A bus stop poster explaining how ‘Ricky’ ended up working on a cannabis farm

• WHEN you look at Camden’s new advertising campaign, you wonder what they are smoking down in the Town Hall.

On the campaign poster, seen all around our bus stops: A fun-loving, well-groomed Ricky having a good time at a great party, Camden-style, (Poster warns of danger ‘that bit of weed’ poses, March 22).

A great ad for that Camden nightlife which London’s Night Czar is so desperate to capitalise on. So far so good, a bit of money thrown out the window, advertising something that everyone knows. Camden is laid back and cool!

“Throwing money out the window” is something we are familiar with in this borough. Probably paid for by cuts to some local youth clubs.

But our council is, of course, not satisfied with just wasting some money. Next to the photo, a good story is told how weed ruined Ricky’s life.

That he dropped out of school and lost the few friends he had. That he is working on a cannabis farm for dealers in Camden, with no idea how to get out or how to get home. “It’s only a bit of weed. Isn’t it?”

The solution is simple: #LEGALIZEIT. But, no, alcohol is OK, cigarettes, painkillers en masse, and Ritalin; booze it up and swallow it down. Let’s fill our children with sugar and ourselves with anti-depressants. Yes, that’s OK! Isn’t it?

But when do politicians and dealers agree? Not to #LegalizeIt! Legalize it and none of our kids will want work for dealers, and will not need to work out an idea how to get out and how to get home!

Legalize it and we get billions in taxes that we can invest in our NHS. Why let it all go straight to a dealer’s pocket? Legalize it and we can control the trade and protect our children.

Legalize it and our police can give hell to the dealers who pollute our society with the real hard shit, instead of looking out for “only a bit of weed”.

NO to drugs? YES! But criminalisation of weed ruins people’s lives and does not save our child’s.

MARX DE MORAIS
Yorkshire Grey Place, NW3
@MarxDeMorais