Scott Begbie: It’s high time we took a leaf out of Canada’s book on cannabis law

The high-profile raids carried out in Aberdeen are a sharp reminder that the scourge of the criminal drug trade is still a blight on the north-east.

Anything that stops drug lords in their tracks should be welcomed by all of us.

Make no mistake, these are evil people. They don’t care about the toll of death and misery they create so they can line their own pockets.

It’s of no interest to them that lives are ruined, families are torn apart, communities left to live in despair and fear.

All they want is to make money off the backs of the people they exploit.

So well done to Police Scotland for the intelligence-led operation that led to this crackdown and thank you to the ordinary people who helped them.

We need communities and cops to work together to drive these villains out.

However, while we are on the subject of anything that stops drug lords, this has to include looking at different ways of achieving that.

And we have to be clear-eyed and honest – there is a demand for drugs. If there wasn’t, people wouldn’t buy them.

So shouldn’t we at least look at who people are buying them from, starting with cannabis?

Let’s not kid ourselves on this. For an entire generation cannabis is their drug of choice, just as alcohol was for mine.

For me, and others, the dodgiest thing we did for a pint was have a go at being underage drinkers. (Skip the faux outrage, we all did it).

But if you want to buy some weed, your only choice is to go to some shady character who, no doubt, has a panoply of other pharmaceuticals they would like to interest you in.

That makes no sense.

So why not do it sensibly? Look at Canada, for example. There’s a rather straight-ahead modern democracy that has decided to stop criminalising its citizens. Weed stores are legal there. You know what you are buying. It tells you the strength and likely effects. It is taxed and legitimate. The stigma is removed and it works.

As it does everywhere else cannabis is legalised. So why wouldn’t it work here? Other than upsetting the narrow-minded and blinkered, where’s the downside?

Personally, I’d legalise the lot. Take it out of the hands of the criminals, make it as safe as possible, tax it to fund health services and free up the police and courts for their job of keeping us safe.

That’s a huge step, admittedly, probably too big for now. But can we not, at least, follow Canada’s example for cannabis and stop pushing decent, ordinary people into the welcoming arms of vile criminals.

Grey beard’s great at hiding lockdown lard

Take a look at that picture on the left… I look like that again.

With the nights drawing in and the days becoming cooler, the beard has made its comeback. It’s cosier and saves me time shaving for my long commute in the morning from the bedroom to the dining table to start work. As it does every year, it’s come back in more grey. A lot more. Aye, old age doesn’t come itself. There is a bonus, though. The beard disguises the lockdown-induced fat face, I’ve acquired. Better a wrinklie than a chubster.

Swivel-eyed loons want Brexit lunacy

I feel about Brexit, pretty much the way I feel about Covid-19.

I just wish it had never happened so we could get on with our normal lives.

However, much as I’d like to deny it, Brexit is a reality. We are out of the EU and we are almost out of time for a deal for a post-Europe UK.

Remember back when we were told Brexit would be easy, we’d be better off and there was an “oven-ready” deal? Aye right.It is becoming clearer by the day the swivel-eyed loons in Government want the lunacy of a no-deal Brexit. If you think coronavirus mucked up the economy, wait until you see what happens in January when we crash out with nothing in place except British pluck and exceptionalism. As we saw with the pandemic, that works.

It may well be that refusing to negotiate and the threat to roll back agreements is a genius ploy to put the UK in a good place.

Having seen Johnson, above, and Co in action, do you think that’s likely?

Gosh, if only Scotland had a Plan B to being dragged into the abyss by Westminster gone rogue…