It is a mutilation of justice that a passionate fighter for human rights and worker rights like Helen Kelly is made a criminal by our cannabis laws!
Her current battle against cancer forces her to become a criminal by gaining cannabis oil from the black market. How backwards have we become as a nation when we can have a referendum on the flag, but won’t have a referendum on a drug that has far less damage than many other legal drugs, imprisons thousands, costs millions to enforce, hands vast profits to organised crime and makes legends like Helen Kelly a criminal for seeking it as a pain reliever.
We are behind even America on this for crying out loud. Here is the number of deaths from cannabis overdoses since it was legalised in 23 states in America.
ZERO.
That’s right, zero deaths from overdose. We can’t say the same thing for booze and alcohol.
Let’s reform cannabis laws significantly and create a stringent and strongly regulated market for it while strengthening gambling, alcohol and tobacco laws with the same ruthless state intrusion intended for the cannabis market.
How do we do that? Over January TDB will be publishing a legislative road map cannabis would need to take to become law, it’s hoped this discussion can spark wider debate and get some real movement on these arcane law.
It is admirable and courageous of Helen Kelly to highlight this awful situation that exists regarding medical cannabis in New Zealand.
It is high time for the government and the medical profession to show some commonsense, empathy, leadership and courage and act immediately….under a sense of urgency to help the needs of the many who are afflicted in pain so that they may get some peaceful solace during the rest of their remaining lives on this earth.
Good to see you bringing this issue to the fore Bomber. I agree that it’s time for a referendum on this issue, which will require serious effort and large-scale organisation. Some leftists trivialize drug law reform as a side issue, or even a “right wing” cause, but what other injustice keeps hundreds of kiwis in prison – usually working class and disproportionately Māori and Pacifika youth – for having done nothing more harmful than drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette?
Keep in mind it is POSSIBLE to get medical treatment involving cannabis legally in New Zealand, it’s just currently very difficult and requires ministerial approval:
From drugfoundation.org.nz:
“The Minister or Ministry of Health has the power to authorise the medicinal use of cannabis products, but the application must be put forward by a medical specialist on behalf of the patient. There have been few applications and ministerial approval has been granted for only a small number of patients. Using cannabis or cannabis-based products as medicine without the proper approval of the Minister or Ministry of Health is illegal in New Zealand.”
Part of the issue here is that a lot of the research on cannabis as a treatment is not very thorough and not up to clinical standards, (often because the sort of people who do clinical trials don’t want to get involved with research on drugs that are illegal for recreational use) so it’s difficult to say that cannabis-based treatment is definitively good for anything, although the available research to date is apparently promising.
Personally, I don’t think it should be up to the Minister. I would rather they legalise prescribed medical use of illegal drugs subject to the normal medical disciplinary protocols, and perhaps require the approval of a senior medical professional before treatment can be prescribed. Most ministers of health do not have the background to be better at making decisions in this case than professional doctors, and to be honest, it’s a barrier to treatment to make people go to the minister, because they know if they do it in anything but exceptional circumstances they’re likely to be denied.
And all this is seperate to the fact that cannabis shouldn’t even be subject to these protocols because it’s about as harmful as tobacco and alcohol, if not less, and is an excellent candidate for legalisation for ALL uses.
“Part of the issue here is that a lot of the research on cannabis as a treatment is not very thorough and not up to clinical standards.”
Really? Opinion or Fact?
Have you actually looked online at all the material available in the medical journals, I’d say no..
The one good thing about cannabis being illegal is that it allows quite a few people on low incomes to make ends meet – people who have been shut out of the economy for one reason or another
True, but it also subjects them to the risk of imprisonment for doing so. The Colorado experience shows that a legal, regulated market for cannabis creates thousands of jobs in cultivation, processing, and retail. Not to mention all the jobs created by the knock-on effect of all that money being spent, and the tax from declared cannabis income being spent. Jobs that give you a declarable income, and no risk of prison. Wouldn’t that be a better option for people currently on low incomes in Aotearoa?
Recently the leader of a gang that has taken it upon itself to feed hungry children in Hamilton was busted for possession of cannabis in his own home.
To be able to continue feeding the hungry children that those booze sozzled f**kwits who run this country wont.
He was forced to publicly apologise apparently to the children he was feeding.
I have a lot of respect for him to do that he didn’t need to for himself but was prepared to humble himself for those children.
I have zero respect for the alcohol addled hypocrites mentioned above who seem to be doing little or nothing for the poor children or anybody else but their own class.
Something’s wrong in this country.. very wrong!
We have a national medical research ethics committee. Perhaps they could be tasked with a study on this subject and report to a select committee of Parliament.
Is Key government taking directives from Big Pharma?
http://www.leafscience.com/2013/12/13/drug-maker-will-soon-hold-patent-thc-cbd-cancer-cures/
and
https://vimeo.com/25279346
Maybe the pharmaceutical and alcohol lobby groups have some mates in the behive (good luck with democracy )
BIG PHARMA are scared to death and investing millions in their lobbying against medical marijuana legalization. It is heading towards legalization in the states and — ” 80% ! ! ! of cannabis users in the U.S. are GETTING OFF of prescription medications. Greedy Big Pharma will do anything to stop the loss of their profits on the backs of peoples suffering and dying due to their toxic medications that are basically worthless and very harmful.
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/big-pharma-shaking-boots-80-cannabis-users-give-prescriptions-pills-pot/
http://anonhq.com/heres-why-big-pharma-lobbies-against-cannabis-legalization/
WAKE UP NEW ZEALAND POLITICIANS AND NEW ZEALAND VOTERS.
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