Beautiful moments in Mayow park

[Paddy Pantsdown]

Yeeeh maan, but tobacco smoke smells worse and is even more lethal. No wonder people are confused about the law and politicians.

PP

[Greg Whitehead]

There was a piece on Radio4 recently whereby a man had been arrested for smoking in a pub, I cannot remember where exactly but it was some Godforsaken place north of the river, might have been Acton. Anyway, he was smoking a spliff but thought it was OK as it was a spliff and not a cigarette. Even more bizarre was that it was for the tobacco content of the spliff and not the cannabis that he was arrested

It is a crazy world in which we live.

[coll]

Dope Smoking Dad seems to have become a fixture in the park. I see him on Mayow Road walking with his dog running around, no lead, no poo bags. In the park he's all smiles - most likely due to the pot. I avoid him now as I feel the same reaction towards him, bubbling up in me, that I feel when I see pregnant teenagers smoking!
I'm far from middle class, and hate the classicism engrained in this country, but I sure feel like a middle class snob walking around Sydenham sometimes!

[bensonby]

drug-taking has nothing to do with class....


What sort of times is he about? I can't say I've ever seen him.

[coll]

He can usually be seen around school pick-up times.

[ALIB]

Probably nought to do with class.

On one hand you could say; Caring dad with loving dog, educating his children with family values. The great outdoors etc etc.

On the other, (with some assumptions based on previous postings), you could say; unemployed single parent, spending his social money on illegal drugs and being complicit in not controlling his dog. Another burden on society in both the financial and social sense. The electric chair was made for people like this.

Whatever this guys faults are, they are clearly notof his own making. The social services should offer some councelling/education, else there is nothing a beating with a big bit of wood would not cure.

Ali B

[bensonby]

Whatever this guys faults are, they are clearly notof his own making.

I'm sorry, I don't buy that. People still make choices, no matter how deprived/ill educated or whatever they are. There are plenty of people that have deprived backgrounds and so on that make something of themselves, don't commit crime and get off their own backside to help themselves.

That's not to say that it isn't more tempting or easier to fall into a life of iniquity because of poor personal circumstances. And we should certainly provide support and help to people that are part of this social malaise. However, this has to be "help them help themselves" otherwise it wil justify dependency and deny them agency. If we adopt a culture of "no blame" then we merely give them excuses and erffectively justify criminality.

[Gaz]

I looked at him and said to him "don't confuse the the term decriminalised with legalised"...he genuninely loooked shocked to learn it wasn't legal. And I don't think it was the longish words going around his drug-addled brain, I genuinely think people believe that Cannabis is acceptable...

Whilst I know that cannabis hasn't been legalised (and I'm not even sure if it is decriminalised anymore - wasn't this trialled in Brixton but then stopped?) - what does decriminalisation actually mean?

I seem to remember (through the haze... ) that it was ok to use such a drug, but that it was illegal to possess or sell it - is that right??

[bensonby]

I looked at him and said to him "don't confuse the the term decriminalised with legalised"...he genuninely loooked shocked to learn it wasn't legal. And I don't think it was the longish words going around his drug-addled brain, I genuinely think people believe that Cannabis is acceptable...

Whilst I know that cannabis hasn't been legalised (and I'm not even sure if it is decriminalised anymore - wasn't this trialled in Brixton but then stopped?) - what does decriminalisation actually mean?

I seem to remember (through the haze... ) that it was ok to use such a drug, but that it was illegal to possess or sell it - is that right??

It was never decriminalised - it was reclassified (in 1999?) (meaning that the penalties for possession were reduced) but it still remained a controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The Met, specifically Lambeth, trialled a "no arrest policy" and, broadly, that still exists. Sort of.

The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 did away with teh distinction of "arrestable" and "non-arrestable" offences, meaning that, provided certain criteria are met, someone can be arrseted for any offence...no matter how trivial or how serious.

Policy currently stands that for a first offence then an official warning can be given on the street. the offender is made to sign a "Cannabis Warning Form" and is told not to be naughty and lead on their way (without the cannabis - its taken away and destroyed). If they are repeat offenders, or if for other reasons they are ineligable to receive a form (eg. if they are suspected of supplying, their name and address cannot be established or they are under 18 ) then they will most probably be arrested and it will be dealt with like any other crime....

[Ronski]

reminds me of this youtube clip, American cop was confiscating drugs & decided to make brownies out of them, he then had to call 911

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnZb5wi_jsU&

[Greg Whitehead]

To be honest, decriminalised/reclassified/legalised...

It's all a bit hazy, a bit cloudy even and I never even touch the stuff!

Imagine how confusing it is for my mate at the Radiohead concert and Dope Smoking Dad in their constantly addled states.

[bensonby]

it's not confusing at all Greg. the simple advice is:

Don't do drugs!

[Gaz]

it's not confusing at all Greg. the simple advice is:

Don't do drugs!

That's a bit of an oversimplification, m'kay!

It is all a bit hypocritical IMO (when compared with legal substances like alcohol and caffiene) - I would like to know why cannabis is illegal in the UK but legal in Australia.

[bensonby]

it's not confusing at all Greg. the simple advice is:

Don't do drugs!

That's a bit of an oversimplification, m'kay!
.

not really, seeing as one is illegal and once isn't.

I could go into the intricate arguments for and against the benefits of legalising various drugs, but at the end of the day the status quo should be adhered to until, or if, such a time as it changes...

Therefore the advice stands...if you odn't do [illegal] drugs then you won't get in trouble.

[coll]

To bring it back to Dope Smoking Dad and not the issue of decriminalization, the man was holding, what I gather was, his child and smoking dope. I’m a very liberal person and understand many, many things about race, class and gender. However, the man was smoking dope and holding his child. I really do find something wrong with that.

It’s sad thinking about the implications for the child by exposure to it, but also by what this adult is telling him about the world – don’t clean up after yourself, or your dog and enjoy a spliff now and then. Is this child going to be armed with the best tools possible to help him reach his potential, or will he simply repeat the cycle the supervising adult has taught him?

[Gaz]

It’s sad thinking about the implications for the child by exposure to it, but also by what this adult is telling him about the world – don’t clean up after yourself, or your dog and enjoy a spliff now and then. Is this child going to be armed with the best tools possible to help him reach his potential, or will he simply repeat the cycle the supervising adult has taught him?

In all seriousness, I blame the parents of this Dope Smoking Dad.

Those born in the late 50s and 60s were given the freedoms denied to their parents (who had to survive the war and effects of rationalisation). This led to a sense of hedonism, lack of consideration for others and materialism - which ramped up a gear in the 80s and is now reflected in (some of) these young dads.

In short, society can keep telling people that something is wrong (through education) but if the family unit isn't morally strong then the cycle will just keep repeating. The answer? How's about we sterilise everyone at birth and they must apply for a license to have kids?!

[Greg Whitehead]

To bring it back to Dope Smoking Dad and not the issue of decriminalization, the man was holding, what I gather was, his child and smoking dope. I’m a very liberal person and understand many, many things about race, class and gender. However, the man was smoking dope and holding his child. I really do find something wrong with that.

It’s sad thinking about the implications for the child by exposure to it, but also by what this adult is telling him about the world – don’t clean up after yourself, or your dog and enjoy a spliff now and then. Is this child going to be armed with the best tools possible to help him reach his potential, or will he simply repeat the cycle the supervising adult has taught him?

Hear! Hear! The reason I raised the point of lack of clarity on what the legal standpoint regarding dope is that if I am confused what chance to potheads have? Their addled brains normally struggle with the choice between penguins instead of buttered bread or instead of cheesy wotists! How are they to know if it's legal/reclassified/decriminalised if even we struggle?

Despite this I agree that the child is up against it to turn out less of a druggie sponge than the old man. The cycle will certainly be very hard to break if that's the yardstick. After all Phenotype = Genotype + Environment.

Like begets like - yadeeyadeeya...

As I've stated before perhaps the 'Donor' (hard to call him a Father really) is exercising his steadfast belief in Keynesian macroeconomics by tossing his litter?

[Nickerbockers]

I reckon DSD is the same guy I saw in Crystal Palace Park, my he gets around doesn't he!? And always smoking Dope when sighted... he must live in a world of his own!