Posts by Ross Bell
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I lived in Auckland for 8 years - love the place :)
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Sad news, but congrats on the great work Media7/3 did. It was one of the few (if not the only) shows that would add more light than heat on many complex and contested issues - drug policy being a good example of that. Fingers crossed you'll get something else on the telly v soon.
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Hard News: Moving on, in reply to HORansome,
Damn! Same.
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Thanks for the thoughtful post Russell. I have mixed views about the debate. Bloody pleased with the final vote, naturally, but bottom line the drug policy debate is a lot more nuanced than that format allows (or any format that pitches one side against the other). There's likely to be a lot more common ground to be found if we can move beyond the polarised positioning.
Having said all that, I love the PA readership and hereby invite you all to critique my contribution last night. I would really appreciate any feedback.
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All the posting of music. You’re freaking me out – thought it must be Friday. Taihoa.
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Agree with Russell:
There has to be a better way than this.
@Hirini and Hone et al, I reckon there's a lot of agreement with your POV re the harms, and therefore it shouldn't be too difficult finding consensus on a drug policy that works to prevent and reduce those harms.
On that point, mid-way through this year the government will begin public consultation on a new national drug policy, coupled with what we already have from the Law Commission's earlier drug law reform, we're well placed to move this thing along. So watch this space.
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This looks like a damn interesting viewing.
We wrote this piece about the cannabis market a few years ago. It shows that the economy is always overstated, e.g.
Dealers spent an average of $5,988 each on cannabis over the previous year. Half made a net financial gain and the other half a loss.
Such small numbers are jarring when you consider media headlines that have put the size of the illegal cannabis market at $1–3 billion, or recall a 1998 Auckland University study that estimated Northland’s cannabis industry was earning at least $700 million a year – nearly twice as much as Northland’s entire dairy industry.
At $1 billion, cannabis would be as significant as all of New Zealand’s legal exports to the Pacific Islands, or a quarter the size of New Zealand’s entire legal horticulture industry.
http://drugfoundation.org.nz/lets-talk-about-pot/market-forces
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Thanks Russell.
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Hard News: The frustrating politics of…, in reply to Sacha,
Yeah. i've talked with head drug official who says great cross party support and importantly a very supportive media. main issue now is maintaining funding for treatment services in current financial crisis.