A FORMER Amy medic who saw a close friend die in his arms has been given a chance to avoid a prison sentence for growing cannabis at his Bradford flat.

Nathan Dixon served in Afghanistan and Iraq during an Army career lasting more than six years, but the 30-year-old left the service in 2010 and his barrister said he appeared to have "suffered in silence" with what he had experienced.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that father-of-one Dixon's marriage had subsequently broken down and he started using cannabis.

Scotland must start the debate on decriminalising drugs, say MSPs, government advisers and campaigners

SCOTLAND must start the debate on decriminalising drugs, campaigners, MSPs and former government advisers have said.

The call follows an announcement by the Irish government that it plans a “radical culture shift” which will see possession of drugs decriminalised in ordered to focus on offering helping to addicts and users rather than punishing them with criminal convictions and prison.

As the call came, the Scottish Government also told the Sunday Herald that it was reaffirming its wish for Holyrood to take responsibility over drug laws, which are currently reserved to Westminster.

WHEN police raided the house of a Swansea man he told them he was "only dealing a bit of weed", a court has heard.

Officers searched Tyler Sangha's home on the evening September 23 and found 42 grams of the Class B drug, along with £970 in cash and drug-dealing paraphernalia.

Court heard that while police were at his house in Waunarlwydd "a number of people who identified themselves as drug users attended the premises".

When he was arrested he said to the officers "come on boys, I'm only selling a bit of weed".

Sangha, of Cwm Clyd, had previously pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Yet another cannabis petition amongst hundreds of similar pleas was filed earlier this autumn.  This one though is more tightly focused on removing cannabis from schedule 1, which defines it as having no medicinal value.  The petition is also commendably concise but characterises itself as a ‘demand‘ that cannabis be rescheduled, an unfortunate choice of words.

Run by the university’s pioneering policy engagement arm Policy@Manchester, Policy Week 2015 played focus on Science, Technology and Public Policy. The event, held from November 2nd – 6th, encompassed five days of lectures and panel discussions from big names in public policy and academia.

The event programme was held as part of Manchester’s role as European City of Science 2016, which recognises Manchester’s contribution to scientific discovery, innovation and industry.  Over 30 discussions, lectures, workshops, and films were held throughout the week at the Manchester Museum and other venues across campus and the city.

Why do we need to decriminalise cannabis to recognise its medicinal qualities?

That’s the question posed by the Health and Social Care Minister who’s responded after the issue sparked a debate in the House of Keys.

Qualified chemist, and Speaker of the House, Steve Rodan agrees – he says self-medicating is unwise, but it makes sense to extract benefit from the drug.

Drugs with cannabinoid ingredients are already available on prescription – Howard Quayle says his stance is clear:

A Rugby man who turned an empty flat into a drugs factory has had his Appeal Court challenge to his prison term kicked out by top judges.

Malkesh Lad, 28, was caught out after police raided a flat in Biart Place and found it had been converted for growing cannabis last December.

Although he claimed it was his home, police said the flat appeared to have no function other than to produce drugs.

Lad pleaded guilty to cannabis production and was jailed for two years at Warwick Crown Court in August.

He appealed, but was told by top judges that the sentence was richly deserved.

Annual drug seizures across England and Wales have fallen dramatically to the lowest number in almost a decade, official figures show.

There were 167,059 seizures by police and Border Force staff across the two countries in 2014/2015, down from 194,346 in 2013/14.

The 14% drop reflects the largest year-on-year fall since 2006/07, when comparable records began.

Drug offences also fell by 14% in 2014/15 against the previous year, the Home Office figures reveal.

Policing Minister Mike Penning said drugs seizures by Border Force officials had gone up by 71% since 2011/12, stopping dangerous drugs from entering the UK and harming communities.