The Fight For Rights and Freedom Of Choice

The Fight for Rights and Freedom of Choice is a 2021 non-fiction book by Phil Monk, written on behalf of the We The Undersigned (WTU) campaign group. Published by ABeFree Publishing, the 222-page book presents the campaign's case for reforming UK cannabis laws through the lens of human rights, personal liberty and public health.

The book argues that adults should have the freedom to cultivate, possess and use cannabis without fear of criminal prosecution. It contends that cannabis prohibition has caused unnecessary harm and that existing laws infringe upon fundamental rights relating to privacy, bodily autonomy and freedom of choice.

Rather than being a memoir or a scientific textbook, it is a campaign document that combines legal arguments, research summaries, historical analysis and correspondence with UK government departments.

Main topics

According to the publisher's description, the book includes chapters on:

Human rights and constitutional arguments relating to cannabis law.

Correspondence between We The Undersigned and the UK Home Office.

Cannabis toxicology and mental health research.

The historical relationship between humanity and cannabis.The origins and development of cannabis prohibition.

Comparisons of the harms associated with cannabis and other recreational drugs.

International court rulings and developments concerning cannabis and human rights.

Medical, nutritional and therapeutic uses of cannabis.

Industrial hemp and the many practical applications of the cannabis plant.

Legal defence statements for possession and cultivation cases.

Examples of countries and jurisdictions that have legalised or regulated recreational cannabis.

The book serves several purposes:

To explain the aims of the We The Undersigned campaign.

To present evidence supporting cannabis law reform.

To document the campaign's interactions with government.

To encourage discussion about replacing prohibition with a regulated legal framework based on evidence and human rights.

Main Author: Phil Monk

Foreword: Robert Jappie

Contributions: Alun Buffry and Guy Coxall

The writing combines legal argument, policy discussion and advocacy. It is aimed at readers interested in:

cannabis law reform,

human rights,

public health policy,

civil liberties,

and UK drug legislation.

Because it is written from an advocacy perspective, readers should understand it as presenting the views and arguments of the campaign rather than as a neutral academic analysis. It is most valuable as a record of one campaign's case for reform and the evidence it considers significant.