Drug Abuse

Part Two CHAPTER ONE LETTERS

Letter from Ashford Remand Centre -May 1968

-Peter wrote to us in May from Ashford Remand Centre where he had been sent for a month. Someone in Ashford -recommended that he write to us and in his first letter he said he was in contact with a solicitor and had been granted legal aid. He had been refused bail, but was told that he could apply for bail again to a Judge in Chambers. This application is not covered by legal aid and his parents were unwilling to pay a solicitor.

He told us that he had been planted and was, therefore, going to plead "not guilty". This worried us and we wrote back explaining the dangers in taking this stand but saying " that if he could give us more information about his case we could give him further advice. He replied with a detailed explanation.

- Dear Miss Coon,

Thank you very much for your letter which I received on Saturday. I am still going to plead not guilty to this offence because I was definitely planted. The only way that I can , prove that I was not in possession of the drug is to ask the court to• look for my fingerprints on' the gold foil. There should not be any fingerprints of mine on it because I did not touch it at any time. The circumstances leading to my arrest was that early Friday morning about 3.0 a,m. I left a couple of my friends in a car and went straight home. I arrived home about 3.30 a.m., made myself a cup of tea and Started to tidy up my room. I had given my room a good clean out and had nothing except the drugs that were prescribed by my doctor which were methedrine and drinarnyl. -1 was a registered DA. (Drug Addict) under private consultation.

As I was saying, after I finished cleaning my room which was about 4.0 a.m. I went straight to bed. I woke up at about 10.0 a.m. and started getting dressed. My friend called at 10.15 a.m. and we talked until it was time for him to go home — it was about 10.30 when he left. He does not take heroin and I know that he would not have left it there. At about 11.15 a.m. two detectives called to search my house. One of these began talking to me while the other detective searched my room. I was watching them both at the same time, when I saw one of them drop a piece of gold foil paper and pick it up again. He said, "hallo, what's this then" and he started to unwrap the piece of gold foil. Before he finished unwrapping the foil I said, "Oh no, don't try to plant me." When I had said this, one of them said, "If you try and say we planted you I will smash your face in." After this I was a little frightened and so I said, "That is definitely heroin — I don't touch the stuff — it's a killer."

They took me up to Willesden Green Police Station where they charged me with possession of a dangerous drug. They kept me in custody at Harlesden Police Statioti until Saturday morning when I went to Willesden Magistrates Court. I was remanded in custody for one week for the drug to be analysed. I went back to court on Monday week and was again remanded for another week. I was allowed bail but my mother would not stand surety for me so I was remanded in , custody again at Ashford.,I applied for legal aid and was granted it. I went to court the next Monday. Just before my case, a girl was charged with a drugs offence and the Judge was in such a temper with this girl that when I went on the Stand he took it out on me, and so my solicitor advised me - to take my case to the Quarter Sessions where I would be dealt with fair and square and it would be the jury who would judge me and not the magistrate.

I was still granted bail but not on my own surety. I asked my mother but she thinks that she has to put the money on the table and none of my friends can do it because they are not over 21. I do have a permanent address which I live at with my mother. The address is: —

Well, Miss Coon, I don't think I have missed anything out conceming my case. I have given you all the true facts concerning my case. I hope you could read all of the letter properly as the pen nib was very weak.

Yours sincerely
Peter

We contacted Peter's solicitor, who was known to us, and it was decided that in the circumstances he should plead "not guilty".

Letter —23.7.68

Dear Miss Coon,

I thought I would write and tell you that I was acquitted at the Middlesex Quarter Sessions and was discharged afterwards. But I still have a problem — I will try to explain to you what it is. I got a job which I like very much, but at this time all my friends are in prison or borstal houses which leit me on my own. My only other friends are junkies so of -`„course I have started back on drugs, to which I am very ' sorry that I am in this position again. Well, the police were very angry because I was found not guilty of possessing heroin. Well, this one particular police officer has this grudge against me so what he has done is to tell my boss that I was on drugs, so he fired me. So the law wanted to put me in the position of unemployed so that I would start selling drugs.

I am very afraid of being in this position knowing that the, -4. police are trying to persecute me. They have also told my mother so I have been asked to leave my home.. I have tried to get a pad but I have always been told to come ba:ck later on. Well, the police have followed me to these addresses and totd the tenants that I am a junkie and unemployed — so when I have gone back to the addresses I have been told that I can't have the rooms which makes me very disappointed to have to be thrown out of house and home because of the police.

I phoned Civil Liberties the other day and they told me if I get arrested to phone them immediately. I have also been advised to go to the meeting at St. Anne's Church, Soho and discuss my problem with them. I just thought that I 'would let you know the horrible position I aril in at the moment and wondered if there was anything you could do for me or if there was some legal advice you could give me please. I would appreciate it tremendously if you could help me in some way. Hope to be hearing from you soon.

Peter

We wrote back to Peter asking him to come and see us. He came the next week and we tried to assure him that the police were not harrassing him and that if he had proof that anyone was getting at his employers, he should let us know the details.

He needed a doctor but as he was only taking methedrine, which is not considered to be a "hard" drug, none of the Treatment Centres set up by the Ministry of Health were able to treat him. We wrote a letter to Peter's G.P. asking him to refer Peter to the psychiatric outpatients department of the local hospital.

It would probably be a good idea for Peter to move to an area where he was not known by the local police!

Letter from Brixton Prison — April 1968

Dear Caroline,
I am writing from the above address. I wrote to you before but the address I sent the letter to was wrong and the letter got mislaid. However, Caroline, I got in touch with the Welfare Worker here and he gave me a form and a Release card with your address on and other particulars. Well, anyway Caroline, I have been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for being in possession of cannabis resin. I had been on remand, a very long time but during that time I had never heard of your wonderful organisation until I looked through the copy of "Tit-bits" and came across an article concerning yourself. Dial for help. The unfortunate thing though was that I had only four days left before I appeared in court and I told a fellow also on a drug charge, did he know of your address and he gave me an address in Holland Park and I just had double time to write out to you asking for belp but alas! I had got the wrong address as I mentioned before and I was helpless in court. I applied for free 'legal aid during my remand time but I got a letter back saying that I had been turned down and I was very upset over this knowing that I would be facing a man at Marlborough Street Court who is prejudiced against drugs, especially cannabis and would not hesitate in the least to send a man to prison.

Anyway Caroline, while I am detained here, I have no-one to write or visit me and it is very depressing here with no-one to write or visit me and I would be grateful if you would send me one of your volunteers of your organisation, or perhaps yourself, that is if you are not too busy at the moment and if so I would be very grateful if you could put pen to paper and let me know if you could send someone along to have a talk with me so that they can get a picture - only as you said in your article that you have a lot of letters from cranks but I would like to make it quite clear that I am not of this type. I am aged 21 from London, but have very few friends here.

I take pot at weekends or when I'm depressed - it helps me along in life - a kind of escape from life. Well anyhow   

Caroline, If your organisation can find someone who would like to visit drug offenders who have no visits at, all, I would be very much grateful if you would let me know or as I say, send someone to , see me. My release day by the way is the 1st of October 1968 and I have five months of my sentence left to do and it would be very nice to have someone to talk to and discuss my problems to, especially, if it were someone of my own age group, male or female, but preferably female, if understanding. I really feel as though I am filling in Et reply for a pen pal advertisement, but I think you will be able to understand me with finding a job etc. There is a Welfare Service here but the kind of work they get you, as far as.! know, is not very hot. However, the accommodation I will get from here is not too bad I am told. I have also sent you a visiting order and have put it in your name, as I do not know anyone else in your organisation. I thought it better to put your name on the V.O. However, if you send a volunteer down instead of yourself it will have to be a female for the time being as the visiting order I am sending is made out to a girl, and it has to be shown at the gate on admission.

I am very sorry to be a burden on you like this Caroline and I hope you don't think me stupid to go rushing into things like this at such short notice and also I truly hope that you do not• think that I am taking advantage of you . like this, only one needs to do something when you're cooped up in here so please forgive me if I sound as though I am a long lost soul. By the way. I forgot to mention that the visits are 1.0 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and is half an hour. Mondays to Fridays closed visits and Saturdays open visits. I would be very much grateful if you could acknowledge this letter please and let me know if it is possible to send someone.

Your obedient servant.

Niel

2. April 1968

Dear Caroline Coon,

I received your most welcome letter on the 23rd April and I am very grateful for it — thank you very much Caroline. I am applying for a Solicitor's letter here, so that I can write one to one of your solicitors for advice. I have let the governor here know of my appeal but he said that my time 'for applying for an appeal was finished, and I explained to him your letter about a solicitor's opinion regarding my case, and as you say, once I write off to the solicitor and get the inquiry started, there is a possibility that I could get extended time on appeal time, but I have to have good grounds and I think I have, so once I get a reply from the solicitor saying that I have good grounds, especially the things I was not told about and was entitled to
Well, anyhow Caroline, I am hoping everything will turn' out for the best. I found out after Caroline that the V.O. 1 sent was delayed going out but it eventually was sent out, but if, however, it was mislaid, then someone could come along and visit me without a V.O. and tell them at the gate, . the V.O. was sent out from here but got mislaid and they will check and find that it was sent out as it goes on record here.

By the way Caroline, you can have two friends to accompany you on a visit — I did not know this at the time but on the V.O. it permits three people. So Caroline if you know anyone who would like to visit me I would be glad to hear from you, Or they could come any time except Sunday without you having to write to let me know but I will leave it to your discretion. The sentence I received is as you say a real ' - drag, it's just locking up and unlocking, to be quite honest.; ' I can't see the point of putting a person in a place like this as it is one long depression from beginning to end. But a person cannot expect the best of everything in these places. There are a great deal of drug offenders here all waiting to go to court and most of them, the hardened, ones, are on cold turkey.

In my own personal opinion they should be kept in out» side hospitals under supervision because the strain on a person's mind waiting to go to court is no joke as you prob-ably know. Well Caroline you will accept my apologies I hope regarding my writing as the fact is that the pen I'm using is not very good and I have to keep shalcing it so that I can get ink to run through the tube, so I hope you can understand it will write to the solicitor on Friday once I . get my letter, as you have to make an application for a solicitor's letter, but that will come on Friday as I have mentioned.

Well Caroline,  I am afraid I must close now as it's time for lights out. If you have any magaimes or reading material that you are going to throw out I would be very grateful if yon would forward them on to me if it is not too much trouble, and I hope to hear from you in the meantime. Well Caroline, my best wishes to you and your organisation and I hope that your friends will increase as time goes by as there are lots of people in the same predicament as myself — also I promise not to be a pest to you and hope that I'm not being a burden to you, especially knowing that you are so busy and have a lot to do. If by the way, the solicitor does think my case fit for appealing, I will send off straight away for legal aid, and I should put the solicitors name on my legal aid form in the meantime. I will find out ail about this legal aid even though they can still refuse me it. I will also write and let you know what the solicitor has to say. So I hope to hear from you again.

Yours faithfully,

Niel

P.S. Please excuse scribble!
I have just finished reading Alan Bestic's "Turn Me,On Man"! Quite good.

The first letter we received frow Niel made us understandably indignant, but after some lengthy correspondence it transpired that he was also serving a year's sentence for larceny which was running concurrently with the drug offence and had previous offences. Nevertheless, we considered that a year's sentence for a first drugs offence was a gross miscarriage of justice, especially since, at the time of . his arrest, it seemed that he was allowed no legal advice.

We resolved to do all we could and advised Niel to appeal. The solicitor whom we asked to take on the appeal was more than reluctant, telling us that with Niel's record there would be absolutely no hope of success. We realised that an appeal !against the larceny sentence was more than likely to fail, „ but we were hopeful about the drug sentence. In every case we handle we hope to set a precedent and in this particular ' instance it seemed reasonable to expect that at some time in the future Niel would be arrested again. If we could get a - reduction on the drugs sentence it would mean that an even, longer prison sentence would be less likely the next time. We were adamant about proceeding with the appeal taking the view that if no-one helped Niel, the prospect of him ever keeping out of trouble was very slim.

The appeal Judge reduced Niels one year's sentence for the drugs offence to 3 months.

Letter from Leicester — April 1968

This is a typical letter informing us of an arrest. When - neither Release nor the N.C.C.L. know of lawyers in the areas where they are needed, we reply to the person concerned advising them to contact their local Citizens Advice Bureau, where there is a list of local solicitors. The person should then put us in touch with the solicitor so that we can discuss the case with him.

We wrote to Martin advising him to do this, but he did not reply and so we were unable to contact his solicitor.

Dear Rufus, .

I telephoned you on Saturday afternoon to ask for advice on a solicitor because I was arrested on the Friday night. I am writing, as you asked me, to tell you what happened.

At 7.15 there was a knock at the door. When! answered it my mother and father were there so I thought they had come to see me and I went into the kitchen. When I came back into the room two detectives were there. They said they had information that I had been to London in February to pick up methethine and that I had been pushing it in Leicester. This I denied since it was not true. He then searched the flat after some more questions. One of them went into the kitchen, his name was Tony but I don't know his second name. Det. Sgt. J. started on the trash can. Then he searched me. The one in the kitchen called to him as he started and he turned away. I took a deal (of cannabis) (£3) from my pocket and tried to swallow it. They both grabbed me round the throat and tried to get it out of my mouth which they did eventually. He arrested me then and searched the rest of the flat and found nothing. I spent the next four hours down the station which is   Street station. I - wil.s\given bail at about 11.30. I have to go back on Monday 13th May when I suppose he will have the results of the analysis.

While I was at the station he also accused me with several other things which I don't touch like heroin etc. I'm sorry I didn't write on the Sunday like I said I would but I had an exam on the Tuesday and had to do some work for it. I am a student at a college in Leicester.
I hope tbis tells you what you wanted and thank you very much for your help.

Yours sincerely,
Martin

Letter from Ashford Remand Centre — April 1968 Passed on to Release from Intemational Times

Dear IT

 

I write this letter to you' because I regard you as a great , and true friendship is a thing I am in sore need of at present moment.

I was arrested and remanded in custody because I broke the blaws of this sovereign state by being in illegal possession of 3 grains of heroin. For this crime, a crime which affected or disrupted the lives of no other human being except myself, I have aligned against me the whole machinery of the law and, quite frankly, I'm scared. I cannot face the wrath of society alone.

I need an understanding lawyer to stand up in court and 'tell the magistrate that I am ill. I want to go to hospital. I want to be cured. You know the organisation which supplies lawyers for drug cases - please, and I appeal to you as one living entity to another, - please ask them to help me.

I appear in Bow Street Magistrates court on 30th April so this might not reach you in time, but they will probably remand me here again anyway. I know horse (heroin) is a bad scene, my friend, and I really want to kick it. Surely you can understand that I wish to be free to enjoy the summer in Southsea, my home. Man, it's so beautiful there and I have a chick (girl friend) there too and we were going to do so many nice things this summer like tripping along the beach and in the country.

I know you will try to help me because I know that you are sincere in what you say. Please convey my love to all our firends, especially in Southsea. The wardens here are okay. They read the mail but it's okay as long as it's not offensive or blasphemous or intended for insertion in the press or anything. So, please help me man, as we are old friends and will be friends for tt longtime.

Yours in love

William

Please send me a paper in as you can't buy them here.

We were able to send a lawyer to the Court for William and he was remanded for medical reports. When he appeared in court again he was fined £10 with 21 days to pay.

Letter from Brixton Prison — Apri1968

Tony had been in touch with us prior to this case, when a friend of his had been arrested. He had a long criminal record and had already been given a suspended sentence for a previous drug conviction. Because of this we knew that he would very likely go to prison if he was convicted.

In court the six months suspended sentence was imple-ment,ed and Tony was given a further six months to run consecutively with the first sentence. 'This meant that he would be in prison for one year, although he could get four months' remission for good behaviour! He appealed im-mediately and when the Appeal was heard, the Judge at the A.ppeal Court substituted a conditional discharge instead of the prison sentence for the drugs offence.

Dear Rufus,

How are you buddie — getting along OK I hope.

Well. I must apologise for not getting in touch when you bailed me last time but I got right off the scene to re-assess a few values which had become somewhat twisted. Also I wanted to lose myself from this H and C business, which by the way, rve succeeded in doing. So, just when it seeras that at last I'm getting myself straightened out I start groov-ing around with Simon again, and the world falls in on me.

Rufus, this is going to sound like out and out lies but here's what happened. Simon ran out of stuff but aa he only shoots half a jack (6th of a grain of heroin) at a time, I didn't see that he had much to worry about — I thought that his habit was strictly all in the mind, anyway, we go up the Dilly and he scores and makes a fix, you know the score. So we go to Charing Cross buffet and we get a tea and cakes

Anyway Simon suddenly starts shaking like he's been bitten by a mosquito and gets very sick. I say, let's split home — he says he wants to fix. So down to the loo we go and I go In with him and help him build his fix (prepare for an injection) and before he can hit (the vein), he pukes up all over he place like he's going to die. So the attendant comes and gets a ladder and tries to bash our heads in with a broom, so I come out and have words with him. Then Simon wants to right him but I get him to split up to the toilets at the Charing Cross Road. He's still shaking badly and he's got a ‘' tie up (tourniquet) on and his coat over his shoulders and I've got his works (syringe) in my hand and we reach the toilets and get busted (arrested). Anyway, I had nothing on me except his works and he had all the business on him, water, H, needles, and when the fuzz asked if the H was legal, he replies, "I scored it at the Dilly, how 'bout that." So at Bow Street in the morning the fuzz oppose bail and I do the verbal and get it and his Mum comes in and mine don't and he says don't worry, I'll get someone for you. And I wasn't too worried because I thought I'd see you at court on the 11th but you wasn't there and   (his lawyer) said he would phone you because I asked to phone Release but wasn't allowed to. So Rufus, once again I must ask you if you will come to the rescue because I want to be employed when I appear and Simon will do his bit and I know I can rely on (his lawyer).

You know that I'll turn up Rufus because I keep my word and also I'm not afraid of society's greatest weapon - "prison". So please write and let me know, how you're going to perform Rufus — this saves me being hung up wondering what's happening.

So take care and be lucky -'bye for now.

Tony

P.S. If rm not bailed I appear on the 17th and if I'm bailed, - on the 26th. Would you see if you can make it.

2. April 1968'
My dear Friend,

Thank you for your reply to my somewhat moronic epistle last week.

I was so glad to hear that you had a hustle (under pressure) ; on and couldn't come and do your stuff, but I appear 'again on the 26th, this Friday so it's hardly worth it anyway. I thought I had better remind you of the date because you seem to be under the impression that I appear again on the . 17th of next month. I hope you can still make it at such short notice.

So how is Release coming along then Rufus — nice I hope. lithe stationery, which I dug incidentally, is anything to go by, Release is now almost respectable. I just hope it doesn't get plastic, just like the rest of the underground scene!
I mean, certain things have been hanging me up lately. For instance, the Arts Lab. Well man, the original idea may have been groovy, but now it's just an art supermarket run by a lot of ersatz snobs. And why no Arts Lab in Barnet or Weybridge or Horsham. There's a lot of very talented and creative people grooving around Covent Garden so why , ,don't they go out and show all these other people how to do things like spread the word, Rufus, then maybe things will
happen.

I read a book a while back by an American, called "You, the Little Man" in which this guy states that if man got rid of all his little hang ups and taboos and things and saw how he really was — well, man, he'd be so frightened that he would, beg for his hang ups back. So true, man, so true!

Yes, I really got mad on with these big hearted underground snobs, I call them the hippie-flippie-groovy people. Last summer when it began to happen it was beautiful. But now it's so plastic, with all this look at me rm the happiest man in the world bit, and a bread scene even. Once I got bivalved in a discussion with some of these cats — soon as I opened my mouth, everyone looked. God when will the plastic underground forgive me for my Bethnal Green accent? You dig what I mean. There are too many frauds on the scene and they're messing it up for the rest of us.

Take  and like they are so false, it's just not true. rye spent hours studying that guy and I've sussed him right -out. And Alan Bestic (TURN ME ON MAN) - he's just a joke - I could say a lush as well, but I don't play on other people's weaknesses. He who can cast his first stone etc. I „ must agree with 's comic views though, but every' thing may be false, but because of his papa not giving him any bread, he may have got a little dissatisfied.

By the way, now that I've finished knocking everybody, I went to the Lisson Gallery and saw Warhors exhibition and it didn't move me. I must admit he's made some groovy films but there my praise must stop. He's rather like Charles Lloyd in lots of ways. One guy who's supposed to be a big name, avant-garde, wise, says too much. And all these little - guys who can't think or form their own opinions run around making like echoes.

As we're on the arts, it's come to my notice that a guy who works at the same hospital as....  has done this adult playground thing at Battersea funfair - this I just got to

Well, I'm really glad that I haven't got a habit anymore.

Yes, I'm really glad i am off the scene. You want to know what caused this sudden change in my outlook? Well, to start with, I wanted to be a junkie - thought it was romantic and all that. I even thought junkies were really cool. So when I finally came one, I sure was one helluva disillusioned guy (please excuse that last word, but I couldn't spell it). Anyway, after I saw the tragedy of it all - young chicks with old faces, ancient bodies with youthful voices. Frightened little children lost in a big, dark, cold uncaring world. This Is not for me I said - enough! Off I trooped to hospital. where because people kept asking if I was stoned, I realised that I didn't need, drugs. I was turned on enough withhoot. them. So bye bye H and all that. And except for a relapse when I got well and truly stoned on meth and didn't enjoy it, I've stayed that way.

Well, that just about vvinds it up Rufus. Please be in court if you can make it. I would appreciate it very much.

Bye for now — take care and be lucky.

Tony

3. July 1968

My dear Friend,

I think you'll be pleased to hear that I got lucky. I went up for my appeal yesterday Rufus, and they cut one six months to a conditional discharge. The suspended sentence - was left as it was. So anyway, I'll be out on 14th August and that's just fine and dandy.

Please give .. .    (his lawyer) my thanks for doing all he did and tell him I will write to him. Also ask him to give,my thanks to the guy with the wig, he was really too much, and tell hiln that I'm extremely grateful for what he did.

Believe me Rufus, I had no chance there yesterday, the guy vvho defended me even told me as much — I hardly had any gmunds at all. But when I got in there he was so cool, and what a speaker, man! He stood up after the prosecution , and fuzz had had their say, cracked a joke vvith the judge , and the judge cracks one back. Big scenes of amusement, everybody laughing. So the judge gets a big expansive mood on mid the sun is shining and everything. Heroin? A hard drug your Worship — is it a dangerous drug asked the judge? yes, was the reply. Is c,annabis a dangerous drug but not harmful (laughter). Anyway in the end the judge asked if my , eiounsel would be satisfied if he substituted a conditional discharge in place of the sentence. The guy agreed, thank God, and I got so happy man — so very very happy.

I met a nice Austrian guy up there who used to be with the Htunan Family and goes to the arts lab. Evidently he got busted. Anyway they're going to deport him back and he is really hung up about it all.

Look Rufus man, that V.O. you've got is now no good, so I'll send you another if you want it. So, till next time Rufus, that's it. Take care and maintain your cool.

Bye for now

Tony

P.S. Please don't give anyone my discharge date because I'm really gonna surprise a few faces.

When Tony was 13 he was sent to an approved school for stealing £3 7s. Od.

In August 1961 he absconded and was sent to another approved school for office breaking and stealing clothing.

In September 1963 he was sent to borstal for housebreaking and stealing a radio.

On 8th April 1965 he was again sent to borstal for ling in possession of an offensive weapon, causing malicious damage, assault causing actual bodily harm.

In December 1965 he was put on three years' probation for breaking and entering and theft of £140 worth of jewellery.

In April 1966 he was sent to prison for breaking and - entering and breach of probation.

In March 1968 he received a six months suspended sem. ,:.tence, suspended for three years and in April he was caught 'stealing a bottle of milk and fined £5 or one day in custody.

We question the value of sending thirteen year olds to approved schools when the alternative of probation under the careful guidance of a social worker would probably help a young person over the years when he might be prone to delinquent activity. When Tony comes out of prison we will help him find accommodation and a job. We hope this support will enable him to feel more secure and reduce the - chances of him getting involved with "hard" drugs again.

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