New report says politicians could shift drug budget to a health focus without voter blowback
A new report shows that just 1.4% of the annual drug budget is for harm reduction, rising to just over 30% when combined with treatment and prevention.
The rest, almost 70%, is spent on law enforcement, despite a survey in the report showing the public want to flip this 30:70 ratio.
This is one of the key findings of a new report, New Zealand’s Choice: Funding our Drug Policy, published today by the Helen Clark Foundation.
It comes in the 50th year of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, long considered no longer fit for purpose, and as methamphetamine consumption has skyrocketed.
The Helen Clark Foundation continues to be one of the best think tanks NZ has with constant ideas and research to help solve the big questions.
This report follows one put out by the Drug Foundation earlier this month.
Our refusal to follow actual science and focus purely on punishment is necessary for Capitalism.
If you are too focused on having deep spiritual drug experiences, you won’t work.
Addiction is the by-product of heavy handed policing that never works.
What should we do?
Legalise weed and build a specific taxation system around it.
If cannabis were legalised, the New Zealand industry could employ about 5000 people and reap almost $1.1 billion in taxes a year, two in-depth reports by Business and Economic Research Ltd have shown.
Half the taxation should be ring fenced for rehabilitation services so people with addiction can be actually get healed.
Instead we have a medicinal cannabis market for the middle classes, and that is ultimately the class issue at the heart of our drug laws.
If you are white and middle class, drug laws aren’t a problem, if you are brown or poor, they are used to destroy you.
That’s the reality of our drug laws…
Police bias questions with more Māori charged with cannabis-related crimes than Pākehā
…it’s class oppression aimed at punishing you for not being a productive unit of capitalism if you are too poor to fight the charges, if you have the money, leniency always happens.
Social policy shouldn’t cause moire harm and reinforce existing bigotry, it should focus on healing those addicted and not punish those who use drugs recreationally and have no issues with it.
This punitive model only empowers the State to punish and damage their own citizens rather than treat them like adults and help those who are addicted.
More well researched evidence based social policy when all the right have is endlessly screaming about da Māori, da Trans and da vaccines.
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Even bat shit crazy puritanical America has worked this out in a number of states. On the topic of hallucinations, a lot of the funding for voices against any reform comes from orgs and people that believe in a sky wizard. Clearly sound thinkers…..not.
Wheel for wots coming round; as you say, your “sky wizard” advises Christians to be of sound mind. How come Bob wasn’t? Or did I get it wrong??
I wish my questioning could be productive.
Yesterday a man prayed for me, over me. It was ok (a miracle. Tell Bob.) A Methodist to boot with a peecanzycrazy side kick.
When lack of answers sits above Pastors’ Sick Prayer Breakfasts. (I just made that up, this moment, Wheel, according to a little hope.)
What would NZ do without the intelligence and caring of ex Labour PM, Helen Clark and her Foundation – still giving to New Zealanders, as opposed to the CoC who just keep on taking! Yes, probably sensible to proceed with the legalisation of the use of recreational Cannabis, as have several other countries. Why would we waste so much time and money on pettiness and prosecutions, especially when they are so pointedly aimed at the same specific folk? Grow up NZ, you are a multi-cultural tiny, but lovely, country. We all matter and deserve respect regardless of our backgrounds, circumstances or ethnicity.
Theres no excuse any more. Epic Fwit Peter Dunne is gone, having set NZ drug reform back 30 years and nearly bored Andrea Vance to death.