This event begins 24/07/17 and repeats every year forever
The 1960s are often described as a decade of great social change. Attitudes of society to many things changed in that decade. One item that is indicative of this change in attitude was a full page advertisement that appeared in The Times in the summer of 1967. The advertisement championed the legalisation of cannabis. It is inconceivable that such an advertisement would have been published by the newspaper in the prior decade. While still shocking to many, attitudes in the permissive sixties meant that even someone such as William Rees-Mogg, the editor of The Times felt that the readers of the esteemed newspaper could cope with such a shock.
The advertisement (The Times, July 24, 1967) was headed “The law against marijuana is immoral in principle and unworkable in practice.” As well as a large amount of text used to justify the argument, part of the advertisement contained a petition to the Home Secretary signed by many. It is that petition, together with the list of signatories, that I copy below.
The signatories to this petition suggest to the Home Secretary that he implement a five point programme of cannabis law reform:
1) THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PERMIT AND ENCOURAGE RESEARCH INTO ALL ASPECTS OF CANNABIS USE, INCLUDING ITS MEDICAL APPLICATIONS.
2) ALLOWING THE SMOKING OF CANNABIS ON PRIVATE PREMISES SHOULD NO LONGER CONSTITUTE AN OFFENCE.
3) CANNABIS SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE DANGEROUS DRUGS LIST AND CONTROLLED,RATHER THAN PROHIBITED, BY A NEW AD HOC INSTRUMENT.
4) POSSESSION OF CANNABIS SHOULD EITHER BE LEGALLY PERMITTED OR AT MOST BE CONSIDERED A MISDEMEANOUR, PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF NOT MORE THAN £10 FOR ANY FIRST OFFENCE AND NOT MORE THAN £25 FOR ANY SUBSEQUENT OFFENCE.
5) ALL PERSONS NOW IMPRISONED FOR POSSESSION OF CANNABIS OR FOR ALLOWING CANNABIS TO BE SMOKED ON PRIVATE PREMISES SHOULD HAVE THEIR SENTENCES COMMUTED.
