Oh look at that – more evidence of the racist cannabis law Labour refuses to change
Police have finally responded to the Māori Council pointing out that the racist cannabis law is just as racist as it has always been…
Preliminary results for the cannabis referendum, announced on Friday, revealed 53 percent voted against legalisation, with 46 percent in favour.
Those campaigning yes to the cannabis referendum argued that fewer Māori would have a criminal record if it was legalised as they were six times more likely to get a custodial sentence for cannabis than non-Māori.
New Zealand Māori Council chief executive Matthew Tukaki said he knows many Māori would be disappointed with the failure of the cannabis referendum.
However, he said the disparity in the policing of cannabis that leads to more Māori being charged and convicted for cannabis offences than non-Māori could still be addressed.
…the bullshit cop response is blah blah blah, we are doing better, but as the Drug Foundation pointed out…
…it’s all just more prohibitionist bullshit.
Remember, when Labour had the option to stop a racist drug law, they refused to do so because 50.7% want to criminalise the other 49.3% and according to Labour, that kind of majoritarianism is fine and dandy.
Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.
If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media.
Yes the police boss said 500 health approaches have been administered to Maori charged for cannabis offences. What he fails to state is they receive a conviction, they have to go to court many times before being sentenced, you need a lawyer to fight for this and that cost lots of money, you are stigmatised as police turn up in big numbers and armed to your house and scare your neighbours even when you don’t have any criminal record or history of violence, they lock you in remand cell area after receiving your health punishment, you are ordered to have counselling for growing and smoking dope despite them knowing you are using it for pain relief, stress, and so you don’t have to buy of the gangs who always have it. So why do you need counselling again. Do you get the drift health approach my arse, its all bullshit pull the other one.
In essence this comes down to a Treaty issue. Many young maori are amongst the numbers of our rangatahi who have gone to Oz to work and earn and I don’t think their votes will have been enabled (due to too difficult/virtually impossible to negociate the system) This is technocratic dis-enfranchisement at it’s worst.
50.7 vs 48.4% (not 49.3). 0.9% were informal, and thus unknown. If we exclude those it’d be 51.2 vs 48.8%.
Still blatantly unrepresentative of Labour to ignore this voting block. Many of whom will in future be reluctant to give their power to a party so willing to use it against them.