Niall’s virtual diary archives – November 1999

Wednesday 3rd November 1999: 5.55am. Yup, been up working on the final year project again. There's yet more stuff in its section. I also got U/COS II ported to it, and it multitasks beautifully if I do say so myself - even if only within an emulator yet. I'm ordering some cheap test hardware next week, then we'll have it running on some real hardware at last.

Other things: work is ongoing on the HUSU Legalise Cannabis Society campaign against the censorship of its documentation because supposedly they incite an illegal act. I've got quite an impressive brief against the union solicitor's report which said they incited an illegal act. We'll watch and wait I guess.

Other things still further: New Horizons comes yet again tomorrow night, then on Friday is the first real mash-up party this year. A dealer friend is heading off to remote lands, so we're throwing a party where we will undoubtedly indulge in excessive amounts of hard class A chemicals. Oh dear! Isn't this weekend going to be soooo boring ... ;)

And that's it for this half week. It's been boring really - lots of smoking done though at many many varied and interesing places, which is something I haven't done since last year and it's a welcome if tiring and expensive return. Saturday night last had a house party and it was okay, too few drugs though - only I and a few others had any weed so we effectively supplied everyone with our constant skinning up. Expensive and tiring, but fun!

Okay, I'm tired. I'm off to bed. Have a good next few days (I know I will), and until then be happy!

Sunday 14th November 1999: 5.26am. Mmm, just had a cheese toastie plus some melted butter muffin things. I feel real nice right now, mmm! Anyway, what's happened during the past week?

Well, Thursday and Friday saw more drugs imbibed. Thursday night was real weird, we couldn't get any pills so me and a mate made a flash decision to drive 150 miles to someone who did have pills. These we ate, and then had an impromptu afters party where we ate some more. They were real weird trippy pills, we all got very fucked up and had a great night.

Following night was party, it was good except for the low turnout. Pills were more standard this time, and tolerence was high from the prior night. Had a good night nevertheless, and it was interesting to meet various new people.

The week then chuffed on, little to mention except that we got in the refutement of the solicitor's letter against the Legalise Cannabis Society. See its webpages for more. Then of course came Paul Oakenfold live at the union last Thursday where we, alas, got lots of these really cheap pills called Rolexs at only £4 a go. Oh dear says I, isn't that a shame? Anyway, we munched them right throughout Oakenfold, then the afters party where I got given free acid, then right through Friday and Friday night where we got really mashed again on pills and skunk. I finally passed out Saturday afternoon and have been pretty much sleeping since then and of course catching up on various things which needed it.

So, umm, that's it. Tomorrow we fight the union who is trying to deratify the society at union council and I must remember to book tickets to Spain tomorrow too. Nowt much else I think, that's pretty much it for the foreseeable future. Next weekend I want to take a break from all the drugs as of course the following weekend we hit Amsterdam where we will no doubt consume many mushrooms and trip solidly for all four days. Hehe. Looking forward to it already ... ;)

Well, life is pretty busy as you can see. Not entirely much happening that's of any significance - just the usual parties and getting fucked. One does wonder sometimes if it's the right path to follow in life and that it isn't wasting time or of course fucking up my future. Not sure at times, we pack in enough socialising every weekend it's difficult to see how one could do more during an entire week when straight. Sometimes though, I do worry that I'm not meeting enough "straight" people. When I do make an effort to do so, it's true I usually come away asking why I bothered - somehow, the smoking of the herb selects only interesting people or maybe people more along my wavelength.

Hmm, logic seems good. Time for bed. It's nearly 6am now, need to be out of bed before 2pm so I'll be off. Okay, I'm off, be good and until next time, be happy!

Tuesday 16th November 1999: 6.37am. Good god, it feels like about four days have past since that last entry when in fact it's only been about two. And not a good two days at that - hence their apparent length. It also hasn't helped I haven't slept, and this time it's completely natural - I haven't even been smoking much weed (ran out - no money).

So what's happened to prevent me from sleeping for all this time? Well, on Monday night union council dissolved the Legalise Cannabis Society. It was a coalition of various anti-us parties who slapped us down with 26/10 votes, despite us having broken no laws (this is what they accused us of) and even worse, they didn't even obtain any legal proof that we had broken any laws. Of course, this was just a means to an end - they wanted us gone as they disliked what we did and how we did it. What did we do? We went around taking loads of drugs and having fun, and we had the cheek to not be ashamed of doing this. We made it public, and it was that which infuriated them so much.

So how do I feel having watched nine months of my blood, sweat and tears going down the pan for completely trumped up charges? I feel cheated, angry and bullied. This just isn't right. And I can see its effects on me, I've virtually stopped smoking weed and I can't sleep, no matter how hard I try. Too much on my mind. My mind just constantly races, never stopping, purculating through all that I have done, seen and thought for so long.

And I also feel tired in a long-term way. I've had enough - I've tried to do something rather than sit back like all the leeches and do nothing. And it got me absolutely fuck-all. Yes, I feel very disillusioned, and through that I feel pointless and insignificant as effectively, this proves I really don't matter. Well, not here and now in this situation anyway.

And also, I feel very disgusted. What we were doing was good, right and moral. We were helping students in an unjust time under unjust laws against a powerful and persuavsive big brother who takes great joy in persecuting us. And the student's union, a body whose sole purpose is to work for the benefit of the students, then shuts us down because it disapproves of what we do. Not exactly helping the 3,000 students in Hull university who smoke weed regularly does it?

Yes, yes, I feel tired. I have been at this for so long now and nothing's changed. My own peers cannot be convinced, so how could it even be fathomable to convince older generations? When it comes to a stage such as this, you are left with two options - give up, or launch a terrorist campaign. I'm no terrorist, so it's give up really.

So, with all these thoughts running through my brain today, much compounded by lack of sleep, I wandered into the union and resigned from all my active posts within the union. The eighteen months on council, the six months on senate and the many, many months spent on plenty of other benefiting student activities are at an end. And to be honest, do you think that anyone will really care? We had forty-odd members in the society out of a potential 3,000. That's a very low caring ratio.

However, despite this feeling of loss of purpose and feeling of futility, I must say I'm remarkably stable. A year ago I would have gone mad, torn the place up, shouted at lots of people, felt like shit. I guess this time I kinda could see it in the works and was prepared for it - maybe? Or possibly I'm now just more mature? Certainly the drugs of the past year + finally solving the women nut has left me much more at peace with myself and hence much more in control. While recent events have shaken me, they have done so to a person much more stable than before and hence it very much more bounces off. In many ways, while I am saddened, I am also increasingly elated by my response to these events. It's cool - an indication of me being better than what I was before. Hence I am improving, something usually most obvious during times of stress like these.

Hmm, just smoking my very last joint. It's some Jack Flash, a sensi seeds production of last year crossing Jack Herer with haze. Very nice, pity it's my last. Y'see, I'm out of money - I recently purchased an Atmel EB01 development board (£150) to do final year project stuff on and I also invested another £190 on going to see Ruth. I felt I needed it, so I'm going on the 2nd December, just after I get back from the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam (going to that on the 25th Nov). Hmm, sounds like a busy period of my life given I go home for Christmas on the 19th December.

Umm, what else is up? Well, on Friday is another mash-up house party, but alas I don't have any frigging cash this time (only about £100 left, and some of that I owe to people). I'm still owed around £2000 from work during the summer, it's their reluctance to send it for some odd reason which is leaving me somewhat hard-up. Not nice. I like being rich ;)

Okay, I think that's it for this entry. It's, like, 7.48am now. Not entirely early and I've been awake since Monday afternoon. Bad Niall, bad! And all without chemicals ... wow, just goes to show eh? Anyway, all be happy till next time - bye!

Wednesday 24th November 1999: 3.13pm. Well, tomorrow I depart for this year's Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. I'll get back next Tuesday, I then have Wednesday to recuperate, and on Thursday I depart for Madrid in Spain to see Ruth once again returning the following Tuesday. Hence, my dear readers, it's unlikely you'll see a new entry for the next two weeks unless me and Ruth get some time free to make an entry together again.

Mmm, sorry, eating lovely chocolate chip cookies. Major munchies. Prevents me typing. Damn, why do I get so stoned just getting out of bed ...

Speaking of which, these last three weeks have been good times. Lots of cheap pills and some of the finest weed I have smoked whilst at university here. We've had K-2, Big Bud, Californian Orange, Jack Flash and just recently the infamous dutch White Widow. I mean, christ, that type of variety would be good for a dutch coffeeshop, nevermind a city residing in a country with one of the toughest anti-drugs laws in Europe!

Oh yeah, that reminds me. Read this:

Expressen, Sunday, 21 November 1999

Police apologise to Peter Wahlbeck

"There was nothing in his urine to show he had used narcotics"

Comedian Peter Wahlbeck has been cleared of suspected drug use
and police have expressed regret over their miskake.

"Unfortunatly we can be wrong sometimes" says Per-Uno Hagestam,
chief of Stockholms Drug Squad.

"I understand that the police have to do their job, but the whole
episode has been very unpleasant" says Peter Wahlbeck.

It was early Sunday morning two weeks ago that Peter Wahlbeck
was apprehended outside the Cafe Opera in Stockholm. He had been
celebrating the premier of his show "Cabaret fur Alle".

What Peter Wahlbeck didn't know was that he was being watched by
three non-uniformed police officers inside the Cafe Opera.

According to them he repeatedly blew his nose, something that
made them suspect he was under the influence of cocaine.
There were other indications that supported there suspicions,
for example he made frequent trips to the toilet.
Taken together this gave them clear suspicion of a naricotics
offence, says Per-Uno Hagestam, who now regrets the arrest.

It was three-thirty in the morning when the comedian left the
Cafe Opera that the police made their move. The three officers
took him to Sodermalms police station for interrogation and a
body search.

At five minutes to eight on sunday morning Peter Wahlbeck was
released until results of his urine test were known.

Yesteday the results were known and the police admitted a mistake
had been made. "There was nothing in his urine to show he had used
narcotics" said Per-Uno Hagestam.

Today Peter Wahlbeck is very relieved. He felt great unease during
the whole time he waited for the test results. "Even though you are
innocent, you worry, you imagine what can happen. It is like waiting
for the results of an HIV test. It has been worrying and
uncomfortable", he says.

Wahey eh? Okay, I go to Sweden say on a youth exchange and I smoke my last joint the day before I leave. I get there and contract a cold leaving me sneezing a bit. I might be not used to the food, hence I visit the toilet a bit. What happens? I am immediately detained and given full blood and urine tests (this is perfectly legal in Sweden), they find THC in my bloodstream from weeks beforehand and hey presto, I'm now in gaol for a few months.

What an absolutely beautiful country! My word, I think I'll go there at my earliest opportunity! Not!

Now, I've met quite a few Swedes in my time - indeed, one of them is accompanying us to Amsterdam tomorrow. They seem a fine people. They regard their absolutely crazy drug laws as just part of the country and just another thing to devise ingenious ways of getting around.

But y'see, so do we all. We all pretty quickly gain an understanding of the law here in the UK, because if we don't, we'll be in prison before long. We also all learn the do's and dont's such as always watching for CCTV cameras whether in public or private and never panicking when you see a copper. It's a given thing - never questioned, never challenged. It's just done.

But this is something which annoys me. Why should we just accept it as given? In Spain, external CCTV is banned and hence there is still a very avid street dealing scene. People sit around the middle of god-awful tower block playgrounds smoking and drinking into the early hours of the morning. There is no violence, no vandalism and other than the noise, no other problems.

So what's my point here? Well, on my eve of being in four different countries in as many weeks and hence in four different juridictions, I am reminded only too well that a tougher legal system does not at all equate to less crime irrespective of whether it should be a crime or not. One should always examine alternative options when one can, where possibly lesser sentencing will improve the crime rate rather than not. An easy thing to say, not to do though.

It's also a terribly easy thing to do to simply slap on greater penalties without thinking of the effects. Just recently the US government reduced the amount of cocaine for a mandatory 10 year gaol sentence to just 50g in line with possession of crack. It'll see another 7,000 people going into prison every year for ten years. Another 7,000 people whose lives will be substantially wrecked and their imposition upon the US economy included. Madness!

Anyway, I must go, I'm doing washing in preparation for Amsterdam. All please be happy, and hopefully I'll see you in two weeks or possibly less!