by Tony Blair 'i am aware of some situations in which cannabis can be of benefit medicinally and of course we are looking at this at the moment. When we have enough information, which we don't at the moment, we will make a decision. Meanwhile though i am sure many people feel sympathy for your constituent this has to be left in the hands of the Law enforcement agencies not the government. ' - spin, spin, spin. When they have enough information!?!?!??!?!?!!??!!? what are they doing? it's really not hard to get all the real facts... heck ask biz's doctor... ask any doctor in Orkney, all the ones i've spoken to are very pro cannabis. surf the web for an hour and u can find dozens of medical reports, stay online all night and you can find enough to fill a filling cabnet! what are they really up to??? if only it were possable for tony to read my signature and understand it's meaning. do they really have they no sympathy or understanding for people in situations like Biz and Colin? this just goes to show that the authorities are determined to show their stubbornmindedness and total lack of comon sence, compassion and inteligence right up to the last minute. we are well into the 11th hour here, and still people are made to suffer.