The Bristol Cannabis Club has been running for just over a year
YOU just have to take a stroll through Castle Park on a
Friday afternoon to pick up the scent. An aroma which is so familiar in
Bristol, many barely notice it any more among the exhaust fumes and constant stream of exotic food stands.
It's no secret that cannabis use in Bristol is widespread. So widespread in fact, there is a club dedicated to it. But Bristol Cannabis Club is about more than just meeting up to get 'high' together.
The BCC is just one of dozens of clubs around the country who are attempting to educate about the drug's medical uses, as well as joining the wider fight to see it legalised in the UK. Of course, there is some recreational cannabis use at BCC too, and for that reason, the club keep their meetings private.
"We don't advertise where we will be meeting," says 49-year-old Jo Martin. "People who are genuinely interested in coming along can sign up to our website and enquire."
Jo, one of the founding members of the BCC, spoke to the Bristol Post ahead of the club's second picnic social of the year, which around 70 people went to.
"Anywhere between 20 to 100 people come to our meetings. Some come along because they are curious and want to find out more about cannabis, others come to socialise and some do come and use cannabis recreationally", she said.
"There are a lot of users in Bristol, and to some extent in parts of the city like Stokes Croft and St Paul's, it is very much the culture that cannabis is used quite openly.
"But then at the same time, you have high-profile ongoing operations by police in the area targeting the growth and production of cannabis. It sends mixed messages to people."
For Jo, smoking cannabis started when she was a teenager and would use the plant for recreational use. But it has since taken on a whole new meaning for her when she was diagnosed with an illness which leaves her in constant pain.
"I was open with my doctor about my cannabis use," she said. "I researched and began using medical marijuana and have never looked back. I'd like to see it legalised, there is plenty of research to support its use and opinions are slowly starting to change."
Of course, Jo acknowledges the danger of using the drug, but argues there are similar dangers associated with alcohol.
"I have seen far worse effects from the use of alcohol than I ever have from cannabis", Jo, who lives just outside of the city, claims.
"The danger with cannabis comes because it is currently illegal, it means it is harder to produce and there is no licensing system. When things are produced illegally and sold on the black market, that is when it gets dangerous as there is no one to oversee its production.
"People are becoming more and more vocal with their views on cannabis, and there is a strong community in Bristol. We want to continue to help educate, and we are open to anyone who is curious."
Jo and members of the BCC are backing nationwide petition to legalise the Class B drug, which has received more than 200,000 signatures.
The Government has been forced to respond to the calls for legalisation, but said it has no plans to reconisder cannabis's current position.
In response to the petition, which was hosted on the government's official e-petitions website, it said: "Substantial scientific evidence shows cannabis is a harmful drug that can damage human health. There are no plans to legalise cannabis as it would not address the harm to individuals and communities."
It added that legalisation would "send the wrong message to the vast majority of people who do not take drugs, especially young and vulnerable people."
However, the petition now has more than double the amount of signatures it needs to be debated by the Prime Minster and MPs in Parliament.
It's no secret that cannabis use in Bristol is widespread. So widespread in fact, there is a club dedicated to it. But Bristol Cannabis Club is about more than just meeting up to get 'high' together.
The BCC is just one of dozens of clubs around the country who are attempting to educate about the drug's medical uses, as well as joining the wider fight to see it legalised in the UK. Of course, there is some recreational cannabis use at BCC too, and for that reason, the club keep their meetings private.
"We don't advertise where we will be meeting," says 49-year-old Jo Martin. "People who are genuinely interested in coming along can sign up to our website and enquire."
Jo, one of the founding members of the BCC, spoke to the Bristol Post ahead of the club's second picnic social of the year, which around 70 people went to.
"Anywhere between 20 to 100 people come to our meetings. Some come along because they are curious and want to find out more about cannabis, others come to socialise and some do come and use cannabis recreationally", she said.
"There are a lot of users in Bristol, and to some extent in parts of the city like Stokes Croft and St Paul's, it is very much the culture that cannabis is used quite openly.
"But then at the same time, you have high-profile ongoing operations by police in the area targeting the growth and production of cannabis. It sends mixed messages to people."
For Jo, smoking cannabis started when she was a teenager and would use the plant for recreational use. But it has since taken on a whole new meaning for her when she was diagnosed with an illness which leaves her in constant pain.
"I was open with my doctor about my cannabis use," she said. "I researched and began using medical marijuana and have never looked back. I'd like to see it legalised, there is plenty of research to support its use and opinions are slowly starting to change."
Of course, Jo acknowledges the danger of using the drug, but argues there are similar dangers associated with alcohol.
"I have seen far worse effects from the use of alcohol than I ever have from cannabis", Jo, who lives just outside of the city, claims.
"The danger with cannabis comes because it is currently illegal, it means it is harder to produce and there is no licensing system. When things are produced illegally and sold on the black market, that is when it gets dangerous as there is no one to oversee its production.
"People are becoming more and more vocal with their views on cannabis, and there is a strong community in Bristol. We want to continue to help educate, and we are open to anyone who is curious."
Jo and members of the BCC are backing nationwide petition to legalise the Class B drug, which has received more than 200,000 signatures.
The Government has been forced to respond to the calls for legalisation, but said it has no plans to reconisder cannabis's current position.
In response to the petition, which was hosted on the government's official e-petitions website, it said: "Substantial scientific evidence shows cannabis is a harmful drug that can damage human health. There are no plans to legalise cannabis as it would not address the harm to individuals and communities."
It added that legalisation would "send the wrong message to the vast majority of people who do not take drugs, especially young and vulnerable people."
However, the petition now has more than double the amount of signatures it needs to be debated by the Prime Minster and MPs in Parliament.
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