oh dear bad survey

On the same day, I hear that Paula B & ‘soiman’ got dumped, to the back-benches..
*I also; heard that support for the ‘reeferendum’ has come up in one poll/survey as 25%.. BUT not real demographics; that could have been in old folks home or the Natl party ‘dumping session’

>oh dear.. never mind.. we still have 4 months to convince the rest.
Of course there are some fascists that want to continue the WAR (M.M. knows who he is) & others who just dont realise (yet) that we are demanding: REGULATION (same as alcohol) not ‘liberalisation’.

>The bill is called the ‘Legalisation & CONTROL bill’ not the “its free for all’ bill, btw: thats what we currently have under prohibition, cash-in-hand its ‘free for all.. to buy’ even kids. We dont want that. We want:

1) R20
2) up to 4 plants per household (home brew)
3) only sold in licensed premises
4) only consumed on licensed premises, other than person private property

i.e. Regulation NOT ‘liberalisation’

Just answering a query I read (paraphrased):

Q) “are you concerned about the referendum ?”

A) all the warriors in the MIL/occ are.. please join us

btw; the known stats were, high amongst these groups: women, drug users, maori, higher education graduates (Interesting)

“Kia Kaha.. ki te kanabosm-toa katoa” sez zedd

“Ti hei mauriora” 🙂

in brief… BUSTED

I just heard a brief TV news item; NZ Police have swooped on a ‘Gang pad’ & seized, quantities of Meth & Cannabis, also firearms, cash & other assets. Reportedly; 16 Gang members, including a Gang ‘President’ were arrested & are awaiting court appearances..

In light of recent law changes, Police are apparently using ‘discretion’ around arresting people for small quantities of drugs, for personal use. This was labeled by the opposition National party, (still staunchly ANTI-Drug reform) as ‘Decriminalisation of Drugs, by stealth’

BUT it seems that, the WAR on Drugs in Aotearoa/NZ is far from over, with greater focus on stamping out the supply lines. It still sounds like ‘old Police, habits die hard’.. with the main priority on ‘Gangs’, whose members are mostly, indigenous Maori & Pacific people. There is evidence that, whilst these Gangs maybe the ‘face’ of the street suppliers/dealers, it is just as likely that the ‘Mr Bigs’ include: Asian Triads & non-Maori NZers too.

>Again; adding to the frequent claims that, NZ Police target the indigenous Maori, as their main focus in the Drug WAR !

Maori perspective on Cannabis

I just watch a current affairs TV show; issues around the upcoming ‘Reeferendum’ on cannabis, relating to indigenous maori communities.
At the start they had a quick ‘which way are we voting ?’ (the panel). I was pleased to see that 3 out of 4 said “YES”.. one Lawyer & another a ‘Tikanga’ (traditional knowledge/practice) expert

These are some issues raised & discussed (paraphrased):

1) “We all tried it back in the day, Prohibition was effectively ignored by most”
>estimate are: >80% of NZers have tried it & about 20% use it regularly

2) Maori are much more likely to be arrested for cannabis, than non-maori (police bias). Some estimates are about 3:1. Police often target cars with young maori & if nothing else they say ‘Is that Weed/MJ I smell’

3) The Govt. bill is about ‘Legalisation & Control‘ NOT open slather use by anyone. That has been the actual outcome of prohibition, with a totally unregulated Black-market. The bill proposes R20 on legal use. The focus can move to preventing use by youth & education

4) Having a conviction, even for minor cannabis possession, has often prevented ‘offenders’, gaining employment. Under a regulated scheme, there will be legal jobs in the Cannabis industry. In the East Cape area, there are already legal jobs in the hemp & medicinal cannabis areas (Hikurangi)

5) There has been a massive cost to maintaining Prohibition. This can be redirected to; education, Health care etc.

6) Under Prohibition, there has been very little research, into actual effects of cannabis. Much of the information, is actually ‘Misinformation’ based on outdated Fear-mongering & prejudice etc.

7) Overseas data (in countries where it is now legal: Canada etc.) shows an initial spike in use; novelty factor, but it soon levels off. They are finding ‘the boomers’ (>50 yrs) are either trying it or going back to it; not used since 1970s ?

8) Concerns around problem use, can be resolved if it is Regulated. Data shows that about 80% of users have NO problems around their use. Why prevent everyone, because a minority, do have these issues ?
>Address the problems, not Zero-tolerance

9) keeping it illegal, has stopped funding of Health care & often stops people seeking help, when they need it; fear of arrest/prosecution

10) Naughty youth use ‘the weed’ to rebel against ‘authority’. If it is legal/regulated this is far less likely

11) ‘we already have problems with alcohol & tobacco… why add to it with cannabis/MJ ?’
>Evidence from overseas, shows that this is not true. In fact alcohol is more harmful in Maori & non-maori communities

12) ‘We need to shine a light on the issues.. STOP avoiding them’

13) ‘Is cannabis a gateway drug ?’ (often claimed)
>There is little evidence of this, it is the blackmarket who supply other drugs to users. Rarely do people use cannabis, then feel the need to move onto Meth etc. The use of ‘Synthetics’ has mainly been down to availability; natural cannabis runs short & the dealers say ‘I can get you something else.. try this instead‘

14) Legalisation & Control, can only lead to positive outcomes.. Informed Choices, justice/economic benefits/healthcare/education rather than Zero-tolerance & Prohibition

15) Will there be expungement of past conviction ?
>Not actually in the bill, but will likely flow from it, IF the referendum passes & we get a law change; just as occurred with LGBT reforms

*At the end of the korero/talk the lady who said, she would likely vote ‘no’ then said that she was now more likely to change her vote.. to big smiles from the others ! 🙂

** YES we need to move past all the misinfo., Fear-mongering & plain B-S, that has dominated this debate for decades. It is really starting sound like, the time for Cannabis reform is finally coming to Aotearoa/NZ.. as has already happened, in many other OECD countries

SO… “Vote YES on 19/9/20 !”

CannaBible

I have often wondered why, the leaders of the Judeo-Christian religion are so staunchly anti-Cannabis & other plant based herbs, that have psychoactive properties ?
>as today is the ‘Sabbath’ I thought I’d do a quick look at alleged references to Cannabis in the text. There are scholars, who believe that the translation in the modern King James Bible, is a mistranslation of the original word ‘Kanabosm’; which supposedly means a fragrant cane, with special properties.
There is a lot of ‘stuff’ on the net, but I found this link. She says it more clearly than I can:

Folks should remember that, IF you are a Jew, Christian or other ‘believer’ then you must believe that God created the Cannabis plant. In Genesis it talks about ‘The Earth brought forth Grass & the HERB yielding seed.. God saw that it was Good !

Perhaps they need a strong reminder, before claiming drivel like : Its the Devil’s harvest or The Plant with its Roots in Hell etc.

The Rastafarians have the right idea.. they even see it as a ‘sacrement’ tha was used in Biblical times; NOT just by Ven. Bob Marley & Co.

“All praises in the name of the most high !”

rumors & innuendos

In these; covid/corona dayz, it seems that everything else.. besides the shrinking economy, is off the table. Just thought I’d reiterate, that some of us, have been waiting decades for some positive reform action on Drug (cannabis) prohibition & it may well just fizzle out in all the noise ?
>Its been a slow news week so..

some things I hear :

1) maybe put the election/R-day back, until the parties/concerned groups can do a longer campaign

2) currently; only around 4000 arrests a year, (population: 4-5million) for small cannabis offences, so is it really worth the effort, to change the law (MODA 75)

3) Police ‘discretion’ is working; only arrest if ‘in public interest’, its the better tool than further reform (a small hammer)
> BUT proportionately the majority are ‘people of colour‘ who are arrested !

4) in a post-covid election, the Reeferendum may just become a non-starter, post election.. even if the YES vote gets up

In quick response: Im nearly in-favour of #1, I totally disgree with #2 & #3.. I am concerned #4 maybe a distinct possibility

Q) Has prohibition resulted in the stated objective(s) (after 45 years) ie. ‘a DRUG-free world’ ?

A) NO, in fact some believe; that is has been totally counter-productive & has increased supply & use. It has only created a massive Police bureaucracy & a criminal Black-market/underworld, hell bent on their mutual survival ‘gainfully employment’ & Business (nothing to see here)

*The truth is, that the ‘authorities’ who maintain the Prohibition, know this because Alcohol Prohibition, in the ‘Roaring 20s USA’ did exactly the same thing. It was repealed in 1933, as unworkable & impossible to adequately police/control..
**move forward to 2020 & in Aotearoa/NZ we are still hearing (from some quarters) that ‘the only tool in the box is PROHIBITION (a Hammer) & all the police see is NAILS to use it on. We are actually People

Maybe they could consider replacing the ‘Hammer’ with other tools; Education, Healthcare, addiction treatment, counselling etc.

rant over.. 😀

Final details of Canna-bill

At the end of last week, the Justice Minister released the final details, of the ‘Cannabis Legalisation & Control bill’, that kiwis will get the chance to vote on, at the next General Election, scheduled for 19/9/20.
Here are some selected details (headings etc.).. to give a ‘flavour’ of it:

‘Summary of the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill
In this year’s General Election, you can also vote in a referendum on whether the recreational use of cannabis should become legal.’

‘Contents of the Bill
The Bill sets out a way for the Government to control and regulate cannabis. It proposes rules for growing, selling, buying, and consuming cannabis.’

‘Reducing harm from cannabis use
The Bill’s purpose is to reduce cannabis-related harm to individuals, families/whānau and communities’

‘Controlling access to cannabis
People aged 20 or over could buy cannabis’

‘Growing, possessing and consuming cannabis
People aged 20 or over could grow, possess and consume cannabis’

‘Licensing, production caps and potency limits
Under the Bill, all aspects of the supply chain for cannabis would be regulated.’

‘Rules for premises where cannabis is sold or consume
Age limit
Trading hours
Restrictions on the appearance of premises
Host responsibilities’

‘Products that would be legal
What products could be bought and sold?
Licensed cannabis products would become legal in stages, starting with dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis plants, and cannabis seeds.’

‘Cannabis edibles would have to meet specific requirements
Cannabis edibles are cannabis products that are consumed in the same manner as food. They would be required to be solid at room temperature.’

‘Limits on cannabis retailers
Selling limits
Potency limits
Product labelling
Pricing
Advertising would be banned
Packaging requirements’

‘Consumption premises
Places for consuming cannabis
The primary objective for consumption premises would be to provide lawful places to consume cannabis outside the home.’

‘Cannabis taxes, levies and fees’

‘Who would oversee the cannabis market?’

‘About voting in the cannabis legalisation and control referendum
What is the referendum question?
The cannabis legalisation and control referendum will give you the opportunity to vote on whether you support the proposed Bill.’

‘What happens after the vote?
If more than 50% of people vote ‘Yes’
If more than 50% of people vote ‘No’

‘Further reading to help you make your choice: go to ‘referendum.govt.nz’ (the link does not seem to want to appear.. here ?)

* I have only listed the headings & a few brief details. It would be great if all kiwis who intend to vote on R-day.. actually read through, at least; the summary details.. so they have a clue about what they are voting for !
** In my recent conversations; it seems many, have no real idea what they maybe voting for. Some think IF Cannabis is ‘Legalised’ in Aotearoa/NZ (YES vote wins) then, it will be a ‘Free-for all’ & there will be ‘Legal Tinny houses’ selling DOPE to anyone & everyone.. even kids, on every street corner ?
> They are totally WRONG; the idea is to ‘Regulate’ the drug, similar to Alcohol. ie. It will be more strictly controlled than the current Prohibition, where in reality; Cannabis is officially ‘Illegal’, BUT totally Unregulated – Blackmarket
>Folks need to be honest, is the status quo actually working OR even achieving its stated objects (as in MODA 75).. to my mind (& others) the answer is a big, fat ‘NO !’, so we all need to vote YES, to change the nonsensical, failed Drug policies that have existed in this land since at least 1975

more quotes from Chloe

I saw this blurb on another platform.. more ‘quotes’ from/attributed to; Ms Chloe (Green party Cannabis/Drug policy spokesperson) MP
>some selected lines (paraphrased):

‘Been getting some great emails from talkback listeners this morning about Cannabis Legalisation bill..‘ many calling Chloe ‘misguided child’

‘They document harm that cannabis can cause…’ supposedly she introduced it ?!

And then this:

‘Folks, I can guarantee you, I didn’t invent cannabis’ her response to the nonsense 😀

Concluded with :

‘Do you want to keep pouring $millions in public resources into policing prohibition, branding nearly 4000 ‘kiwis’ per year with low level cannabis conviction & denying the grown-up practical solution of regulation‘

‘By voting ‘yes’ to regulate cannabis at this referendum, we can leave the chaos of prohibition behind & make Aotearoa a safer country for all of us’

* I read; that Ms Chloe was adamant that ‘she did not come to NZ parliament, to reform cannabis laws’ this was dropped on her, when another Green MP moved to another, more senior role.
>BUT I will admit Ms Chloe has taken to it with ‘gusto’ I could not have phrased a response to the nonsensical drivel, any better.. that were reportedly sent in to her.. by ignorant kiwis !

“Kia Kaha Ms Chloe” & to all activists & advocates.. 🙂 🙂

Newspaper & Video

I mentioned yesterday, that members of the local MIL (Make it Legal) group did a small J-Day protest.. I knew we got a write up in the ODT (Otago Daily Times) newspaper.. well I was just advised by a mate, that we also got a short video on the online version:

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/j-day-crowd-tiny-passing-support-big

This is the ‘official’ local launch; of the MIL campaign.. here in Otepoti/Dunedin (aka ‘Dunsterdam’)

Jz in Dunsterdam

J-Day in Otepoti, was a small event, but we made it into the regional newspaper.. maybe something besides covid was needed :

..again “thankyou muchly to the few staunch crew/team members who fronted” Jeanette, Phil, Bert & Zedd 🙂

When i get the deatils.. I may add an addendum; newspaper/press release, watch this space

btw: I was a little disappointed, at the lack of knowledge, from a few passersby who, didn’t seem to understand that the Reeferendum (19/9/20) is part of the next General Election & they need to; register & VOTE for their local electorate/PV, it is NOT; yet another online poll.. this is the BIG one !
>Get it right people, we need to win this

**note to self & others : ‘much more work to get done.. before R-Day’

J day 2020

I just attended ‘J-Day 2020’ in the local area.. it was more a ‘hold up the signs for a few media people present’.

Due to covid/corona.. the majority of usual attendees, are now in lockdown. This means that the last J-day before the promised ‘Reeferendum’ on cannabis, was not a great celebration or protest, but perhaps the ‘last hurrah’ for a few dedicated/mature protesters

I guess it was good that, these few did at least make some effort.. we had a quick toke, in civil disobedience, with ‘social distancing’ & some laughter/chat, it was all over ! 🙂 😀

A local media person (thx Bert) also conducted interviews (on camera) with Jeanette (from: The Healing Centre) & I