On Consensual Adult Choices.

Image via WikipediaLTE: Larnarkshire Extra. (Bristol)

When local Police crowing over a small time cannabis and cocaine 'dealer' declared they were showing 'criminals that they will not benefit from crime' and 'hopefully deter others' the evidence suggests otherwise.

Police are providing a protection racket enabling the drug to be an attractive merchandising proposition and having taken one otherwise law abiding 'criminal' out of circulation thus created another job opportunity.

The UK Home Office do this without ever having to account for the unintended consequences of prohibiting cognitive liberty surrounding responsible and consensual adult choices that on evidence appear safer than alcohol.

The politicaly expedient theft of this mans assetts is thus double jeapordy committed under false pretenses by Police who are honour bound not to lie or do harm.

Drug dealer stripped of £551,000
A jailed drug dealer from Bristol has been stripped of more than half a million pounds of assets - including his house, yacht and three flats.

A legally regulated recreational psychoactives model would not produce such adverse outcomes. The public would do well to consider New Zealand's Restricted Substances Regulations, a UN compliant 'Class D' extention to its drug control Act.

Given royal assent in late 2008, it makes provision for NZ's Ministry of Health oversight of manufacture, growing, storage, transport, sale, age of consent, labeling, advertising etc. of drugs of low health contingency.

Former UK drug advisor Professor David Nutt described these rules as "Beautiful"
(Otago School of Medicine, Christchurch 2010)
For more information see http://legislation.govt.nz/

Blair Anderson
 http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Related articles

• Drug counsellor compromised by TRUTH (mildgreens.blogspot.com)
• Police chief's call for cannabis rethink (guardian.co.uk)
• Fresh strategy over cannabis urged (mirror.co.uk)
• Drug dealer stripped of assets (mirror.co.uk)
• Drug dealer stripped of £550,000 assets (independent.co.uk)
• Cannabis should be licensed, expert says (guardian.co.uk)
• It's high time drugs policy was reviewed | David Nutt (guardian.co.uk)
• Britain's drug policy will not improve until we are bold enough to experiment (guardian.co.uk)

Aussies go Class D (kind of)

Image via Wikipedia The first steps in the move towards the regulation, taxation and control of Cannabis to be trialed in the Nimbin Valley.

The Nimbin Valley Cannabis Trial will be for a 6 month period (11.11.2010 till 11.5.2011)

- 6 cannabis retail outlets in the "cafe" mode.
- Designated smoking areas in each cafe.
- Single 'dose' pre rolled 'joints' for sale for smoking in cafe ONLY.
- Sale of medical grade cannabis; limit 15 gms; using credit card/debit card through eftpos with G.S.T paid.
- Creation of Outdoor Organic Cannabis Growing Co Operatives with quality controls.
-The creation of a "POLICE BOOK" system similar to the car business: A registrar for buyers and suppliers, name/ address/ drivers license / medicare cards as proof of ID. To be available for inspection at each cafe.

Coffeeshop rules include:

No admittance unless 18 years or older. No sale or use of hard drugs.
Availability of heath information on cannabis use, harm reduction and cessation. Facility for summary closure for breach of fair trading regulations.

Related articles

• Cannabis should be sold in shops alongside beer and cigarettes, doctors' journal says (telegraph.co.uk)
• Cannabis should be licensed, expert says (guardian.co.uk)
• Taxation and Regulation Might Not Be Fun to Talk About, But It's the Key to Making Sure Pot Stays Legal (alternet.org)
• Call for licensed cannabis sales (bbc.co.uk)
• Marijuana in California: An altered state (economist.com)
• Law Professors support Prop 19 (drugwarrant.com)

Community Safety led "harm minimisation"

Leading International Scientific Body Supports Call for Legalization and Regulation to Reduce Cannabis-Related Harms

http://stopthedrugwar.org/trenches/2010/oct/07/new_report_us_government_data_de

Lest we forget, NZ's 'tax and regulate' legislation was passed into law the day John Key became right and honourable.

--
 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist 'at large'
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://blair4mayor.com
http://efsdp.org

ph nz  (643) 389 4065   nz cell 027 265 7219

Hunter S Thomson's Job application

As far as I'm concerned, it's a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity. - HST 1958

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Hunter+Thompson+brutally+honest+Canadian+request/3606508/story.html

--
 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Drug counsellor compromised by TRUTH

As reported 

By BLAIR ENSOR - The Marlborough Express

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4155227/Drug-counsellor-quits-after-raid

This caring and otherwise law abiding man joins the 400,000 regular pot toking functioning citizens of New Zealand who it appears from the science (Canterbury Health and Development study] come to little harm other than from the illegal status. Clearly he has lost his job. And will pay dearly for his SAFE choice (saferchoice.org) How many doctors drink alcohol, an anaesthetic? Or police smoke tobacco a killer carcinogen. 

Consider this informed even if it was just a top cop, a chief constables view:

My personal belief in terms of sheer scale of harm is that one of the most dangerous drugs in this country is alcohol. Alcohol is a lawful drug. Likewise, nicotine is a lawful drug, but cigarettes can kill," he said. "There is a wider debate on the impacts to our community about all aspects of drugs, of which illicit drugs are one modest part." - The comments by Tim Hollis [chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers' drugs committee] come as a row continues between UK scientists and politicians over cannabis. 

One of Britain's leading researchers into the drug, Professor Roger Pertwee, argued [http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/sep/14/cannabis-licence-legalisation-pertwee]  that policymakers should consider allowing the licensed sale of cannabis for recreational use, claiming the current policy of criminalising cannabis was ineffective.  

This should be unsurprising as it is consistent with the recent visit to NZ of  Sir Ian Gilmore (also a Professor) retired Royal College of Physicians, and Professor David Nutt fmr Chair of the UK's ACMD - the science advisory to the Home Office.

Financial constraints prompt top police [leap.cc] to call for debate on drugs and redirecting resources towards effective and evidential programs,  amid growing warnings from NZ experts that demonstrate out of OUR science (not someone else's, this is US we are measuring) that prohibition, particularly of cannabis does not deter drug use. Eight hundred of the thousand people studied had broken this disreputable law more than five times. Are they ALL to loose their jobs? (CHDS Cannabis and Youth lecture - Joe Boden PhD. presentation to health professionals, Christchurch, Sept 3rd 2010)

The writer is standing for safer communities together, as a prospective Mayor of Christchurch against fmr Drug Czar and Health Minister, Hon. Jim Anderton who lies about zero tolerance prevention being 'harm reduction' describing cannabis as 'evil'. 

Such deceit on a massive and corrupt scale is rendering us all stupid.  

--
 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Social Ecologist 'at large'
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://blair4mayor.com
http://efsdp.org

ph nz  (643) 389 4065   nz cell 027 265 7219

Molenaar Inquest buries crucial evidence

Image via Wikipedia Molenaar Inquest buries crucial evidence

Recommendations from the coroner’s inquiry into last year’s Napier siege incident have ignored the fact that this – and other recent police shootings – were generated by a draconian prohibition of cannabis.

Instead of recognising that the prohibition does not work, and is creating potentially volatile situations every time police knock at the door, the coroner is recommending a review of the Arms Act, and establishment of an arms register to identify potentially dangerous citizens.

It appears evidence presented to the coroner’s court was incomplete, and coming only from highly subjective perspectives.

“Attacks on police such as this one, are a drug policy issue, not arms policy”, says the ALCP. People deeply involved in the black market arm themselves against home invasion, including increasingly heavy-handed home invasion by Police. In Jan Molenaar’s case, a ‘prohibition rage’ incident appears to have been triggered by the highly unwelcome police search.

The NZ Law Commission is currently reviewing the 1975 Misuse of Drugs Act. However it seems that Police, Courts, coroners and media are unable to join the dots and make a logical analysis of the problem.

With as many as 20,000 convictions a year in NZ, prohibition enforcement has degraded respect for rule of law. Strong international evidence shows prohibition has made NZ number one for cannabis use in the world, with higher usage than nations with liberal policies and controlled availability (NZ has at least 400,000 estimated marijuana consumers).

‘The law protects no one and causes all-too-frequent violent incidents, while discriminating against a vast sector of the community at great cost to the beleaguered NZ taxpayer. The coroner’s narrow recommendations guarantee that such incidents of disrespect and violence towards police will happen again.


ALCP media release published on infonews.co.nz  (scoop.co.nz  refused to publish spuriously arguing that it wasn't factual )

Law "dangerous and wrong" - Professor and former Judge

Prosecutor of Vancouver Pothead, now a law Professor [in our sister city]  Seattle now says law "dangerous and wrong".
http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2010/09/07/Prince-Pots-Prosecutor-Declares-Marijuana-Prohibition-Bust
--
 Blair Anderson  ‹(•¿•)›

Consistent with Research - 'what to do'

Image via Wikipedia Another government misconception was that young people were pressured into taking drugs. However, participants in this study insisted that they made their own drugs decisions for which they took responsibility.

The notion of peer pressure was a source of resentment to many young people when expounded by adults delivering drug education.

Parker and colleagues also argued that young people's drug use had become entangled in the wider moral panic about, and blaming of youth, for society problems. They emphasised that continuing the 'war on drugs' and ignoring the reality of young people's drug taking was resulting in a neglect in dealing with reducing the harms and risks of drug use.

They pointed out the need to:

• accept that drug use occurs and treat the user as a citizen
• try and help assure that street drugs are quality tested
• help young people share information and experiences about drugs, in particular bad experiences
• create a situation where young people trust the information (including scientific) on drugs provided by older people
• create a situation where young people feel that they can come forward and talk about their drug problem without censure.

Illegal Leisure: The normalization of adolescent recreational drug use by Howard Parker, Judith Aldridge and Fiona Measham: Routledge, 1998.  Download the full article in PDF Format

/Blair

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