Hello Grass City! I'm writing to tell you about my new Facebook page - The Cannabis Charter - www.facebook.com/thecannacharter Here are some reasons why, and I want to develop this further to publish on the page over the next couple of days too, please let me know what you think and follow! 1. I read about people in so many countries daily who are free to use cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes meanwhile here I'm reading about people being criminalised. Last week in Yorkshire local politicians, police and their media band wagon were saying they want to crack down and reinforce the war on drugs. I don't think they are doing the right thing or representing the bigger picture. There is something rather odd and unjust about people here having their lives ruined when meanwhile even colleges and universities in the states are introducing cannabis modules people can earn points on their degree with. I don't want to randomly complain and get frustrated about not having a voice, I've filled in a petition and it isn't going anywhere so a social media page is my chosen outlet. 2. Companies like 'Cards for Humanity' have been lobbying for legalisation in Illinois, they contributed $70,000 to campaigning over the last few weeks. Netflix recently launched strains of their own branded products for people to smoke or eat recreationally. I want to be a part of a culture, and a world where companies to do these kind of things. My values are all about progressive change. If I had a company that is what I would want to do, these are the types of company and people I want to work with, socially conservative, prescribed rigid rules don't work for me. 3. I see celebrities like Olivia Newton John positioning as a champion for Cannabis legalisation in Australia in todays news, George Takei and many other respected people are voicing their opinion. Many, many everyday people, from old people to children have started openly speaking up and publicly backing change and I want to do it too. I see a world on social media where people are freer. I want to highlight role model's stories. I'd like to see more British celebrities doing the same and it intrigues me to understand what the mechanisms are that stop people doing it here. I don't like whatever it is and don't want my future children and family to be a part of that. I think many British people are frightened to even like or follow things on social media they believe in because of a fear culture that is toxic. 4. I take anti-depressants and have done for a while, I don't really like them, they help but they are chemicals and I can feel the side effects. I have tried cannabis and find it better. I read about a fairly large scale trial on George Takei's Facebook page through ATTN where they saw a 72% reduction in anti-anxiety and more than 38% reduction in anti-depressant use when people exchanged for 100% organic cannabis products. (Journal of Pharmacology, 2017). This week Forbes posted an article 'Nearly half of people who use Cannabidiol products stop taking traditional medicines'. I don't want people to have to look over their shoulder, to self incriminate and to have to break the law when they are actually just trying to self medicate or to use something that is far less damaging to health and society than alcohol. Yesterday in the Daily Mirror a doctor said the UK is way behind the rest of the world and legislation is restricting research, doctors and people in the health industry. 5. It appears that many British newspapers, small and large haven't been publishing the truth and are cherry picking science and statistics, there seems to be an authoritarian bias led by the CPS and certain police forces and commissioners. I disagree with that. There are very large media companies online like ATTN, and ThisNow with multi-millions of followers, they are producing videos and articles that represent what I see as a fairer more balanced view that allows people to make up their own minds. These social media channels don't reach many older demographics in the UK so the responsibility lies with existing outlets to catch up with more modern thinking. I think people should be given up to date information and freedom of choice to decide if they want to use it recreationally or medicinally. 6. I've been watching the growth of the decentralised cannabis industry in the US, it's creating local businesses for people with a trickle down effect for communities and not all draining into the banks of pharmaceutical companies. I see that as a sustainable model we should adapt so want to highlight examples of the cannabis entrepreneurs and companies who are becoming successful. I don't want to see the same happen here with cannabis as it did with renewable energy where only large companies benefit when so many jobs could have been created but weren't. I want huge tax benefits to be put back into communities like they are in some US states. 7. I'm reading about tech and micro agriculture companies who are raising innovation seed funding worth millions, they are creating everything from salesforce type organisational models through to irrigation and production systems. I don't want to see the UK miss the innovation opportunities because Israel and the US have had years head start as we remain tied up in legislation. I think that bureaucracy is bad for business and we can't afford to allow it to go by. Taking the electric car industry as an example; Tesla have quickly become the highest worth car manufacturer in the world, VW already produce more than 20 models but we have seen hardly any benefit in this country. Electric bicycles and motor scooters are the same, lots of things we are behind. For some odd reason we still have a problem with uptake on disruptive innovation and I don't think we can't afford to be in that position, we should be taking the opportunities not leaving them too late.