Ross Meurant: Nash is right, the black markets impact on our lives
“The war on drugs hasn’t worked in the past 20 years, so it’s time to change to a more compassionate and restorative approach,” Nash (Minster of Police) said. (Stuff 2 Jan 2019)
Perhaps the Minister of police read my previous post on Daily Blog: on legalising dope?
The essence of my proposition is: The State should become the provider of goods currently provided by the Black Market (which means gangs and organised crime), and thereby nullify the impact of crime syndicates which can and do e.g. Noriega in Panama and Escobar in Columbia -ultimately control governments and/or pervade the Hallowed Halls of power with bribes.
I have a book soon to be launched: MY LIFE OF CRIME where these realities of life in luvly leafy New Zilind, are played out in novel presentation.
But back to issue in hand: Black Markets impact.
1. Read my blog above if you have not already, which debunks the myth of police winning the battle against drugs
2. Let’s take a different angle on the same problem: Illicit ivory trade.
The above link explores the theft of national treasures belonging to the State of Russia.
Mammoth tusks taken from a receding perm a frost.
Take a look at the exquisite carvings produced by Chinese artists who buy in the stolen Mammoth remains.
I viewed recently on Russian TV (I speak Russian) where these “stolen treasures”, bought from bandits for a pittance, are sold in Hong Kong for multimillion-dollar prices.
Reverting now to my case that the more sensible remedy or policy for dealing with the extensive and powerful underworld networks that flourish on goods people want, being made illegal.
In the case of the illicit Mammoth trade, logic suggests to me that once Russia has its museums well stocked with these relics of the past, they might enter into the industry of carvings and artilects created from Mammoth tusks.
Why? You might ask.
Because mass production by Russian state agencies will flood the market and emasculate the Black market.
This is the case I make for legalising drugs – with variations.
And this same model with variations, may well save the elephants of Africa. For example, instead of burning stockpiles of elephant ivory confiscated from bandits, why should not a state agency of an African nation, flood the market with carved artefacts?
Axiomatic, I reckon.
Ross Meurant:
After 21 years as a cop, Meurant resigned with the commissioned rank of inspector O/C Criminal Intelligence Section & V.I.P. Security; a nationwide profile role as a Red Squad riot group commander and an earlier reputation as a ruthless detective with a tendency to enforce the rule of police.
During 9 years as a Member of Parliament and the Executive as Under Secretary, he was accused of being an arms trader; was fired from the Executive by Jim Bolger for having a perceived conflict of interests (becoming a director of a Russian bank) and started the first political party to be registered under MMP.
After 4 years in the wilderness teaching kids to ride horse and property developing, he returned to Wellington as parliamentary adviser to Rt Hon Winston Peters where allegations of conflicted interests with roles he had with three major fishing companies and a race horse baron and later in false allegations of corruption culminating in the Scampi Enquiry.
From 2005 Ross lived abroad pursuing commercial options in Zimbabwe, the Balkans, Czech Rep, Syria, Russia, Morocco, UAE, Iran & North Korea.
Today in New Zealand he is trustee and managing director of NZ forestry and property assets owned by absentee Russians & Honorary Consul for Morocco.
Ross has a B.A. in politics; a Master’s in economics and law and COPs in law. He speaks Russian, rides horses and water-skis.
He is the author of:
Two biographies: The Red Squad Story & Beat to the Beehive.
Two novels: The Syrian Connection & Sex, Power and politics.
If you constantly focus on what’s to come or worry all the time about what decision or action may lead to in the future, then you’re focused on all the possible outcomes of the future causing you to miss out on the moment, fundamentally missing out on the best possible outcome for that time. While it’s important to be methodical and logical, it should never come before instincts. I believe that government agents should be servants of the Crown first and foremost, and not subordinates or economic units. Primarily I believe government personal should work with the crown and its agents instead of doing what the government often demands of them to do, often relying on what textbooks state. Personal may then go off course and do what is right or necessary. This is also why instinctive matters are not allowed high ranking positions because they will often go off course when it matters, differing from the robots that the elitist class is becoming.
So instinctive people don’t care much for titles. Even the most forceful personality has moments of doubt that always criticise the government for being to penny wise and cultivating inflexible methods of teaching. Personal are cultivated to be robots instead of being in a place where people are allowed to grow. But then non-state actors maybe able to tease western personal for championing the underworlds cause. We all know what defence/police jobs is supposed to be, but instinctive methods are more about diplomacy and fairness and to speak and discuss things diplomatically unless fighting is the only option available, and then instinctive people fight harder than any.
Another aspect of instinctive people is there bias towards joining the other side, may be if a family member dies and there’s a crises of conscience. Either way, the nature of evolved decision making assumes an advanced society that has answered it’s questions of equality, gender pay, woman, trans, ect ect.
Treating illicit drugs as a Health Issue is a No Brainer. The reason there is money in illicit drugs is there is a demand and they are highly addictive, also many people taking these drugs are in our lower socio economic groups, criminal networks and are lacking in basic human intelligence.
Marijuana needs to be legalized for users who use small quantities for personal use, if people have drug problems or addiction problems the health system needs to take care of these people, not the Police, Judiciary or the Corrections Department.
Sam, your good argument confused my old brain – using ‘Personal’ when you meant ‘personnel’
Yeah, its meant to read personnel. It’s just this drugs thing should be legalized and regulated. Their illegalization has done tremendous damage to society, both by turning drugs into a money sink rather than tax source, and by putting countless people behind bars rather than into rehab or something.
“And this same model with variations, may well save the elephants of Africa. For example, instead of burning stockpiles of elephant ivory confiscated from bandits, why should not a state agency of an African nation, flood the market with carved artefacts?”
um, ‘cos, you know, it just creates more demand and a bigger market maybe?
Unless of course that was an ironic use of the word ‘Axiomatic’…which is a word that should really only ever be used ironically. Unless you are infact following in the footsteps of Malcolm X and are ploughing your way through the dictionary.
Meantime I’d love to know what commercial options in Zimbabwe, the Balkans, Czech Rep, Syria, Russia, Morocco, UAE, Iran & North Korea you were exploring…because that’s an interesting list..horse riding/ Real Estate/ Ivory artefacts perhaps?.
Or we could make cops carry a supply of Rashuns, snickers and chocolate milk.