'Brixton faces drugs policy U-turn'

[Dan U]

did anyone see the article in the mirror today about what constitutes personal amounts?

completely contradicts what the police in Brixton want to do over the next couple of months. Surely this will just cause more problems...

first few lines here - everytime i try and copy the link my explorer crashes. pesky work IT!

"DRUG dealers will be able to get away with carrying 10 wraps of heroin or 500 cannabis joints under controversial Government guidelines announced yesterday. The Home Office plans to fix the size of a "stash" that drug users will be allowed to carry for their own personal use. But Home Secretary Charles Clarke was immediately accused of letting dealers off the hook because they could deliberately carry just under the limit and escape prosecution for supplying. For heroin, crack or cocaine, the Home Office suggests an allowance of seven grams in bulk or 10 individual "wraps", in which individual portions of the drug are parcelled up in paper. Users would also be allowed to carry up to 10 ecstasy tablets; 14 grams or 10 wraps of amphetamine; 4oz or 10 lumps of cannabis resin; and 0.5 kilograms or 20 bags of loose marijuana leaf measuring 2in by 2in. "

 

[netbob]

I just checked again on the bbc story and it seems someone is trying to suggest that the centre of the drugs market is Brighton Terrace rather than the market/highstreet. I get the feeling someone is playing games with this

 

[Stobart Stopper]

Will Self has done an article on this in today's Evening Standard, but I don't know where to find the link for it.

 

[maximilian ping]

i think the authorities are trying to befuddle brixton drug users so much they have to stop taking drugs

 

[Ms T]

I just checked again on the bbc story and it seems someone is trying to suggest that the centre of the drugs market is Brighton Terrace rather than the market/highstreet. I get the feeling someone is playing games with this

Looks to me like they've just interviewed someone who happens to live there. I think you're being a bit paranoid... It could be that they got in touch through the thread though. Weren't you contacted as well?

 

[netbob]

I think you're being a bit paranoid...

Probably.

It was the just the last bit about the police refusing to comment and the suggestion earlier in this thread that someone had jumped the gun in releasing the story that made me wonder.

 

[William of Walworth]

Had a bit of an arguement with my gf about this last night. If this new policy does target the dealers then I think it's a good thing; she reckons that anyone who looks 'alternative' will get harrassed by the cops though (users rather than dealers).

I'm inclined to agree with your gf, that alternatives being targetted will be at least a danger.

I don't really have a problem with people smoking weed (don't smoke it myself) - but don't come to Brixton, help to perpetuate the local drugs economy - and all the shit that goes with it - and piss off again, it's fucking rude.

I do accept that the potential for it to be handled badly is there, but simply not doing anything about the increase in street dealing would be criminal IMO.

I agree with most of this, Haven't scored off the street in Brixton (or anywhere else) for many many years (nearly 20) and wouldn't dream of it now under any circumstances.

 

[RushcroftRoader]

Can anybody define "alternative" for me?

 

[christonabike]

I think they mean "fits a police profile of a drug user"

Basically a useless catch all term

 

[poster342002]

Re: all this "how will the police know who to arrest" stuff...

Well, standing around like a berk whilst repeating one word over and over again - namely, "skunk skunk skunk" - might be a bit of a giveaway.

 

[grosun]

I agree with most of this, Haven't scored off the street in Brixton (or anywhere else) for many many years (nearly 20) and wouldn't dream of it now under any circumstances.

Hm... whilst I agree the street dealers in Brixton are a pain in the arse, & have no objection to seeing them shifted on, and also finding peeps who come down to Brixton just to (try &) score annoying, I often percieve an implied (or perhaps deliberate) sanctimoniousness towards people who buy off street dealers, and I find it irritating. I've come across it a few times on U75, & it comes across as somewhat self-satisfied.

Plenty folk I know, including myself, have scored on the street at various points, 'cos IME it's often hard getting to know someone decent to buy off in London. Obviously scoring off someone nice, preferably in the safety of their house, and having a friendly smoke with them afterwards, as I've done in other cities, would be infinitely preferable, but for some reason the connections are just hard to make. It's not a matter of any of us being cunts or anything... maybe just not moving in the right circles.

I'm curious, would those of you who smoke weed just give up if you couldn't find a 'normal' dealer, if your only option was to go to a street dealer?

I don't/haven't, but I never score in Brixton, not out of any particular regard for fucking up the area I'm afraid, tho' it's kinda related... basically most of the dudes there are cunts who'll do their best to rip you off. I say it's related because in my experience, low-key street dealing by honest dealers in other parts of town can be fairly non-problematic & I've lived with it on my doorstep in the past & not found it troublesome. Obviously the best solution would be just to have legal shops, but the chances of that happening are minimal minimal. Grr.

 

[editor]

If you watch one of the news stations today, you might see the back of my head (and CCFC bobble hat) walking by as a chief cop does one of those 'walk to camera' things in Brixton...

 

[guinnessdrinker]

I can't believe that anybody would be having a consultative meeting where the outcome was already decided in advance. That would be wrong.

happens all the time, I'm afraid.

 

[tobyjug]

I'm curious, would those of you who smoke weed just give up if you couldn't find a 'normal' dealer, if your only option was to go to a street dealer?
.

I would suggest looking in the drugs forum in the "are you still smoking soap" thread.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

I'm curious, would those of you who smoke weed just give up if you couldn't find a 'normal' dealer, if your only option was to go to a street dealer?

Personally I would yes. Buying off a street dealer is a waste of money at best and dangerous at worst.

 

[grosun]

I would suggest looking in the drugs forum in the "are you still smoking soap" thread.

]

Er... which bit of it? I read it a while ago, & it's expanded since then, but I'm not talking about scoring soap anyway... no-one seems to offer it anyway.

<sorry everybody if this is derailing the thread btw... might be better off as a new topic... or has it already been done?>

 

[grosun]

Personally I would yes. Buying off a street dealer is a waste of money at best and dangerous at worst.

Fair enough , & true on both fronts. Sadly, people just get used to it tho'.

 

[tarannau]

Personally I would yes. Buying off a street dealer is a waste of money at best and dangerous at worst.

To be fair it wasn't always that way. Not bothered to keep up the links, but there used to be some reliable, competitively priced street dealers back in the day.

There's even a couple of guys who I know wouldn't fleece me if it comes down to it now. They've known me walking past them years and years -they even gave me a 'Christmas present' a few years back. And very nice it was too.

Not every dealer is a whistling arsehole with a one word vocabulary...

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

To be fair it wasn't always that way. Not bothered to keep up the links, but there used to be some reliable, competitively priced street dealers back in the day.

There's even a couple of guys who I know wouldn't fleece me if it comes down to it now. They've known me walking past them years and years -they even gave me a 'Christmas present' a few years back. And very nice it was too.

Not every dealer is a whistling arsehole with a one word vocabulary...

Fair enough if you've got that knowledge. Mine was a rule of thumb I'd apply anywhere, not just Brixton.

 

[christonabike]

About street dealers, it really depends on the street

If it's your street, or area, and they see you a lot, then they will be okay, mostly

In my opinion

Basically agreeing with tarannau

 

[richtea]

would you buy weed from a street dealer if you knew them to deal other drugs, ie crack/smack?

 

[William of Walworth]

Hm... whilst I agree the street dealers in Brixton are a pain in the arse, & have no objection to seeing them shifted on, and also finding peeps who come down to Brixton just to (try &) score annoying, I often percieve an implied (or perhaps deliberate) sanctimoniousness towards people who buy off street dealers, and I find it irritating. I've come across it a few times on U75, & it comes across as somewhat self-satisfied.

Plenty folk I know, including myself, have scored on the street at various points, 'cos IME it's often hard getting to know someone decent to buy off in London. Obviously scoring off someone nice, preferably in the safety of their house, and having a friendly smoke with them afterwards, as I've done in other cities, would be infinitely preferable, but for some reason the connections are just hard to make. It's not a matter of any of us being cunts or anything... maybe just not moving in the right circles.

I'm curious, would those of you who smoke weed just give up if you couldn't find a 'normal' dealer, if your only option was to go to a street dealer?

I don't/haven't, but I never score in Brixton, not out of any particular regard for fucking up the area I'm afraid, tho' it's kinda related... basically most of the dudes there are cunts who'll do their best to rip you off. I say it's related because in my experience, low-key street dealing by honest dealers in other parts of town can be fairly non-problematic & I've lived with it on my doorstep in the past & not found it troublesome. Obviously the best solution would be just to have legal shops, but the chances of that happening are minimal minimal. Grr.

Are you saying I was sanctimonious?

Not a good buzz word if you don't want to get me annoyed

But if what I said came accross like that I apologise ...

I appreciate I'm lucky in having some contacts. If I didn't, I'd talk to other friends and friends of friends to avoid having to street-score.

Brixton people with much more recent knowledge than I have, would almost certainly now advise new to town people to avoid street buying if they possibly could.

 

[William of Walworth]

But agreeing with tarannau and Monkeygrinders Organ on this also ...

 

[tarannau]

would you buy weed from a street dealer if you knew them to deal other drugs, ie crack/smack?

That's a tougher one to answer. I actually don't think the old boys I know would deal it, but I'm fairly certain some would know someone who would.

I can't say I'm comfortable with that, but it's somewhat of an inevitability in the present climate of prohibition. Making the climate even more repressive risks making these links even stronger imo - why risk selling just weed when the profit margin's much higher elsewhere? The demand's clearly there for crack and smack - and its not likely to be middle class 'drugs tourists' primarily powering that demand.

FWIW there seems to be a huge difference between some of the old guard (some of whom still believe skunk to be a bit too 'chemically') and some of the more irreverent/fucking annoying younger crew.

 

[grosun]

Are you saying I was sanctimonious?

Not a good buzz word if you don't want to get me annoyed

But if what I said came accross like that I apologise ...

I appreciate I'm lucky in having some contacts. If I didn't, I'd talk to other friends and friends of friends to avoid having to street-score.

Brixton people with much more recent knowledge than I have, would almost certainly now advise new to town people to avoid street buying if they possibly could.

Haha, no no... I tried to phrase it appropriately, 'cos I didn't find your post sanctimonious, but I've come across others in the past that have definitely seemed it.

Also, in a general way (again, not directed @ your posts or anyone's in particular), although I find it quite easy to buy into, I find the whole idea of "drug tourists" a tad sanctimonious & inverse-daily-mail ish... these "tourists" are just people who'd like a smoke & don't know where else to go in order to score.. yes, they have a negative impact on Brixton, but I should imagine that's hardly their intention, nor, I'm sure, would they go there & risk being ripped off if they had somewhere better to go. It's easy to demonise & belittle people when you lump them under an easy label.

& yeah, I guess the thing about the friends of friends thing is, a lot of the time it ends up feeling like an imposition, specially if you have to do it regularly... tho' maybe I'm just too apologetic.. dunno.

re. other people's posts on the friendly street guys front: 'tis true, I've come across quite a few who've been like that. Ended up going round one guy's house one time, hanging out with his crazy kitten, & 'specially if you live in the area & they see you regularly, some of 'em are likely to be perfectly decent, although generally not the cheapest of sources.

But like I say, the main problem is fundamentally just the illegality. If it was legal & Brixton was seen as a good place to buy it, that wouldn't be a problem; it'd just be like going to certain parts of soho to find lots of record shops or whatever.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Haha, no no... I tried to phrase it appropriately, 'cos I didn't find your post sanctimonious, but I've come across others in the past that have definitely seemed it.

Also, in a general way (again, not directed @ your posts or anyone's in particular), although I find it quite easy to buy into, I find the whole idea of "drug tourists" a tad sanctimonious & inverse-daily-mail ish... these "tourists" are just people who'd like a smoke & don't know where else to go in order to score.. yes, they have a negative impact on Brixton, but I should imagine that's hardly their intention, nor, I'm sure, would they go there & risk being ripped off if they had somewhere better to go. It's easy to demonise & belittle people when you lump them under an easy label.

I know I'm derailing a bit, but there is definitely a sort of 'supplier snobbery' among a lot of drug users. Usually it's the old 'I can get x drug cheaper than you,' and so anyone who hasn't even got a dealer is off the bottom of the scale, and can get sneered at.

I think that's bollocks personally, but I think there are also very sound reasons for not buying from a street dealer that have nothing to do with that.

 

[RushcroftRoader]

There used to be a really friendly older guy on the corner of Windrush Square who always used to nab a ciggy off me. But have not seen him recently and I wonder whether the new "skunk skunk skunk" crowd have driven him off. There seems to be less of the old guard dealers around these days.

 

[netbob]

If it's your street, or area, and they see you a lot, then they will be okay, mostly

The turn-over of people in Brixton Market got really high over the summer so you stopped recognising people.

The usual faces (who were generally ok crack users/dealers) disapeared and loads of real sketchers started comming and going. As a result people got a lot more hassle. Its mostly back to normal now though.

 

[William of Walworth]

I know I'm derailing a bit, but there is definitely a sort of 'supplier snobbery' among a lot of drug users. Usually it's the old 'I can get x drug cheaper than you,' and so anyone who hasn't even got a dealer is off the bottom of the scale, and can get sneered at.

I think that's bollocks personally, but I think there are also very sound reasons for not buying from a street dealer that have nothing to do with thay.

Excellent post, I expect I agree with grosun more than was apparant ...

 

[richtea]

Making the climate even more repressive risks making these links even stronger imo - why risk selling just weed when the profit margin's much higher elsewhere? The demand's clearly there for crack and smack - and its not likely to be middle class 'drugs tourists' primarily powering that demand.

yep, true