addendum to badger cull; export of live animals; and drugs

It would seem that it's landowners of significant arable acreage, and conglomerates, in Gloucestershire and Somerset who are pushing in particular for the cull. I repeat that this is primarily a political exercise on behalf of the Government in response to huge pressure from the NFU (National Farmers' Union). I thought Lucy's response to my last posting (in Comments) was a good idea – boycotting the UK dairy industry, which allows each of us to 'vote with our feet', as they say – but am now thinking that actually we need to pressurise the 'big boys' and the NFU direct (the British dairy farmers are already having a bad time). I'd suggest a google to track down the names of people high up in the NFU, followed by a direct email or letter.

The Humane Society, along with the League Against Cruel Sports and the RSPCA, has said that it won't stop here but will take this matter to the Bern Convention's next meeting in November.

It seems it's not too late to sign this e-petition (despite the date on the form). As mm says in the Comments below the last post, Brian May's petition needs to reach 100,000 signatures if we hope for further debate; currently there are three-quarters of that (ish). PLEASE sign and let your friends know: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257

Sorry to bring you more bad news; but meantime, horrifyingly, the inhumane trade in the transport of live food animals from the UK across vast distances of Europe (no food, no water, much fear) has resumed after a successful campaign by animal groups that has lasted several years, with the first shipment from Ipswich today after a successful ban on live transport from Ramsgate. This practice is, of course, it doesn't need saying, both cruel and regressive. There's a petition here (and online petitions do carry a lot of weight, given the huge numbers of people who receive this info in cyberspace): http://action.ciwf.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=119&ea.campaign.id=16494&utm_campaign=TRA005&utm_source=Action&utm_medium=email

OK. Enough of that from me for the moment – more on other subjects soon...

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Oh except I'm interested in how the Government canvases opinion from its chosen expert advisors on scientific practice, and then completely ignores the advice, as they did in relation to the badger cull. It happened too with Prof David Nutt, who was sacked – do you remember? – in 2009 from the governmental advisory committee on drugs for saying that he didn't think  cannabis should be reclassified as a 'hard drug' (which the Government went ahead and did anyway). There are more illnesses and deaths per capita, he says, related to alcohol and tobacco (and horse-riding) than to cannabis (and other studies have shown that there are many people who find that the latter is the only pain reliever that works when in the later stages of illnesses such as cancer, or even for arthritis). OK we know that there are varieties of skunk that are not good news; and we also know certain individuals will be more susceptible than others, too – but that presumably goes for any dangerous drugs, including prescription ones – and alcohol?

There was an interesting interview with Professor Nutt on R4 the other day: he's investigating the beneficial uses of MDMA (ecstasy) and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in the treatment of depression (MDMA used to be available on prescription for that in the States) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

And I can't say that my own experiences with cannabis and magic mushrooms in the 70s and 80s seem to have done me much harm (though there again maybe that explains certain things!). The tobacco usually inhaled with the hash was more problematic...