The Liverpool Echo
The 22-year-old from Ireland was in Liverpool earlier this month on March 4 for a ‘wee day trip’ when he got on the bus towards the city centre. James inhales his prescription cannabis using a vape and says he was doing so before he got on the bus. He claims he stopped when he got on the bus and sat on the quiet top deck next to a window.
However, he says the driver soon asked him to leave the bus, ignoring him when he made them aware of his prescription. Arriva North West have acknowledged that James is a registered medical cannabis patient but added that “smoking or vaping of any substance is strictly prohibited on our buses”.
Describing his interaction with the bus driver, James said: “I headed over to Liverpool for a wee day trip. You can do it in a day because it’s handy from Belfast. Then I was turfed off the bus on the way into town. The driver came upstairs to ask me to leave. I said it was prescribed.
“He said, ‘I don’t understand medical cannabis and I don’t care, you stink mate.’ I asked him to call the police, which he refused to do. I didn’t have any battery on my phone. I didn’t know what else to do.
“I got off in the end. I wasn’t up for causing a scene but the top deck was empty. I wasn’t disturbing anybody. The window was open next to me so the air was coming through. It’s not like I was sitting there with a spliff.”
James added: “People who use cannabis for medical purposes jump through all sorts of hoops so they’re covered legally. I use it as a vape. I’d been using cannabis at the bus stop before I got on, which you’re allowed to do – it is a medical device.”
James is unhappy with how Arriva has dealt with his complaint afterwards. He said: “I put the complaint in. They’re not even trying to push back or say sorry. They just keep giving me blanket responses, saying we don’t tolerate smoking on our buses.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/driver-taking-job-seriously-man-31264380
