The following letter can be signed and sent to the email-adresses below. If you want to send the letter to various people, please make sure to change the title on top of the letter.
Dear president of the Swiss Confederation,
I have been informed of the sentence against André Fürst, founder of the Swiss company Chanvre-Info and member of the Steering Committee of ENCOD, a European coalition of citizens opposed to the war on drugs, to 29 months of prison because of the cultivation and sale of hemp in the period 1998 to 2002.
I am surprised and concerned by this sentence, as I believe Switzerland
had installed between 1998 and 2004 a pragmatic regulation model for the production, distribution and consumption of hemp. Various official Swiss representatives have issued declarations in this sense, such as former president Ruth Dreyfuss and former and current members of the Federal Council such as Ruth Metzler or Pascal Couchepin. As a result, confusion has been raised about the way the Swiss law on drugs should be interpreted. Still, this confusion has not ended, as the Swiss parliament is in process of editing a definitive modification of this law, which will probably occur in the next two years.
On the other hand, I have been informed that Chanvre-Info develops and commercialises several products based on hemp which have nothing to do with drugs: products that can be used as food supply, as fibre for
plastics, textiles, as a perfectly renewable source of energy. These
products fit perfectly well in a concept of reasonable and sustainable
rural development. I refer you to the following recommendation in the
Report of the [European Parliament on the future drug strategy of the
European Union->http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2004-0101+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN], approved in December 2004:” take into consideration the possibility of launching pilot projects for the industrial manufacture
of legal products derived from plants covered by the 1961 Convention,
such as coca leaf and Indian hemp;”
This has been precisely the work of André Fürst. His activities for the
global rehabilitation of hemp contribute to the preservation of the
planet and the social cohesion in our society. They have nothing to do
with the operations of criminal organisations that profit from drug
prohibition and damage global economy and peace. Switzerland should be proud of this citizen, not treat him as a criminal.
All over the world, there are enough examples of the irrational and
inhuman way in which drug policies are carried out. Switzerland is known
as an example of pragmatism and reformism, also concerning drug
policies. I request you to do whatever is in your possibilities to make
sure André Fürst does not become a victim of a clear form of injustice.
In the near future, the prohibition of hemp will be considered
as an historical error. The multiple uses of this plant,
including the medical uses, accompany the development of human
kind for thousands of years. We are in great need of this plant
to respond to the ecological, economic and health challenges of
the 21st century. In this context, it would be a tragic mistake
to imprison André Fürst. As a European citizen, concerned about
present drug policies and their implications for human rights, I
see it as imperative that this sentence is reviewed.
Sincerely yours,
Name
Age
Country
City
Please copy this document, sign it and send it to:
For all:
Présidente de la Confédération Helvétique
Micheline Calmy-Rey
Palais fédéral est
CH – 3003 Berne
Tel.: (+41) 031 324 50 33
Fax: (+41) 031 323 57 82
See the website and copy in the formular
For Swiss people:
Conseiller fédéral, Chef du Département Fédéral Justice et Police
Christoph Blocher
Palais fédéral ouest
CH – 3003 Berne
Email: christoph.blocher@gs-ejpd.admin.ch
For foreigners:
Conseillère fédérale, Département fédéral des affaires étrangères
Micheline Calmy-Rey
Palais fédéral Ouest
CH-3003 Berne
Tel. (+41) 031 322 21 11
Fax (+41) 031 324 90 47
See the website and copy in the formular
For NGOs and CSOs:
Division politique III – Nations Unies, Organisations internationales, -Environnement, Culture, Francophonie
Bundesgasse 28
CH-3003 Berne
Tel.: (+41) 031 323 23 46
Fax: (+41) 031 323 21 30
Email: PA3A@eda.admin.ch
For all:
Direction de la sécurité et de la justice (DSJ) du canton de Fribourg
Claude Grandjean, Conseiller d’Etat
Grand-Rue 26, Case postale, CH-1701 Fribourg
Chancellerie d’Etat – Rue des Chanoines 17 – Case postale – 1701 Fribourg
Tel: (+41) 026 305 10 45
Fax (+41) 026 305 10 48
See the website and copy in the formular
THANK YOU!!!!
More information on Andre Fürst’s case is available at Chanvre-Info’s website.
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