UK [HELP] [LEGAL] Police Visit ended with Social Services calling my children's nursery

Last June, I called the police following a late-night dispute with my neighbour. This wasn't the first time; previously, officers had visited and logged all my prescriptions into their system for future reference.

However, this encounter was different. The officers couldn't access the database due to a connection issue with their laptop, and they wouldn't take my word that I'm a medicinal patient. I offered to show them my prescriptions and empty medication containers, as I was awaiting a new delivery, but they refused. They tried to fix the laptop in their car but failed.

Instead of addressing my neighbour's disruptive behaviour at 4am, they chose to ignore the issue and instead of going back to the station to fix their laptop and find out if I was telling the truth, they went ahead and reported me to Social Services for safeguarding concerns about my children.

I only learned of this because the nursery manager, who is a family member, received a direct call from Social Services asking if my children ever came to nursery smelling of cannabis.

I lodged a complaint, and an Inspector from my local station called, attempting to patronize me and incorrectly stating that medicinal cannabis use is illegal. Frustrated, I ended the call, and the matter was escalated to the IOPC. They concluded there was no discrimination but mandated training on medicinal cannabis for the local force and an apology from the Inspector for providing incorrect information.

A couple of weeks after the complaint was settled in July 2024, I noticed a police drone photographing me and my property late at night, likely searching for evidence of a potential cannabis grow operation. I got in my car and found the drone operator near the local primary school, confronted him, and after a brief exchange where he admitted he hadn't found what he was looking for, I left. (Would it be too late to do an FOI for this footage?)

I'm curious if anyone else has faced similar issues and what steps I can take next. I feel discriminated against, harassed, and have lost trust in my local police force. Beyond an apology and training, I believe I deserve appropriate compensation for these experiences.

Thanks for any advice,
Brazy

 

[Lank72]

Sorry to read this, stuff like this is on my mind a lot and shows that just because something is legal, doesn't mean you can't be harassed and caused severe stress etc - especially by the UK's government-backed mobsters. I've had nothing but bad experiences with them in my life (not through having done anything wrong either!)

I don't have the expertise/knowledge to know if you have a case, but if it was me, I'd certainly be looking for such advice to pursue it - the social services referral in particular - I would imagine for example that they would not have triggered that referral if you had been prescribed opiates and so there might be a discrimination/incompetence angle.

It might be worth raising the issue with your local Police and Crime Commissioner also to see if any support there in making sure the police actually know what the law is (funny isn't it, you'd think there'd be some requirement/tests for them on knowing the actual law, and especially relatively recent changes to it like medical cannabis being legalised - a quick google search on the UK GOV website gives the answer in seconds...)

Would you mind sharing which local gang of mobsters this was - which police force? No worries if you don't feel comfortable or feel it could be prejudicial to any legal action etc.

 

[MigraineMan]

Totally outraged on your behalf, and they wonder why entire communities want nothing to do with them.

 

[R3d4]

Totally outraged on your behalf, and they wonder why entire communities want nothing to do with them.

Im sure someone on here has used a firm of solicitors before I would take them to court. As for police informing children's services in essence take away the name cannabis and replace with the name class b controlled prescription medecine and it exposes the huge gaff that breaches all sorts laws. So get some legal advice and I'm sure someone will be more than willing to make some heads roll.

 

[utopiate]

I would suggest requesting support from your clinic in the first instance, maybe a letter to the Inspector's office or even the local police and Crime Commisioner's office.

Secondly please look here https://www.release.org.uk/ you should be able to access free legal advice. This is a fantastic service that has fought for drug user rights for what must be 25 years now.

 

[eeze95]

Sorry you have to have gone through this. Ive been reporting my neighbors for smoking crack and discarding their heroin needles outside our block of flats for 3 years. Nothing has ever been done and our block of flats are directly next to a primary school. But we regularly get letters from our council about reports of cannabis smell disturbing the neighborhood. But its fine for crackheads to be hoovering and cleaning the building all throughout the night.

 

[Bray]

Sorry to read this, stuff like this is on my mind a lot and shows that just because something is legal, doesn't mean you can't be harassed and caused severe stress etc - especially by the UK's government-backed mobsters. I've had nothing but bad experiences with them in my life (not through having done anything wrong either!)

I don't have the expertise/knowledge to know if you have a case, but if it was me, I'd certainly be looking for such advice to pursue it - the social services referral in particular - I would imagine for example that they would not have triggered that referral if you had been prescribed opiates and so there might be a discrimination/incompetence angle.

It might be worth raising the issue with your local Police and Crime Commissioner also to see if any support there in making sure the police actually know what the law is (funny isn't it, you'd think there'd be some requirement/tests for them on knowing the actual law, and especially relatively recent changes to it like medical cannabis being legalised - a quick google search on the UK GOV website gives the answer in seconds...)

Would you mind sharing which local gang of mobsters this was - which police force? No worries if you don't feel comfortable or feel it could be prejudicial to any legal action etc.

Thank you for your words of support. The amount of alarm and distress it has caused me and still causes me to this day is unreal, my symptoms were exacerbated due to this and I've incurred extra medication costs since. I've been scared to call the police for help again, I've lost all trust and faith in them because of this. They referred me to social services because of "cannabis use around my children", but I explicitly told them that I vape it in a separate room, or outside, but since my angry 7ft tall neighbour is banging on my 2 year old's bedroom wall at 4am in the morning, I would have expected him to be more of a safeguarding concern than me medicating.

 

[Bray]

I would suggest requesting support from your clinic in the first instance, maybe a letter to the Inspector's office or even the local police and Crime Commisioner's office.

Secondly please look here https://www.release.org.uk/ you should be able to access free legal advice. This is a fantastic service that has fought for drug user rights for what must be 25 years now.

Thanks for this, I will check them out.

Fat chance of the clinic helping though, I've been waiting for a call back from the practice manager for over 1 year and a half about a complaint regarding mouldy medication, I've been put off ever asking them for help now too, I just use them as a way of getting free prescriptions at this point.

 

[GrownHealth]

I would

Thanks for this, I will check them out.

Fat chance of the clinic helping though, I've been waiting for a call back from the practice manager for over 1 year and a half about a complaint regarding mouldy medication, I've been put off ever asking them for help now too, I just use them as a way of getting free prescriptions at this point.

I would also suggest https://www.seedourfuture.co.uk as they cover issues like this to the best of my knowledge.