Politicians against decriminalising marijuana

28 Sep 2011 07:32p.m.

Craig wrote:

Christopher:
Might it not be prudent for cannabis to be decriminalised with safeguards? I think the cannabis reform lobby might be receptive to restrictions against supply to people who experience difficulties with schizophrenia or psychoses?

And I could note that cannabis derivatives have important palliative uses, attested to within evidence-based scientific journals, that are being withheld by current mindless wholesale prohibitionism. What about them?

28 Sep 2011 02:27p.m.

Wiseacre wrote:

When John Key says "I don't actually accept the argument that the bulk of police resources are being deployed to someone who smokes a joint on Saturday night", remember that New Zealand has the highest cannabis arrest rate per capita IN THE WORLD. If that's not a waste of police (and judicial) resources, then obviously the New Zealand economy is not at risk from the global meltdown. Idiot.

28 Sep 2011 12:18p.m.

Rational wrote:

The prohibitionist's arguments are (and always have been ) based upon hysteria, disinformation and down right lies. The increasingly desperate prohibitionists seem to be relying on a campaign of lies passed off as fact in the hope that an allegedly shocked country will fall in line and avoid the 'evil' that is cannabis like the plague. Too late.

28 Sep 2011 07:12a.m.

Mbossa wrote:

One of the less idiotic members of the Labour party needs to roll Goff. Then maybe they'll have a chance of winning an election.

27 Sep 2011 08:46p.m.

Davo wrote:

If you want pot legalized or decriminalized, vote Green. They greatly outnumber ACT in the polls, and have been campaigning on the issue for many years. The ACT party is the antithesis of what most dope smokers represent - for many of them, voting these yobs in would be akin to sawing off the branch you're sitting on.

27 Sep 2011 05:15p.m.

Ray wrote:

Don't get sucked in by this superficial piece of electioneerng - it's only to garner a few votes but little is likely to come of it in the event that the delightful Don makes it into Parliament. As for 'wasting police time', if Brash really wants to make a difference, then he should take on the booze barons and criminalise alcohol.

Go to ACT's website and see what else they'd like to do. You might find that decriminalised dope is not worth it!

27 Sep 2011 03:31p.m.

John wrote:

@Christopher the issue here is not legalising cannabis It is decriminalizing it, Sadly many people that are caught using cannabis are often dragged through the legal system often at great cost to there personal relationships and present and future employment prospects this also prevents many people from seeking effective treatment from fear of stigmatism and legal ramifications On another note while I dont disagree with your assertions regarding cannabis, much of the research I have seen doesn’t match with your comments, cannabis is far less harmful that Alcohol or Tobacco which cause far more damage than Cannabis and are often easier to obtain to boot I notice you mention work as an A & E Counsellor which properly means you deal with the “worst case” scenarios however I know many people that consume cannabis on a regular basis and suffer no ill effects just as many people consume alcohol and don’t have to pay you a visit I am not mentioning this to mock or distract from your comment but In your position you would undoubtedly see people with serious substance abuse issues rather than the average user I have included a few research links you may be interested in Cheers John According to research of scientists at Keele University in Staffordshire, UK, the incidence (the number of new diagnosed cases) of schizophrenia in the years 1996 to 2005 does not support the hypothesis that cannabis use increases the risk for the development of schizophrenia or psychosis. For this study an analysis of data from 183 practices in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland was conducted. The study cohort comprised almost 600,000 patients each year, representing approximately 2.3 per cent of the UK population aged 16 to 44. Between 1996 and 2005 the incidence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining. http://tinyurl.com/ygdskmw A massive study of California HMO members funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found marijuana use caused no significant increase in mortality Marijuana Use and Mortality. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 87 No. 4, April 1997. p. 585- 590. Sept. 2002. http://tinyurl.com/yd3ydgt Tashkin D. Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer: Results of a Case-Control Study. American Thoracic Society International Conference. May 23, 2006. This particular study in which 1,200 patients with lung, head and neck cancers to a matched group with no cancer. Even the heaviest marijuana smokers had no increased risk of cancer, and had somewhat lower cancer risk than non-smokers (tobacco smokers had a 20-fold increased lung cancer risk) http://tinyurl.com/ybtqknu

27 Sep 2011 03:25p.m.

Alex wrote:

Christoper - If anything cannabis being illegal makes access much easier for youth, treat it like alcohol and cigarettes and mass produce it so prices are less than on the street, use the revenue to treat it as a health issue not a police one. Also most studies show it may kick on the onset of schizophrenia in those already pre disposed to it but they would of most likely got it anyway. Dont you think we would see a dramatic rise in numbers if what you say was true?

27 Sep 2011 02:48p.m.

Kim wrote:

With the ammount of seeds in that cone its a wonder they could get stoned before the exploding seeds empty the cone altogether.

27 Sep 2011 02:37p.m.

flea wrote:

and don suddenly gets my vote make it legal