“I believe I have the birthright to cultivate and use the cannabis plant for all its uses. I have used all the substances listed, with the possible exception of the MDMA (ecstasy), in a shamanic way.”
– Mr Free Cannabis, Taunton Crown Court September 2000
Rob, Free Cannabis, Hyde Park, Westminster, September 28 1997
On 28, September, 1997, Rob Christopher, owner of a hemp shop in Glastonbury, Somerset, who had changed his name legally to Free Cannabis, was stood among the preachers and ranters on Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park. He’d taken along a hemp plant. A few supporters stood around him, some smoking. A policeman in shirt sleeve looks on. Chances are that the copper recognised Free Cannabis. What happened next we don’t know. But we can guess.
Free Rob Cannabis, Hyde Park, Westminster, 1997,
Free Rob Cannabis, Hyde Park, Westminster, 1997,
“I have no faith in the criminal system, masquerading as the government,”said Free Cannabis in 2016. “This is a hugely beneficial plant. There were times in my life where I sought arrest – I got arrested six times between 1997 and 2001 – and went to prison three times. Now they leave me alone, mainly because I know far too much information that they’d rather keep from the public.”
Mr Cannabis had won a Glastonbury in Bloom Award back in 1998 for a display which featured the plant. “I and others come along and drop the seeds into the tubs, they get watered by nature – and the council,” he told the press. In 1998 he tried to hand a cannabis plant to the then Home Secretary Jack Straw.
Cannabis in the UK
Ask any British politician to discuss the decriminalisation of cannabis and they’ll put down their pint of gin and Calpol and talk about the harm it does. Ask them if they’ve ever had a toke and watch them baulk and bluster.
So what is the law? In 2017, the Somerset Live newspaper trailed a “pop-up event” held by Free Cannabis in Glastonbury: “There will be hash cakes and truffles (for adults), and ‘Hemp Aid’ – a CBD and THC oil blend.”
“Am I committing a crime? I don’t think so,: said Free Cannabis. “I feel I will be left alone because I’m far too eloquent – I’ve learnt a lot about the nature of law… I’ve never had any negative comeback whatsoever from holding any event. Times have changed. The world is waking up. It’s time for cannabis.”
War on Hemp
In Great Britain, long-fibred cannabis was grown as an agricultural crop. The Navy used as the material for sails and rope. During the reign of King Henry VIII, landowners with more than 60 acres of farmable land were commanded to cultivate at least one acre of hemp. Queen Elizabeth I imposed fines for non-compliance.
But things changed and by 1928 cannabis was classified as a “dangerous drug” in the UK. By 1971 cannabis was classified as a Class B drug, carrying severe penalties for those caught in possession or supply – an unlimited fine and up to 5 years in prison, while the cultivation or supply of cannabis can lead to an unlimited fine and up to 14 years in prison.
Free Rob Cannabis, Hyde Park, Westminster, 1997,
Legalise It
In 2001, Portugal became the first country in Europe to decriminalise cannabis. And more recently, countries such as Canada and Uruguay have done the same. It remains illegal in the UK, but walk done any street in the country and the chances are you will smell cannabis being smoked.
The law is flexible – individuals found in possession of a small amount of cannabis may get a warning or an on-the-spot fine if it is determined to be for personal use. But it’s vague. According to Home Office data from 2018, 15,120 individuals in England and Wales faced prosecution for cannabis possession. In 2020-21, cannabis possession constituted 63% of all drug-related offences in England and Wales.
But in November 2018, medical cannabis became available for patients in the UK. The law is strict but private clinics can prescribe medical cannabis to patients with a wider range of conditions, including chronic pain, cancer, anxiety and PTSD.
And every 20 April, Hyde Park hosts World Cannabis Day, where many people openly smoke the weed. The legal advice is delivered by the city’s Metropolitan Police Force: “The police plan is one of engagement, explanation and education around drugs and drugs misuse; with appropriate interventions as, and when, required.” Vague enough?
Also at Speakers’ Corner on September 28 2000:
Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, Westminster, 28, September, 1997
Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, Westminster, 28, September, 1997
All photos by Peter Marshall.
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