Canvassing for Opinion - aka "Blairs Brain on Cannabis"

Brain-imaging study links cannabinoid receptors to post-traumatic stress disorder cure

2013-05-16T08:03:00.001+12:00

CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor

Dunne and Media, Naive in the Extreme.

2013-05-06T23:22:00.000+12:00

An arrangement of psychoactive drugs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So the media pretends to have some mandate over the argument reiterating and rehashing endless stories of woe as if repeating them over and over makes recreational psychoactive drug use more dangerous.

What's dangerous is, naivety. Of users (and moralisers) for not asking, nay demanding these substances be governed under existing legislation

Dunne is pretending he is the drug master, having the 'killer blow' yet if all these stories of woe are sheeted home they lie at the feet of Dunne himself for failing to place these emerging drug threats under Jim Anderton's world class drug regulations adopted into law the very day John Key became right and honorable.

So media, tell that story.... Ask Peter Dunne how does his drug amendments comply with the National Drug Policy of 1998, the one that developed from 'best practice' and commended an ALL DRUG approach rather than his (Dunne's) drug by drug approach.

Peter Dunne is advocating a wolf in sheep's clothing. Clearly contentious, drug policy is a debate ill-served by media pretending it holds the cards. It stops it asking the right questions.

Why abandon regulations that no one in FIVE years has been able to find fault with?

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

The hidden dangers of legal highs

2013-04-27T23:19:00.000+12:00

The hidden dangers of legal highs | Society | The Guardian

The dangers are not hidden, they are exposed, and exposed better when regulated. / Blair

Time to End the War on Drugs

2013-04-26T22:50:00.001+12:00

English: Colin Powell visiting Colombia in support of Plan Colombia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Time to End the War on Drugs

An exquisite and timely call made on our ANZAC day by a fellow MildGreen and Nam Vet, Clifford Wallace Thornton Jr.

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

$3M of Cannabis, $4M of Drug Harm?

2013-03-22T02:24:00.000+13:00

Cannabis on the West Coast has flourished despite the drought-like conditions.
The region's annual police cannabis bust was due to finish today with about 3000 plants found from Karamea to Franz Josef by this morning.
Operation head Sergeant Russell Glue, of Hokitika, said today he was surprised the illegal crop was in such good condition considering the dry weather that had gripped the region.
''I would say they probably have had to water the plants though.''
About 15 to 20 officers were involved in the six-day aerial eradication operation, along with 12 New Zealand Air Force personnel and an Iroquois helicopter.
Glue said the number of plants found was about 700 fewer than last year.

marihuana plantation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

''Over the last eight or nine years, it has been trending down. We would like to think it's because of brilliant policing.'' (ROFL)
However, he said the West Coast was still one of the country's key cannabis growing areas.
Most of the plants were found hidden in bush in rural areas.
Two people had been arrested and a third had been summonsed to appear in court. All faced cannabis cultivation and other drug-related charges.
Glue said removing cannabis from society was important because of the illegal drug's negative impacts.
(more)

ALCP Making History.

2013-03-09T23:42:00.000+13:00

A bit of political history collated in these contemporaneous times.

http://www.alcp.org.nz/vote2014/node/36#new

Dunne: Psychoactive Substances Bill a ‘game-changer’

2013-03-03T03:00:00.000+13:00

English: Peter Dunne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Press Release: New Zealand Government

Hon Peter Dunne
Associate Minister of Health

26 February 2013

Dunne: Psychoactive Substances Bill a'game-changer'

The Psychoactive Substances Bill introduced to Parliament today will
mean legal highs have to be proved safe before they can be sold,
Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has announced.

"The Bill will be a complete game-changer in terms of party pills and
other legal highs," Mr Dunne said.

(Mr Dunne needs to read (and discuss) the explanatory note in the
"Restricted Substanes Regulations" he inherited )

/Blair Anderson
Social Ecologist 'at large'

A Plot To Over Throw The Government

2013-03-03T02:59:00.002+13:00

Misuse of Drugs Act (1975) on Trial

Policy standard suggests Class D solution

2013-03-03T02:57:00.001+13:00

Potential harm of commonly used drugs based on a study by David Nutt, 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3D plot of potential harm of commonly used drugs based on a study by David Nutt, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Revisiting the David Nutt debate: Is it possible to rank different drugs by the harm they cause?

And the Poms like Class D?

2013-02-24T00:09:00.001+13:00

Britain Poll Shows Strong Support For Cannabis Legalization

Stroke, Pot and an uncritical Media.

2013-02-10T01:46:00.000+13:00

"We haven't been able to tease apart the relationship between cannabis and stroke independent of smoking, because all the cannabis smokers but one who had stroke had smoked cigarettes," Barber said. "So we can say cannabis smoking including tobacco smoking is associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke."

see http://www.sciencecodex.com/smoking_marijuana_associated_with_higher_stroke_risk_in_young_adults-106383

Stroke Smokes (Photo credit: jaygoldman)

Despite cannabis's widespread use its association with stroke is infrequent. The cause and effect association between use and stroke is neither firmly established nor is the mechanism by which that may occur at all clear, even in those cases where clinical assay on survivors or post mortem investigation might provide a hypothesis as to the pathophysiologic mechanism. We do have clear and unambiguous data that shows neuroprotective, neuroregenerative and other clinical benefits from cannabinoids. Irrefutably however, the best methodology of ingestion (mode of use) is via inhalation. Again vapourisation, a preferential mechanism is by all accounts illegal as is the equipment to enable it. Yet this is harm reduction/minimisation. Such 'policing' practice along with the moral indignation that any adult engagement in such epidemiological research might send a message to kids pot is OK represents a heinous miscarriage of justice. Those who choose not to understand this - who defer to poor research standards (this study was a world first - doh!) in order to uphold their commitment to a moral paradigm I regard quite simply as "R"soles.

--

Blair Anderson

Social Ecologist 'at large'

http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://efsdp.org

Christchurch, New Zealand
ph nz (643) 389 4065 nz cell 027 265 7219

Banks, Cannabis and Colonisation

2013-01-22T23:05:00.000+13:00

Sir Joseph Banks and the Question of Hemp
by Dr John Jiggens .

Sir Joseph Banks and the Question of Hemp examines the way the hemp question directed Britain’s colonial policy and naval strategy between 1776 and 1815, a period when Britain lost its first empire in the US and began a second empire, centred on the Pacific.
(This was also explored and researched by me, the subject formed the core historical reference that begins the story told as "The Potted History of New Zealand" delivered .to various Rotory's and civic groups in New Zealand. Jiggens is a muc deeper and thorough historical narrative. /Blair)

Jiggens argues that New South Wales was intended as a replacement hemp colony for the US. The convicts were a cover story. ‘The Father of Australia’ Sir Joseph Banks was a cannabis zealot, who, together with his protégé Governor Philip King, was responsible for the cultivation of tens of acres of cannabis on the banks of the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers in the 1800s.

English: Joseph Banks (1743-1820) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Although Banks was primarily interested in hemp as a fibre crop, he was also intrigued with drug cannabis or ganga. Banks was regularly sent quantities of hashish from James Matra, the British consul in Tangiers. (Matra accompanied Cook on the 1770 voyages as a midshipman). The poet and early drug enthusiast, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, found out about Banks’ stash of hashish and got Banks to send him a quantity. Coleridge later wrote an account of his experience, which is the first recorded use of drug cannabis in England. This, of course, makes Banks the first supplier of drug cannabis in England.

Canterbury/Christchurch City Library has been requested to obtain a copy of Sir Joseph Banks and the Question of Hemp. (Banks Peninsula?)

John attended the Nimbin MardiGrass last year promoting his book.

Blair Anderson http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Prohibition Thinking 94yrs Old This Week.

2013-01-17T11:44:00.000+13:00

By January of 1919, members of the US temperance movement had been campaigning against excessive drinking for a century. Their efforts resulted in the 18th Amendment, which, when it went into effect in January 1920, prohibited the sale—but not the consumption—of liquor. (Notice the difference? Cannabis is a possession offence, a thought crime!/Blair)

John D. Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago along with the American Baptist Education Society. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prohibition spawned what John D. Rockefeller called "a vast army of lawbreakers", Bootleggers, rum-runners, and speakeasies took advantage of the guaranteed profits from the dearth of legal alcohol sales, and the failed ban was repealed in 1933. It lead to corruption of officials, especially law makers and law enforcement. It created the FBI. Once repealed the murder rate plummeted.

We render ourselves stupid if we believe we can arrest ourselves out of the Illicit Cannabis market, and indeed any other drug problem. It ain't going to happen. That Alcohol prohibition only lasted for 13 years is in itself surprising enough, the unintended consequences led to an 'army of womanfolk' mostly those who had asked for it in the first place to regale at its 'deviency amplifying' outcomes and protested prohibitions continuation.

We have been arresting cannabis consumers, who hurt no one but themselves (and even then that is moot) for forty years in New Zealand. And that has saved no one... except drive them to drink!

Prohibition preview with Ken Burns (Photo credit: KCTS 9)

I have partaken in a Sam Adams beer in the "21st Amendment" bar adjacent to the Boston Common and Mass State Legislature. [the 21st repealed the 18th, good law trumpt bad law].

It is worth noting that at the other end of the Common is the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where expensive (inflated) 'imported' scotch whisky was NEVER ILLEGAL. I had a dram of single malt there as well.

You see, it was always about 'othering'. As with today, if you have money you are largely invisible and can do what you damn well please!

Blair Anderson http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Ostracise the pot smokers, not jail them - Rosemary McLoud

2013-01-13T11:22:00.000+13:00

Rosemary, you reveal far more than I think you intended..

(http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/rosemary-mcleod/8159470/Ostracise-the-pot-smokers-not-jail-them )

The cannabis laws are not about health nor are they about crime....they are about 'othering', putting labels on people. As with opium and coca, the roots of anti-drug laws are founded on puritanical (religious) and racist foundations. Should we be now surprised that openly advocating "progressive social ostracism" as if it hasn't been tried (what could be more punitive than threat of, and actual jailing of otherwise law abiding citizens) arguing that ostracism has worked for tobacco, yet fail to acknowledge that not one person has been jailed for sparking up that particular deadly herb, nor for its cultivation, preparation, merchandising, advertising or for taking a slice of the action (taxes). Your views are tired, nonsensical and frankly racist, sexist and ageist in their application. As long as that remains true you are part of the problem and no part of the solution. You are endangering the public. You are making our communities unsafe and you are hurting otherwise innocent people. You give succour to those who would disproportionately punish and who resort to violence and oppression to enforce compliance on both sides of the law. You are however increasingly in the minority and thankfully destined to realise this in due course. Reform is inevitable, and you will be the better for it
--

Blair Anderson

Social Ecologist 'at large'

http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://efsdp.org

Christchurch, New Zealand
ph nz (643) 389 4065 nz cell 027 265 7219

Have a NORML XMAS, experience a SAFER New Year

2012-12-20T13:11:00.001+13:00

NORML Canada: December 2012 Newsletter

Greetings cannabis community,

We are nearing the end of 2012, and as it draws to a close, we wish to take a moment to reflect on the success many activists have had this year. This year cannabis has emerged as a bona fide political issue, and one, which politicians no longer feel the need to quickly back away from. However, while great strides were made in some areas, in others prohibition was reaffirmed as the cannabis policy of choice. That said, 2012 was still a landmark year for the reformation of cannabis laws and one which has renewed the passion of activists around the world.

This past January, the Liberal Party of Canada passed a resolution to make cannabis regulation part of the party's next federal election platform. Though the resolution does not guarantee cannabis regulation will actually form part of the next Liberal Party of Canada platform, it was precedent setting for a major Canadian political party to support cannabis regulation so openly. As the Liberal Party of Canada competes for a leader in 2013, it will be interesting to see to what extent leadership hopefuls are willing to engage with the cannabis regulation discourse.

In British Columbia, two groups have been successful in their efforts to educate the public in hopes of change in the future. Sensible BC and Stop the Violence BC both draw attention to the harms of cannabis prohibition, and offer policy alternatives. Both campaigns have garnered great support both inside, and outside the province, and it will be interesting to watch these campaigns grow in 2013.

In November, two US States passed ballot initiatives instructing their lawmakers to create a regulated cannabis industry within each State. Colorado and Washington State will soon allow adults to purchase and consume limited amounts of cannabis.

Additionally, a regulated system for the production, processing and sale of cannabis will be created.

While two states have taken a more forward moving approach, the Canadian government has moved in a less positive direction by passing legislation to increase the penalties for many cannabis offences. Bill C-10, passed into law earlier this year, and came into force in November. These provisions create mandatory minimum sentences for many cannabis offences, and further deny many cannabis offenders the chance of serving their sentence outside of a correctional institution. Please see our November Newsletter for more information.

There has also been action in the courts this year, as two key cases worked their way through the system. In May, the Ontario Court of Appeal heard R v Mernagh. In 2011 Mr. Mernagh and his lawyer, NORML Canada's Ontario Regional Director Mr. Lewin, successfully persuaded a Superior Court judge to strike down The Marihuana Medical Access Regulations for being unconstitutional. The Court of Appeal is yet to release a decision. However, we are hopeful the efforts of Mernagh and Lewin will, once again, bring success and an incremental improvement in the Canadian medical cannabis program.

In another case, R v Smith, a British Columbian judge struck the word "dried" from the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations. Mr. Smith and his lawyer Mr. Tousaw successfully argued the restriction of cannabis to its dried form was arbitrary, as it denied medical patients the ability to work with cannabis to make more effective medicines. Unfortunately, despite his success, Mr Smith still risks criminal penalty for distributing cannabis medicines to patients in British Columbia.

We hope the successes of 2012 are encouraging, as this year demonstrates change is possible, and better cannabis laws can be a reality. However, there is still a lot of work still to be done in order for us to move past prohibition, and implement more sensible policies regarding cannabis.

In this month's newsletter you will find:

The Seeds of Change: Successful change in cannabis laws caused by change in activists' approach;
Cannabis Eradication and the Media: How the media supports Canada's Annual Eradication Expenditures
Barreau du Quebec's court challenge

THE SEEDS OF CHANGE
Successful change in cannabis laws caused by change in activists' approach

On November 6, 2012 voters in both Colorado and Washington States made history by passing voter's initiatives to give up prohibition and regulate the sale of cannabis. As a result, state lawmakers will create a regulated cannabis industry allowing individuals over 21 years of age to purchase, possess and use cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol. The success in both states is due, in part, to a striking paradigm shift amongst cannabis activists. Both campaigns focused on issues such as bolstering state economies, reducing access to cannabis for minors and fighting organized crime. The latter objective was said to be achieved through a reduction in profits for criminal organizations combined with extra law enforcement resources to target such groups, which were previously spent enforcing cannabis prohibition.

Cannabis users no longer have to fear criminal prosecution. Consumers are now able to access their cannabis in a more safe and secure way, without being forced to immerse themselves in criminal activity, and put themselves in danger. Even the word "legalization" was replaced in most instances with the word "regulation." A new type of cannabis reform campaign emerged: one designed to win over the non-cannabis using portion of the electorate. Neither Initiative 502 nor Amendment 64 encouraged or endorsed cannabis use. Focus was on the failure of cannabis prohibition. If one were to glance quickly at http://www.newapproachwa.org/ or http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/ it might not even be initially apparent the website and related campaigns deal with cannabis at all. Supporters in both States were successful in distancing their campaigns from the stigma of cannabis use, which has been detrimental to many previous cannabis reform campaigns.

Finally, from the perspective of those pressing for cannabis reform elsewhere, one ought to recognize that both Colorado and Washington State will employ interim decriminalization while the regulations regarding cannabis are drafted and implemented. The decriminalization period is explicit in Initiative 502 and will begin on December 6, 2012. Decriminalization is not explicit in Amendment 64, but it is expected possession of up to 1-ounce will be decriminalized when the Governor ratifies the amendment in mid-December. In both cases, decriminalization and regulation are used together. This is a change from previous cannabis policy rhetoric where decriminalization and regulation were seen as mutually exclusive policy results.

Colorado State - Amendment 64

Amendment 64 proposes to regulate cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol. The Amendment mandates lawmakers to create a regulated cannabis market by July 2013. The Amendment will create a regulated market for the production, sale and consumption of cannabis for adults over 21 years of age. These same individuals will be permitted to legally grow up to six cannabis plants, provided certain security requirements are met. Furthermore, Amendment 64 explicitly regulates the production and sale of industrial hemp. The Amendment does not change laws regarding driving, anti-drug policies in the workplace or the medical marijuana regime. The Amendment will allow the creation of a regulated cannabis industry replete with commercial production, processing, and storage and retail facilities.

State lawmakers are now tasked with drafting a comprehensive regulation and taxation regime, expected to be completed and brought into effect in July 2013. There is not a lot of guidance in the Amendment as to exactly what Colorado's regulated cannabis industry will look like or how the regulations will operate. However, Amendment 64 requires that the sales tax on non-medical cannabis not exceed 15%. Furthermore, the first $40 million of revenue generated by Amendment 64 has been earmarked for public education in the State.

Key to the success of the Amendment was the support of non-traditional cannabis supporters. This was achieved by focusing on cannabis regulation as a tool to reduce cannabis use amongst youth. While it may seem counter intuitive, proponents of Amendment 64 were able to convince many Colorado voters to vote yes on Amendment 64 for the purpose of making cannabis more difficult for youth to access. This is a somewhat novel plan for cannabis activism, though the research demonstrating teen use rates decline as cannabis illegality is reduced. Furthermore, supporters demonstrated regulation would keep money out of the hands of organized crime, allowing it to be spent on public initiatives such as building schools. Finally, the support is focused on the massive economic benefit the State will receive on account of increased tax revenue and decreased law enforcement and penal spending.

Washington State - Initiative 502

Similar to Amendment 64, Washington State's Initiative 502 will also function to create a regulated cannabis industry. The initiative enables the State Liquor Control Board to draft a regulatory scheme allowing individuals over the age of 21 to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce of dried cannabis, 16 ounces of cannabis infused edibles and 72 ounces of cannabis infused liquids such as lotions. The act also removes criminal penalties for cannabis paraphernalia, which had been illegal in the state. Although it is expected to take up to a year for the regulations to be implemented, the de-criminalization portions of the Initiative are to take effect on December 6, 2012. Unlike Colorado, Washington State will not let individuals produce their own cannabis. All cannabis sold in the state must be produced, stored and sold at state-run stores, similar to provincial liquor stores seen in many Canadian provinces. This is said to reduce the chance of "leakage" of regulated cannabis into the black market of neighboring states where cannabis is still prohibited. Unfortunately, this means those who choose to produce even a few cannabis plants will be breaking the State's criminal law.

Finally, and perhaps most troubling, Initiative 502 includes an amendment to State Driving laws. The new law regarding driving under the influence of THC will make it an offence to drive while having a blood THC concentration over 5nano-grams/ml. This is a "per say" DUI, similar to rules for alcohol, so actual impairment is not relevant. This will require heavy cannabis users, specifically medical patients, to abstain from ingesting cannabis for extended periods of time if they wish to drive. Initiative 502's research suggests this will be at least four hours for smoked cannabis. However, for non-smoked cannabis such as edibles or salves, the duration could be much longer. Though this is problematic, Initiative 502 ear-marks annual funding to study the effects of THC on driving, hopefully to create a more equitable DUI standard for cannabis.

Conflict with Federal Law

The success in each State comes with a large caveat: cannabis is still a Schedule-1 controlled substance. Since federal laws trump state laws, someone legally participating in their State's regulated cannabis industry could face federal prosecution. Furthermore, the individual would be unable to point out they were participating in a legal activity where they live, as a defence to allegations of being an illegal drug user, producer or dealer. Unfortunately, the federal Department of Justice is yet to comment on its reaction to the ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington State. Many fear federal prosecution will target the new regulated cannabis markets, in a way similar to how the Department of Justice has prosecuted state-legal medical marijuana dispensaries. While many are hopeful they will respect the wishes of State voters, this is far from certain.

Going Forward: The Impact of Amendment 64 and Initiative 502

In the wake of the success in Colorado and Washington State, other States are seeing an opportunity to reform their cannabis policies. Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maine are set to introduce bills to regulate cannabis. Iowa has also suggested change is in the works, however, the proposed Bill would simply decriminalize possession with no explicit plans for regulation.

Elsewhere, activists should view the successful ballot initiatives as a reminder that reforming cannabis laws is an achievable goal. However, the initiatives also demonstrate a new kind of activism. Instead of antagonizing lawmakers and law enforcement for continuing prohibition, activists worked with lawmakers and law enforcement to draft working regulatory proposals. These proposals were more palatable to the average voter in each state, particularly parents and non-cannabis users. While the change will not be for everyone, for some, this could present a new way to pursue better cannabis laws.

Cannabis Eradication and the Media:
How the media supports Canada's Annual Eradication Expenditures

Each fall, Canadian law enforcement agencies wage war on cannabis production. This practice costs taxpayers millions of dollars, but the benefits to taxpayers are questionable. In many cases, fall eradication efforts are massive law enforcement projects, engaging multiple law enforcement agencies at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. These coalitions include not only traditional policing agencies, but also the Canadian Border Services and Department of National Defence. In addition to mobilizing large numbers of law enforcement officers, these coalitions often employ state of the art technology such as helicopter mounted infrared sensors. Law enforcement justifies such expensive eradication efforts by suggesting that each plant eradicated, results in an equivalent reduction in cannabis supply for the Canadian market. For example, the RCMP justifies its recent eradication efforts by stating, unequivocally, that the bust of some 6,000 cannabis plants will result in less cannabis being available for sale in local communities, and therefore, reduced access for youths and diminished profits for organized crime.

While such justifications appease common sense, a second assessment reveals the flawed reasoning. No information is provided to demonstrate eradicating cannabis plants actually results in cannabis being less available in Canadian communities, or that any decrease in supply is not offset by an increase in price to maintain the profits for those who produce and sell cannabis. Although it is possible to tally the cost of annual eradication efforts, the benefits of such projects are uncertain. Despite unclear benefits, this practice continues year-after-year. As stated in the Canadian Senate Report on Cannabis: it is time to recognize what is patently obvious: our policies [on cannabis] have been ineffective, because they are poor policies."

The Media's Blind Eye towards Eradication "Efforts" One reason this practice persists is the media rarely challenges the status quo by questioning both the costs and benefits of cannabis eradication. Law enforcement agencies are often given a free ride by Canadian journalists, who print stories consisting of little more than quotes from official news releases and photographs of law enforcement officials in front of vast piles of felled cannabis plants. These reports focus on the number of plants eradicated and the inflated "street value" those plants are said to be worth. Such news stories often assume a link to organized crime and make moral judgments against those who produce cannabis. Furthermore, the eradication efforts are praised for keeping vast quantities of cannabis out of the black market, but the actual impact on cannabis supply is not evaluated. Many reports are no more than re-publications of police press releases regarding recent arrests, containing little more than a name, a location and a rough description of the offence. While this may serve some "reporting" function within the local community, this hardly counts as "journalism" as the author does more than republish information disseminated by law enforcement. This vacates the function of independent journalism, which is meant to assess and critique the statements of government officials, rather than simply repeating official statements without comment.

The result is a symbiotic relationship, whereby law enforcement agencies spend millions each year to eradicate cannabis crops, and the practice is supported by media reports, which highlight the "successes" of eradication without evaluating cost of efficacy. Daisy Eradication in Lethbridge

A bust this summer in Lethbridge, Alberta is illustrative of this problem. In July, Alberta's top drug enforcement team, ALERT CFSEU was lauded in the media for shutting down a large-scale cannabis grow op, and uprooting 1,624 cannabis plants. Reports at the time praised local law enforcement for shutting down such a large production operation and removing $800,000.00 from the hands of organized crime. In November, many media outlets had a new story: the 1,624 uprooted cannabis plants turned out to be late-flowering daisies. These stories attempted to justify the decision to spend taxpayer dollars to eradicate 1,624 daisies. The Calgary Sun quoted one officer as saying: the decision was made on the "best information available at the time" in the interest of public safety. Nowhere in the article does the author hold local law enforcement accountable for wasting time and money on this eradication effort, nor does the author ever investigate the price tag of the operation. The author simply turned a blind eye, and overlooked this important piece of information, instead, justifying the wasteful actions of ALERT CFSEU.

Furthermore, and perhaps most shockingly, the article makes the massive error made by local law enforcement seem like a joke. The article makes passing reference to how this bust has ruined the reputation of the man wrongly accused of being a large-scale drug producer, but then concludes the article with a serious of jokes to make light of the situation. Furthermore, no reference was made as to the amount of public funds wasted by both municipal and provincial law enforcement officials in order to uproot and destroy 1,624 daisies. This is but one example of the wasted effort that is Canada's cannabis eradication, and how complicit journalists support it. To compound the issue, even when the problems of cannabis eradication are exposed, it seems journalists let law enforcement off easy. This is unacceptable.

What can you do? The best way to help stop the annual eradication campaigns is to let your voice be heard. Contact your local government officials: your M.P, M.P.P, City Counselor or local Police Chief, and tell them you do not approve of wasting millions of dollars each year to eradicate outdoor cannabis. Furthermore, write letters to the editor of your local newspapers telling them to cease supporting eradication efforts by re-publishing official news releases. Encourage responsible journalism, which investigates the cost of cannabis eradication and objectively evaluates the stated benefit of eradication programs. Fair coverage may result in more accurate reporting, and fewer occasions of media overlooking what is truly important.

Quebec Lawyers Challenge Minimum Mandatory Sentencing The Barreau du Quebec (Quebec Bar Association) have filed a motion in the Quebec Superior Court challenging the constitutionality of the Harper government's new mandatory minimum sentences. The Barreau du Quebec say the new laws do not contribute to the protection of citizens, they undermine the independence of the courts and are an unconstitutional interference with the judicial branch by the executive branch. The Barreau du Quebec's mandate is to protect the public.

Please stay tuned for our next newsletter where we will take a closer look at Barreau du Quebec's challenge

And Cannabis is a Worry?

2012-12-20T13:11:00.000+13:00

In the US, the annual death rate, as a direct result of medical treatment, is 225,000 people. Of those, 106,000 are killed by FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs. The other 119,000 are killed by medical mistreatment in hospitals. This makes medically caused death the third leading cause of mortality in America.

CHCH Sister City; "Seattle after Legalization"

2012-12-08T15:54:00.000+13:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Roger Goodman
Date: Sat, Dec 8, 2012 at 4:01 AM
Subject: Seattle after legalization
To: Blair Anderson, mildgreens@gmail.com

Hello Friends, from the Land of Oz... We're making world history out here!
Roger

Seattle the day after they Legalized Marijuana.......Nov 7, 2012

Roger Goodman,

State Representative, 45^th District

Washington State Legislature

Huff, Puff and Blow.

2012-08-27T15:13:00.001+12:00

The New Zealand based MildGreen Initiative, a drug policy think tank (est 1998) reiterates yet again that "These tragedies surrounding inhalants and 'anything they can get there hands on' are a product of poor drug policy."

What has changed these past 40-50 years? Certainly not the pharmacology of these substances. What has changed are the rules that make safer drugs illegal and dangerous alternatives readily available.

It can be fairly said of these 'huffing' young teens, had they indulged in a joint of cannabis they would be suffering no perceptible risk. Even if they had indulged to the point that they required assistance, a glass of orange juice is about all the medical intervention that is required. They would be alive and well today.

We continue to distort the truth surrounding NZ most popular 'other, albeit illicit drug' and expect young people to listen to us. Get real. When the writer offered complimentary copies of "Safety First" and "Beyond Zero Tolerance" (Prof Rodney Skagar) to the Christchurch Library and to the Canterbury District Health Board Resource Centre they refused to approve them for distribution even restricted to adults only.

The price we pay for sticking our collective heads in the sand and wasting millions of otherwise better directed resources is considered acceptable 'to send a clear message'. Now we reap the rewards of our folly.

1998 Health Select Committee Report was erudite, courageous and clear when in its final analysis it pointed out that the double standards surrounding alcohol and cannabis is an impediment to credible (anti)drug education.

The Ottawa "Bible of Public Health" Charter is quite specific, when you identify such impediments, remove them. The Charter is the mantra for HEALTHY CHRISTCHURCH. Perhaps they could care to comment....

English: Peter Dunne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Unfortunately MP Dunne et al are unable to get over what the evidence says, and what a statutory empowered expert review committee recommended as he still touts prohibition as if we redoubled our efforts it might eventually work.

What legislation we have in place is Rt Hon Helen Clark's partial prohibition. One that places possession and sale of cannabis like substances as R18. This has merit. And unless media and other policy wonks and commentators give balance to the merits the healthy message the 2008 restricted substances regulations send, we will remain 'at a loss to explain and diminish' both alcohol and other drug related harms. Not that Hon Dunne is about to let on these regulations were brought in to protect young people.

Prime Minister of New Zealand Rt Hon Helen Clark at the opening of Waikato River Trail at Whakamaru (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Without doubt, these regulations as they currently remain unused, do challenge our sensibilities as to why cannabis is not included under them, more especially as it was United Future who held Labour's coalition to 'a thou shalt not talk about cannabis in this term of parliament or we'll chop up the treasury cheque book' despite there being a global debate and sustantial international committement to revision of drug policy.

Peter Dunne went to the UN and pretended the 2008 regulations didn't exist. He attended various Ministry of Health drug policy events at Te Papa and refused to acknowledge that experts were calling the 2008 regulations "world class". Indeed Professor Nutt former chair of the UK expert advisory committee (ACMD) said of these regulations "I wish I had thought of them first" and when asked if cannabis should be in them, "absolutely" he emphaticaly replied (in answer to questions at the 2009 Christchurch, Otago School of Medicine lectures).

So why haven't we heard about these regulations?
Could it be because they became law the day John Key became right and honorable?
Could it be because the required intervention, good 'healthy' regulations were gazetted and got Royal seal of approval smack in the middle of the 2008 election and no one noticed?
Or is it because really good drug policy is just plain boring?

Our current 'moral panic' response effectively makes these soft 'alternatives' to alcohol and cigarettes compulsory and a right of passage. With such double standards, we couldn't set up our kids for failure if we tried...

From colleague and Californian Education Professor Rodney Skagar (yes he visited NZ on a lecture tour hosted by the NZ Drug Foundation) - "Although we urge young people to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, our national surveys show that many do not heed our warnings. To prevent adolescents who do experiment from falling into abusive patterns, we need to create fallback strategies that focus on safety. Putting safety first requires that we be careful to provide our young people with credible information and resources. We also need to teach our teenagers how to identify and handle problems with alcohol and other drugs—if and when they occur—and how to get help and support."

http://www.drugpolicy.org/safetyfirst/

Join the MildGreens and others supporting the inclusion of cannabis into the R18 "Restricted Substances Regulations" applying Safety and Health Principals over failed prohibitory management and advocating for reality-based approaches to drug education at home and in school that foster open and honest dialogue around the context, risks and consequences of drug use.

We also invite you to critically examine random student drug dog 'sniffing', an invasive policy that can erode relationships of trust between students and adults at school and unintentionally direct students to more dangerous behaviors.

Not by the hair of your chinny chin, chin....

'NZ's cannabis cognitive deficit'

Blair Anderson, Christchurch NZ. Educators for Sensible Drug Policy.
http://www.efsdp.org
--

Blair Anderson

Social Ecologist 'at large'

http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://efsdp.org

Christchurch, New Zealand
ph nz (643) 389 4065 nz cell 027 265 7219

Obit: Stephen Lindsay McIntyre

2012-07-26T01:39:00.000+12:00

English: 'Mary Jane the Cannabus', the vehicle of a NORML cannabis activism group, seen in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Stephen Lindsay McIntyre - fmr New Zealand NORML President left the premises last weekend.

A dedicated cannabis law reformer. The subject of recent Police and Court activity focused on Medicinal pot Stephen decided they were not going to win.

Obit. see http://notices.nzherald.co.nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/obituary.aspx?n=stephen-lindsay-mcintyre&pid=158712377&fhid=12549#fbLoggedOut

Blair Anderson http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

I wish I had thought of them myself.

2012-07-16T23:53:00.000+12:00

Potential harm of commonly used drugs based on a study by David Nutt, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10819822
Dunne is being utterly disingenuous to the truth of the matter. This is not joined up thinking, and it is not intersectoral, worse, it is harm maximisation pretending to be best practice.

[Ecstasy] MDMA is safer than horse riding and 'herbals' a fraction of the harms of cannabis let alone alcohol.

Were evidence to inform policy Dunne would be putting them all under former drug czar Andertons Class D regulations. NZ's world class innovation in drug policy 'use' of SAFER soft drugs managed as a health matter. The legislations explainatory note is instructive.

Explanatory note

This note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general effect.

The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2005 (the Act) created a regime for regulating restricted substances. Restricted substances are psychoactive drugs that are considered to be of low risk but still in need of some regulation. Part 3 of the Act established a limited number of controls for restricted substances, including a minimum purchase age of 18 years and prohibitions on free-of-charge distribution and the advertisement of restricted substances in certain media. Section 62 of the Act allowed for wider controls to be implemented through regulation.

These regulations, which come into force on the 28th day after the date of their notification in the Gazette, place further controls on the places from which restricted substances can be sold or supplied, the signage that must be displayed, and the advertising, labelling, packaging, and storage of restricted substances.

Currently, there are no restricted substances. These regulations are made in anticipation of 1 or more restricted substances being listed in Schedule 4 of the Act under the authority of section 33 of the Act.

'I wished I had thought of them myself'- David Nutt, speaking to the adult only "Restricted Substances Regulations" Christchurch, Otago School of Medicine Guest Lecture.
--

Blair Anderson

Social Ecologist 'at large'

http://mildgreens.blogspot.com
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://efsdp.org

Christchurch, New Zealand
ph nz (643) 389 4065 nz cell 027 265 7219

Synthetic Cannabinoids, "Legal (And Illegal) Highs" - A Warning | CLEAR

2012-07-16T01:13:00.001+12:00

English: Peter Dunne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Synthetic Cannabinoids, "Legal (And Illegal) Highs" - A Warning. | CLEAR

And lets pretend we don't know how to do this.... when we have already DUNNE it.
Peter Dunne inherited the best damn drug laws in the world. Google "restricted substances regulations"
Blair Anderson http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Testing Reason

2012-07-10T09:14:00.003+12:00

If we test people for cannabis receptors.... ie nature provided, nature intended, purpose built and life sustaining human biology....then no need for testing as 100% of the population has clear proof, it is found everywhere. Even the Pope has em. All over. Even prohibition fundamentalists!
Cannabinoids are essential... 'oil of life' stuff.

This particular food group of flavonoids (exo-cannabinoids) are now proven effective as both life long and intervention neuroprotectant(s) such that it has been called 'mind oil'.
So important as an anti-oxidant 'mediator' endocannabinoids pathways are what allowed the increased evolutionary complexity so that we could evolve past the bi-valve mollusk. (cf: striated muscle)

Portrait of Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) by Gösta Florman (1831–1900). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We should be lucky, so much so that if 'cannabis' were discovered up some hallowed valley of Bhutan or being used by a mystical Brazilian 'no contact' tribe it would be heralded as a wonder drug. Nobel prizes would be pending.
Eminent psycho-pharmacologists (emeritus professors) have labeled cannabis 'the plant' [not some obscure over priced extract...] as the ASPRO of the 21st Century.
The retraint on science, epidemiological research and applied reason is a human rights abuse.
But don't expect a blood, tissue or saliva test for stupidity soon folks...

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

The Stuff of Social Capital, Drug Prohibition a Legal Crock

2012-06-08T11:39:00.000+12:00

This is the stuff of social capital... I wonder what the NZ Law Commission would make of this today?
And lets not pretend these reformist views are held by 'lefty long haired stoners', such perceptions and intolerance is proof itself drug prohibition is founded and maintained on PURE prejudice.

Reform, demanded by eminent Australians including now Foreign Minister Bob Carr, demonstrates that business leaders, former senior politicians and bureaucrats, former senior law enforcement officials, medical practitioners and many others have 'higher' standards. Perhaps here is the real reason NZ'ers are flocking to Aussie shores..... see http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4057632.html

Blair Anderson http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Huge cannabis bust in Hawke's Bay - Latest News - Keep up with Newstalk ZB

2012-05-20T18:45:00.001+12:00

Huge cannabis bust in Hawke's Bay - Latest News - Keep up with Newstalk ZB

1000 plants, gee and this is what happens under prohibition!
Should we be surprised the Police get 'some'.... a pathetic .05% and they call it a success!

Time to regulate, put cannabis into the restricted substances regulations before we create more job opportunities for criminal cannabis 'patches'.

Blair Andersonhttp://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Science and Policy of 'Guilt by Machine"

2012-05-18T20:28:00.001+12:00

The science and policy of 'Guilt by Machine" explored in British Medical Journal blog, particularily cannabis testing described by British top cop Det. Chief Super Eddie Ellison as the logical equivalent of licking someones exhaust pipe ...to see if the driver had been speeding. Eddie had grave concerns that Police would tout individual 'detections' as evidence of policy effectivness while systemically degrading 'consent to police' elevating unintended consequences and entrenching health policy failure.

BMJ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jeremy Sare: Drug driving in the Queen’s Speech

Blair Anderson http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Canvassing for Opinion - aka "Blairs Brain on Cannabis"

Brain-imaging study links cannabinoid receptors to post-traumatic stress disorder cure

Related articles

Dunne and Media, Naive in the Extreme.

Related articles

The hidden dangers of legal highs

Related articles

Time to End the War on Drugs

Related articles

$3M of Cannabis, $4M of Drug Harm?

Related articles

ALCP Making History.

Related articles

Dunne: Psychoactive Substances Bill a ‘game-changer’

Related articles

A Plot To Over Throw The Government

Policy standard suggests Class D solution

Related articles

And the Poms like Class D?

Stroke, Pot and an uncritical Media.

Related articles

Banks, Cannabis and Colonisation

Related articles

Prohibition Thinking 94yrs Old This Week.

Related articles

Ostracise the pot smokers, not jail them - Rosemary McLoud

Related articles

Have a NORML XMAS, experience a SAFER New Year

Related articles

And Cannabis is a Worry?

Related articles

CHCH Sister City; "Seattle after Legalization"

Related articles

Huff, Puff and Blow.

Related articles

Obit: Stephen Lindsay McIntyre

I wish I had thought of them myself.

Explanatory note

Related articles

Synthetic Cannabinoids, "Legal (And Illegal) Highs" - A Warning | CLEAR

Related articles

Testing Reason

Related articles

The Stuff of Social Capital, Drug Prohibition a Legal Crock

Related articles

Huge cannabis bust in Hawke's Bay - Latest News - Keep up with Newstalk ZB

Science and Policy of 'Guilt by Machine"

Related articles