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Decades of experience tells us that the most effective way to reduce demand for illicit drugs is to provide a regulated, legal supply. The second most effective way is to provide wraparound services, that help people break habits of self-harm that involve dangerous use of drugs.
Mike Sabin has come a long way since his MethCon days (and a con it certainly was);
But he's still stuck in a 20th century paradigm where there is a single 'just say no' approach to "drugs", as a general category. One that nobody would accept if it included 3 of the most dangerous recreational drugs; alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical opioids.
#podcasts #NZHerald #TheElephant #drugs #DrugLawReform #MikeSabin #MethCon
"[Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa] believes that endless amendments to an unworkable law are not the solution. It is time to replace drug laws with a single, coherent Psychoactive Drug Law—one that regulates all drugs, including currently legal substances, such as alcohol. A modern drug law grounded in science, evidence, and human rights, promoting health education and harm reduction under the administration of the Ministry of Health."
#HRCA, 2025
Chris Fowlie warns that if you've made cannabis brownies, or tinctures, or do any processing of it, you're now at risk of being charged with manufacture of a class B drug;
https://feeds.95bfm.com/link/22115/17199561/marijuana-media-with-chris-fowlie-october-30-2025
The MODA drug classification system is such bullshit. You know what else is in class B? Cocaine, one of the 5 most physically and societally dangerous recreational drugs in use, according to the famous Lancet paper by David Nutt et al;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/abstract
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This is what a recent NZ Drug Foundation report said we need for drug policy in Aotearoa, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Politicians across successive govts have consistently shown that they can't be objective about anything to do with drugs. Too often drug harms are increased as part of "tough on crime" grandstanding, despite the evidence about what actually reduces harm.
We need a nonpartisan, evidence-focused body with powers to determine drug policy.
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During the 2023 election senior Labour figures were saying they would consider decriminalising personal use of *all* drugs, like in Portugal;
https://norml.org.nz/tokethevote-2023-your-cannabis-based-voting-guide/
I want to see them making a firm commitment to that for 2026. Including allowing production for personal use.
Then we can finally move on to a public debate about how to regulate supply of each drug, on its own terms. Based on the evidence available, and what's likely to minimise harm.
#Listening to Not a Crime, a drug liberation anthem by Gogol Bordello;
https://sideonedummy.bandcamp.com/track/not-a-crime
One of many radical and danceable tunes from their super fun 2005 album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike. If you like ska or klezmer music, and especially if you like both, and you haven't ever heard this album, chuck it on! Punk doctor's orders : P
#music #punk #ska #klezmer #GogolBordello #cannabis #DrugLawReform
"One way in which Jordan's acute use of alcohol likely contributed to his death is by compromising his judgement and decision-making. I consider his intoxication helps explain his very unwise decision to jump into a plainly unsafe river not once, but twice."
#HeidiWrigley, Coroner, 2024
This is why alcohol is illegal and we prefer our young people to use less dangerous drugs like cannabis. Oh wait ...
"Vice President Kamala Harris is pledging Monday to legalize recreational marijuana, protect cryptocurrency assets and give 1 million loans to Black entrepreneurs, as part of her efforts to court Black voters who may be pivotal in the presidential race."
#DeepaShivaram, 2024
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/13/nx-s1-5151968/harris-weed-crypto
#ChrisFowlie points out that both Kamala Harris, and her newly-announced VP candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are open advocates of drug law reform, including liberalisation of federal laws around cannabis.
https://feeds.95bfm.com/link/22115/16766040/marijuana-media-thanks-to-the-hempstore-august-8-2024
#podcasts #95bFM #MarijuanaMedia #DrugLawReform #cannabis #KamalaHarris #TimWalz
I knew Brian Borland as Dakta Grower when we were travelled together on Maryjane the CannaBus back in 2008. The same year I ran in the Ohariu electorate against Peter Dunne - then a determined prohibitionist - for the Cannabis Party.
Brian has always been a roaring lion, pleading not guilty whenever he faces court action for cannabis, and he's just been convicted again.
Kia kaha e toa. Respect.
"Projections for the Ministry of Justice estimated that the government could generate $923 million each year from licence fees, corporate and income tax, excise tax and GST from the [cannabis] product itself."
#RachelJudkins, 2024
"... National promised to spend $280 million on 13 new cancer treatments... funding was not allocated in last week's Budget..."
"Back in 2013, the New Zealand Treasury estimated that a change in the legal status of marijuana would reduce spending on drug enforcement here by $180million."
#RachelJudkins, 2024
"Nicola Willis has banished at least eight programmes to fiscal purgatory, including $120m in funding needed to keep the lights on at NZ Police."
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/05/31/critical-police-funding-dangling-over-fiscal-cliff/
But we can't legalise recreational supply of cannabis, think of the children! Oh wait...
"Education campaigns may be partly responsible for young people delaying experimenting with the drug with the most recent Canadian Cannabis Survey showing that the average age of starting cannabis use went up from 18.9 years in 2018 to 20.8 years in 2023."
#RachelJudkins, 2024
The Spinoff, on what might have been. A survey of the likely costs and benefits of legalising weed based on the results overseas so far, mostly the US and Canada. Overall a missed opportunity for progress in society, as 48.4% of us thought at the time.
"Here’s what Aotearoa might have looked like today if we legalised weed in 2020"
"As I often said during my campaign for President, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana... Today, I am announcing three steps that I am taking to end this failed approach."
#JoeBiden, 2022
Biden has talked a good game on decriminalising cannabis use. Any US folk care to comment on his record on this?
Apparently the Biden administration are in the process of effectively decriminalising cannabis at the US federal level. I wonder if the next Presidency will reverse that, do nothing, or extend it to a regulated commercial supply?
https://feeds.95bfm.com/link/22115/16671345/marijuana-media-thanks-to-the-hempstore-may-2-2024
#podcasts #95bFM #bFM #MarijuanaMedia #cannabis #DrugLawReform #decriminalization #US
It still blows my mind that after decades of hard work by thousands of drug law reformers, and public health activists, Aotearoa finally got a legalised and regulated medical cannabis supply in 2020.
If you're a medical user and you haven't got a prescription yet, get onto it. Prices are coming down as more suppliers meet the minimum standards for quality control;
"But experts said pushing cannabis businesses back underground, making it harder to police, would likely result in more people getting into trouble with the law – as well as returning the trade from tax-paying businesses to the kind of organized crime cartels that flood Thailand and neighboring countries with huge amounts of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs."
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/29/asia/thailand-cannabis-clampdown-what-next-intl-hnk/index.html
#DrugLawReform #cannabis #legalization #CannabisLegalization #RegulateAndTax
Can we please, please, just decriminalise all personal use of drugs (including home growing/ processing for personal use), and get rid of the racist prohibition system the Misuse of Drugs Act continues to maintain?
"But while the overall numbers are down, the discrimination has increased. For the first time, Māori now make up more than half of drug prosecutions."
