Free Rob - A worrying choice for a speaker at the NORML conference | Activism / Campaigns | Forum

Hi.

I have heard via the UKCSC podcast, that the NORML conference in Bristol will feature the long-time activist Free Rob. I have heard him speak on a number of occasions and I have always thought that his speeches were somewhat disjointed with a lot of irrelevant or confused 'facts' thrown in. He seems to almost be a parody of the 'stoned hippy' campaigner, keen on conspiracy theories and making outlandish claims with no evidence to support them, also rather keen on encouraging people to get themselves arrested. During the UKSCS's 3rd podcast (available through itunes and the dopefiend range of shows) he made a series of really strange claims which I'll list below with a minimum of comment. Please listen to the show, look up any of his previous speeches and have a think about how he makes our movement look. In this one 30 minute interview he managed to say amongst many strange things;

(Comments by Rob are taken from UKCSC podcast 003 Wed Nov 12 2012)

"The police are a privately owned institution… owned by IBM computers"
-then he went on to mumble something about nazi Germany

He said "The British Government is owned by Rothchild's Bank"

He accused cannabis grown under lights as being "Mutant crap weed" - and has
a problem with it being 'not elemental', whatever that is supposed to be?

He seems to have a problem if the light source is from a nuclear power station,
as if it would in some way be contaminated, which it isn't.

During his talk about THC and CBD (where he didn't seem to make any sense)
He claimed 'Electrons seek out and repair cellular damage…
by repairing it on the cellular level' …. no, it doesn't work
in that sort of way any-more than "petrol makes car go brummmm".

He advocates a "turn yourself in day" - this is stupid

He claims "The British Government is the No.1 Heroin dealer on the planet",
"The US government is the No.1 cocaine dealer on the planet". ???????!!!!

Hs delivery is rambling and disjointed, featuring ravings about corporations,
and shows no clear direction of argument. If I was his friend I'd be very concerned about his mental health. As it is I just don't want to listen to his oddball ideas any-more.

If you listen to the podcast yourselves I'm sure you'll agree that this
guy should not be representing the cannabis movement. He sounds paranoid,
he seems to be a conspiracy nut and he frequently gets hopelessly sidetracked
by irrelevant discussions. There is no way any politician or journalist is
going to take NORML seriously if they are represented by people who say
such silly things.Oh, and that rap thing at the end was just embarrassing.

NORML US presents itself as very rational, scientific and sane, having speakers like Rob does not do the same for us. If we want to have any hope of changing policy we need to get politicians to side with our way of thinking. If they do this they will come under a range of criticisms and risk their re-election and so their jobs. To expect someone to put themselves at risk, and then expect them to share a platform with a guy who sounds like he may be mentally ill is too much to ask. We need speakers who are coherent, have researched their facts thoroughly and understand the medical studies that underpin our understanding of the affect of cannabis. We need speakers who can present the idea of cannabis legalisation as a rational response to the current situation, who understand the various risks involved and who can appeal to a broad audience as they explain their ideas. We need Doctors, Lawyers, Politicians and Journalists to think that we are correct, reliable and very much sane.

I've seen Rob talk on a number of occasions and I remember that he has always been a very weak public speaker, I have never understood why he continues to be so prominent in the anti-prohibition movement. It is clear he is enthusiastic, it is also clear that he really doesn't understand any of the science involved, or the scientific method, and so gets himself confused, and he says an awful lot of very silly things based on no evidence whatsoever. I would really appreciate the views of others on this as I can't understand why he is still speaking in public, it seems ridiculous to the point of parody.

Lapdog