Hard News: The long road to "Yes"
14 Responses
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thank you for all your efforts - those of us who were able to vote yes easily cannot fully appreciate all the effort time and energy required in your determined attempt to male things right for so many. Regardless of the outcome, please accept my thank you as some recognition of a job well done.
Best wishes -
It has been an exhausting lot of work, but if it passes I shall be the King of Smug.
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Tweet from TVNZ reporter Benedict Collins:
So after staunchly opposing the legalisation of cannabis all year NZ Medical Association chair Kate Baddock has issued a statement and apology, in the middle of voting, saying actually the NZMA has "no position regarding the cannabis referendum".
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YES.......
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Well done, that man and friends.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Tweet from TVNZ reporter Benedict Collins:
I'm very angry about this.
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Sacha, in reply to
Benedict’s article:
The New Zealand Medical Association chair, who was forced to apologise and clarify the union’s stance on the cannabis referendum, has been criticised by former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who said it previously “gave a false impression to voters of what doctors think”.
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On if it was irresponsible to come out as an ‘against’ voice repeatedly and only clarifying its position less than two weeks before election day, NZMA said it is often “invited by the media to discuss any number of health issues”.Article includes link to NZMA’s open letter to its members, dated Friday 9 October.
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Absolutely YES!!!
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Thank you for all your work on this. It escapes me as to why anyone would support a law that manages to be both ineffective and punitive at the same time.
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I will add my little voice to the big thank yous Russel Brown. All the help has been urgently needed. Much appreciated, never to be forgotten.
If this wins, and I am now confident it will, it will be a victory of thought over fear – and that will be historic. Yay for you, for me, for us!
The MakeItLegal site has reached (according to Facebokk stats) over two million people. Quite large – and it has depended on ordinary people sharing on their social media – yay for all of us.
What a stupid idea this was! What cowards in government! I realise this was the best that could be, it is what it is, but what a extremely silly way to decide social issues. Demonstrates just how profoundly anti-democratic referendums on social issues are. Why my vote should decide Joe Blow’s legal rights is beyond me.
The argument has been won, what ever the vote. The opposition “nopers” have spent vast sums that I assume include focus groups. They have realised that they have to give ground . Now we see them arguing that “cannabis is effectively decriminalised…” During this campaign there have been at least five busts, probably a dozen, in my wider community. Just because they mostly have not lead to prosecutions does not minimise the harm done to people having their lives disrupted. And the ones that have lead to prosecution (over two thousand a year) have been utterly devastating. I get so mad. (Calm down Worik…. Be kind…. Be respectful… That is what I tell every one else – take my own advice!)
Oh well. There are so many stories to tell. I know a few about Green Fairies that are quite surprising. Who has been moving cannabis where and for whom…. and for free! The time will come when we can talk frankly with out lies – not yet. Soon.
This is not the final stretch. After the referendum we have a huge fight in select committee.
Lastly: Everybody on the “Yes” side. Please stop with “we know cannabis is harmful”. Cannabis is good! That is why it is so popular. It is not for every body, but it will not be compulsory. Everything can be harmful, and it is a big ask to ask people to vote for something harmful! Cannabis is actually very good.
Really feeling the love
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Tautoko - and big thanks for all the work on this. Fingers crossed. I thought it was all over a month ago, but there did seem to be a mood change in the last two weeks. Yes, please!
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I thought it was an excellent campaign Russell - and nice to chat again after all that time :)
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Neil,
A PM claiming they don’t want to influence how people vote might just influence how people vote.
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What a shame,67,662 votes in it, after all that effort. I also suspect that the Christian Right targeted cannabis because they thought that it was a better bet than the euthanasia referendum, which they may have realised that they could never win. Ironically enough,another four US states legalised recreational cannabis a few days ago through referenda. I think the cannabis campaign was the victim of displaced anxiety about Covid-19 and the manipulation of fears about risk and harm, and particular exploitation of social conservatism within Pasifika communities. I think there are probably also questions to be asked about competitor monitoring of your opponents in this context and ready response to their claims. Family First skilfully played on that and no Yes advertising did.
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