Last Week In Weed Issue 56
Published April 24th 2023
In this week’s issue of Last Week In Weed. We’ll look at the UK’s first debate on the ‘Economic Contribution of Medicinal Cannabis’. Singapore to execute a citizen accused of trafficking 1kg of cannabis, and finally, the absurd propagandising of a young man’s death by a coroner in Liverpool.
UK holds first debate on the ‘Economic Contribution of Medicinal Cannabis'
Last week on April 20th, hundreds of thousands of cannabis enthusiasts smoked out in parks and green spaces across the UK. They gathered en mass to celebrate cannabis culture and lend their support to the call to end the abject failure that is cannabis prohibition.
While consumers enjoyed a taste of freedom, well less the arrests made by the corrupt MET police at Hyde Park, the UK Parliament held its first-ever debate on the ‘Economic Contribution Benefits of Medicinal Cannabis’. However, it quickly became clear that this was a debate about how to expand access to cannabis-based medicines such as Sativex, Nabilone and Epidiolex and the market share of the companies responsible for their development.
Although the debate led by the former Secretary of State for Scotland and current Conservative MP David Mundell was initially billed as a ‘significant step forward’ it was ultimately poorly attended by his Parliamentary colleagues with just 6 MPs bothering to turn up.
Speaking to a small handful of participants including the Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care Will Quince. The debate chair David Mundell opened the discussion by stating that “this slot on a Thursday afternoon is a challenge for many Members to attend because they have constituency commitments, but I am confident that we will have a good-quality debate”.
The Tory MP stated that an estimated 17,000 UK citizens had been prescribed the patented cannabis-based pharmaceutical medications Sativex, Nabilone and Epidiolex before going on to say that “for all its successes, the industry could be so much more”.
This statement has left me rather confused as it was revealed in January 2023 by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) that the NHS authorised the prescribing of an estimated 12,000 ‘cannabis-based licensed medicines’ between November 2018-October 2022. Interestingly he doesn’t mention the estimated 90,000 private for-profit unlicensed medication prescriptions for raw flowers and oils since the law change in 2018.
The MP, who was once caught liking a ‘tweet about oral sex’, then went on to make some rather anti-cannabis culture/pro-business comments including the following.
“This is a legitimate industry and an industry of the future. Its products do not come from humid, tinfoil-draped sheds or sunlamp-lit lofts; they come from laboratories and facilities that are as controlled an environment as those that synthesise a vaccine, for example. I know that to be the case, having seen at first-hand such facilities being developed in my own constituency.”
If I were being generous I would say that the ‘honourable members’ comments are just an ignorant oversight. However, having read through the ‘Hansard Record’, the official parliamentary record of MP debates and discussions, I cannot help but feel this is a flagrant lie and deliberate misrepresentation of the situation.
So unfortunately much like the recent APPG for Industrial Hemp & CBD Products, this debate isn’t about widening consumer access or developing a robust domestic cannabis industry in the UK. It's another corrupt pay-to-play pro-business propaganda vessel designed to further the hegemony, power, and fiscal interests of ‘big pharma’ and the investors in the ‘Medicinal Cannabis Industrial Complex’.
Responding to the debate and speaking for the UK government Will Quine MP stated that;
“There are clinical concerns about the limited evidence about the safety and efficacy of the unlicensed cannabis-based products. Only in a few conditions have enough clinical trials been done to prove scientifically that the drug is safe and effective.”
“However, and I want to labour this point, progress is being made. The government has done all it can to remove legislative barriers, but it is now largely up to the cannabis industry to prove that its products are safe and effective.”
The regurgitation of the party line is the government once again dismissing its responsibility to acknowledge and enforce our inalienable basic human rights. In my opinion, this is further evidence of an ongoing conspiracy and convergence of interests between neo-liberal politicians and vulture capitalists to profiteer from the implementation of prohibition 2.0 policies in the UK.
Singapore To Execute Citizen Accused of Trafficking 1kg of Cannabis
The second story that we’ll cover this week comes from the Asian nation of Singapore. Where last week the family of a convicted cannabis trafficker Singaporean national Tangaraju Suppiah were informed by letter that the 46-year-old would be executed by hanging this week.
"The last execution carried out in Singapore was in October 2022. Death row prisoners, their family members and abolitionists have been holding our breath for the past six months, terrified of when the killing spree will begin again. We will fight for Tangaraju till the end." - Kokila Annamalai, Transformative Justice Collective
Tangaraju Suppiah became known to authorities after being detained for drug-related offences and required to pass regular drug tests. Unfortunately, after Tangaraju missed one of these appointments he was re-arrested in March 2014. While being detained police later connected him to a group of arrested cannabis traffickers via confiscated mobile phones.
Police believed Tangaraju Suppiah to be the owner of the numbers and the intended recipient of the smuggled cannabis and were subsequently charged with "abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic” 1017.9 grams or 25.9 ounces of cannabis. Twice the minimum amount that triggers the automatic death penalty in Singapore
Tangaraju Suppiah Image courtesy of The Independant
During his 2017 trial and upon first hearing the charges levied against him Tangaraju Suppiah told the judge “I do not know about this. I am not involved in this thing”. He said that he lost his phone in August 2013 and that it must have been used by someone else to arrange the illicit import. However, the court found him guilty in late 2018 and sentenced him to state-sanctioned murder by hanging him by the neck. A fate far worse than any potential negative effects the consumption of cannabis could have on an individual or wider society.
A later court of appeal trial reviewed the case and upheld the original sentence of execution by hanging. There have been claims that an appropriate interpreter and legal counsel weren’t provided during interrogation, important information wasn’t disclosed during the trial, and he didn’t have adequate legal counsel during his rejected appeal
“The family is looking for a lawyer who will defend his innocence. He still maintains his innocence and the family believes him. He is also appealing for some of the evidence that was not disclosed to him – like certain call records, statements and he wants that evidence to be disclosed to him.” - Kokila Annamalai, Transformative Justice Collectiv
This week’s execution of Tangaraju Suppiah will be the first government assassination of the year having already killed 11 suspected drug traffickers last year. In 2022 the Singapore government murdered a mentally disabled Malaysian man for smuggling 42 grams of heroin into the country. In recent years there have been calls to ban the death penalty in Singapore from Amnesty International.
It disgusts and enrages me that in the 21st century, there are still governments murdering their citizens for what are ultimately low-level drug-related offences. While there may be placatory legislative changes, limited licensed access, and some progress in regions around the world. The execution of Tangaraju Suppia should serve as a brutal reminder to everyone in the cannabis community that we are not free and cannot ever be until we are all free.
Coroner’s Absurd Propagandising of Young Man’s Tragic Death
The final story in this week’s issue of Last Week In Weed comes from Liverpool, UK. Last week the inquest into the tragic death of a 27-year-old man came back with an unbelievably ignorant, unscientific, and illogical ruling from a Rochdale coroner.
The young man, who I shall not name to respect his and his family’s privacy, fell ill suddenly after a Friday night consuming alcohol with friends last October. After arriving home from drinking he began feeling sick and started vomiting before later going to bed.
Over the next few days, the man remained in bed, continued to throw up, and complained to his mother that he still felt hungover following the Friday night session. The man’s mother became so concerned over the weekend that she phoned paramedics to attend on multiple occasions, but after checking him over they assured her that her son was just ‘hungover.’
On the following Tuesday morning, the man asked his mother for some ‘pop’ from the shop. When she arrived back 20 minutes later the man was “cold” and unresponsive. He was then immediately rushed to a local hospital where unfortunately the man was pronounced dead later that day. Given the circumstances of the death, a postmortem and inquest were ordered to be conducted.
The man’s mother paid tribute to her son at the inquest by saying her son was “Loved by everybody and always put others before himself. He was a kind and loving person. He had quite a few close friends and was loved by everybody who knew him."
The postmortem examination was conducted by consultant histopathologist Abdul Ganjifrockwala. A branch of the medical profession tree still lacking in vital and basic education about cannabis, cannabinoids, and the human endocannabinoid system and hub – especially in the NHS.
Speaking at the inquest on April 13th the consultant concluded that “there had been a heart attack and that the only possible explanation was cannabis use.” and that “this would have begun between 12 and 24 hours before his death.”
The Coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded her investigation by stating that “I am satisfied following all investigations that there is no other reason to explain why such a young person has had an acute myocardial infarction. I find it must be due to chronic cannabis use.” The coroner went on to rule it to be a ‘drug-related death’ before confidently proclaiming that “Cannabis use is not safe.”
These hyperbole and grossly ignorant comments are delusional, diabolical, and dangerous. They represent the internal prejudice and stigma of the so-called ‘medical professionals’ responsible for the inquest and not scientific fact or the culmination of decades of research and knowledge.
Let me break down the inquest’s ruling and prove that its conclusions are not based on medical or scientific knowledge. During the inquest, it was noted that the man had previously been admitted to the hospital twice in 2022 with a suspected but seemingly unconfirmed case of ‘Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome’ (CHS).
While little is known about this condition first documented in a tiny cohort of individuals (<20) in a 2004 Australian paper. 'CHS’ is an exceptionally rare and little-known health condition theorised to affect a minuscule amount of cannabis consumers and is believed to be a result of ‘excessive’ cannabis consumption. Although excessive isn’t defined.
It is characterised by a persistently painful abdominal area and periods of cynical vomiting (hyperemesis). Individuals suspected of having ‘CHS’ have found that taking hot showers/baths can temporarily alleviate the symptoms and that ceasing to consume cannabis will stop the condition altogether.
Individuals that still suffer from hyperemesis after ceasing to consume cannabis are then typically diagnosed as suffering from a near identical condition potentially caused by a multitude of genetic and environmental factors known as ‘Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome’ (CVS).
One thing we know for sure about ‘Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome’ (CHS) is that although, rare, atypical cases can potentially be fatal if continuously medically mismanaged or misdiagnosed. The potential fatality of the condition comes from the dehydration of the sufferer leading to complications including kidney failure and electrolyte issues.
‘CHS’ and cannabis consumption, in general, have never been associated or linked to cardiac issues especially causing heart attacks, myocarditis, and pericarditis in young people. The man had also been consuming cannabis since he was 11 years old without any medical complications or previous instances of hyperemesis - making the coroners and consultants ruling unlikely. So if the man’s death wasn’t caused by his cannabis consumption or ‘CHS’ what caused it?
Well, there are a few potential options here. The man first complained of experiencing cyclical sickness last year with him being admitted to the hospital twice. As mentioned above medical professionals may have misdiagnosed him with ‘CHS’ when he may have suffered with ‘CVS’.
The man may also have become ill after consuming some ‘contaminated cannabis’ as unfortunately, some large international criminal organisations are deliberately contaminating cannabis. They have been observed spraying synthetic terpenes and cannabinoids such as Delta 8 THC, HHC, and THCP on poor-quality cannabis crops. These large-scale cash croppers are also still using dangerous ornamental plant additives, PGR-containing nutrients, toxic pesticides, and petrochemical fertilizers to increase yields, density, and ‘bag appeal’. All of which could potentially be toxic and lead to negative health consequences over time.
This theory is akin to the growing evidence base that Glycophytes used in commercial food production are linked to gluten intolerance, IBS, and various forms of cancer. In conjunction with an undiagnosed cardiac issue such as a genetic heart defect or abnormality, acute lymphocytic myocarditis, or other unknown lifestyle-related factors this illness could have hastened his death.
Another option to consider here is ‘Long Covid’ an illness that affects some individuals after contracting the Covid-19 virus. After all ‘Long Covid’ has secondary symptoms that include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
There is one final thing to look at here, although I am aware of how controversial it may sound, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it here. While we do not know the Covid vaccine status of the dead man. We do know the UK government now openly acknowledges that the Covid-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca may cause myocarditis and pericarditis in some users.
As reported on the Gov.uk website there have been nearly 1,000 confirmed cases of vaccine-induced myocarditis and pericarditis. However, given the contentious nature and poor reporting of this issue, it is believed that the total number may be much higher.
The final point I would like to make here is about the coroner and consultant using this man’s tragic and untimely death to perpetuate their own prejudices and personal opinions. UK coroners do not proclaim alcohol use unsafe after the thousands of annual deaths directly caused by its consumption, nor should they.
Alcohol is a physiological and neurological toxin co-morbid in countless cancers, liver disease, heart disease, and many more potentially life-shortening conditions. Yet adults are given the option to consume it and consciously harm their health if they wish. Shouldn’t the same be true of other drugs that have been shown to do far less harm to the individual and society? Safety is after all just an illusion.
I find it unbelievable that these individuals are allowed to make such outrageous and unscientific statements unchallenged and without consequence. Cannabis has never been proven to have killed anyone in the entirety of human history regardless of how much one consumes and believe me some of us have tried!
So ask yourself what is more likely, that this is the first case ever of ‘chronic cannabis use’ causing myocarditis infarction or that this young man’s death is the result of medical negligence and possibly caused by complications of the Corona Virus vaccine?
Written By Simpa For The Simpa Life
