Waatea News Column: Wait, what? We are going to re-victimise Māori AGAIN?
As New Zealand gears up for a referendum on Cannabis, some of the ideas being floated right now look to re-victimise Māori. National are suggesting that only “fit and proper persons” should be allowed to grow legal cannabis. That means anyone with a criminal conviction won’t be allowed to benefit from a legal cannabis market.
When you consider how cannabis prohibition has punished Māori more disproportionally than anyone else in New Zealand, what National are in fact asking for is that after decades and decades of harsh punishments under cannabis prohibition, the community who has suffered most shouldn’t be allowed to economically benefit from lifting that prohibition.
We would be punishing Māori twice over by such cannabis laws.
If we are going to legalise cannabis production in this country, it should be so that those communities that have suffered the most from criminalisation, incarceration and addiction be given not only the taxed funds to run addiction services, but they should also be first and forefront in the production and economic benefits from an end to prohibition.
To punish Māori disproportionately for decades for smoking cannabis is racist, to disqualify them participating in a legal industry because of that racism is obscene.
The same thing will happen if they introduce random drug testing for car drivers it will be Maori and other brown people getting pulled over. How do I know I have experienced being pulled over for nothing and a cop doing a u turn to pull me and my partner over and then having to listen to his lame excuse for pulling us over when we actually hadn’t done anything he was just being a racist prick.
Perhaps it was the same one who pulled me over simply because of the age and colour of my vehicle and gave me a hard time.
Profiled because of my vehicle…
And I’m PINK!, dammit.
My mothers pink to andrea I wonder if your related? he he he
Anyone previously convicted specifically for cultivation would surely be a likely asset to the industry!
Are the rumours that John Key and a Californian medicinal marijuana company, have bought a large parcel of land not far from Blenheim?
Oh come on, Martyn…
“That means anyone with a criminal conviction won’t be allowed to benefit from a legal cannabis market.”
Anyone. Any variety at all.
Could you be a shareholder? Micro-finance. Grameen Bank style.
But, if victimhood is your choice – there you go.
The Netherlands didn’t have any problems after legalizing weed, did they…
Agree with Nik 100%