Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Cabinet and the Reeferendum

86 Responses

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  • linger, in reply to Joe Boden,

    Just high and mighty?

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Moz, in reply to Joe Boden,

    Only the self-righteous may enter the kingdom of heaven?

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to ,

    This is important for me because I take things way too seriously.

    I find the simplest panacea is the old maxim;
    'Trust in Allah,
    but tie up your camel'

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Boden, in reply to ,

    And among other things, I wonder how exactly the regulation is going to stop children from smoking dope. Will it be more or less a cut and paste of the regulation currently in place to reduce alcohol harm on children?

    The Canadian idea is control of the supply chain. Currently, any 15 year old in NZ who wants to buy weed can get it. With control of the supply chain, that gets harder. The question is whether that can be achieved.

    As for alcohol regulations, we pretty much don't have any (apart from age of purchase, which is broken).

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 97 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Young,

    I didn't. In fact, I never have used recreational drugs, but I am a strong believer in evidence-based research and public policy based on it across the board, as opposed to junk science. I believe in harm minimisation and risk reduction. When it comes to premature use, we will need to do considerably better than we have when it comes to preventing susceptible young folks preloading and binge drinking.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 573 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to ,

    I think it’s important not to let it be glamorous in the eyes of young people.

    Completely ban any advertising industry input funnel all information thru scientific channels and informed parents. TELL 'EM...Your messing with your minds, kids, try and show a bit of respect for yourselves, do that and you might be able to enjoy the mind altering aspects of the drug. And dont endanger others please.

    the Trump hypnosis

    Its going to take a while for that to peter out in society if ever. We're always going to have stupid with us

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Moz, in reply to Craig Young,

    I never have used recreational drugs

    Can you just clarify whether that includes legal psychoactive substances like alcohol and caffeine? Remember the laughter when the UK proposed to outlaw *all* psychoactive substances, and the horror when they did?

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

  • linger,

    At this point I would like to direct you towards the episode of Andrew Maxwell’s Public Enemies on the drugs trade (first broadcast in 2013, but recently rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra, so currently available for streaming until the end of July 2019).
    “I’m not going to ask if you’ve used drugs; I’ll just tell the jokes, and I’ll know from your reactions.”
    On ignoring alcohol, Maxwell comments (9 minutes in): it’s like “a government [that was] officially vegetarian, [and] used all the power of the state to go after steak restaurants, but instead of shutting down meat, they had a war on condiments.”

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Boden,

    The NZMJ has accepted our letter responding the FF's press release. If you'd like a copy email me at joseph.boden@otago.ac.nz. I can't post it here due to copyright restrictions.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 97 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to ,

    Is the well known and popular celebrity psychotherapist, Kyle MacDonald, also a qualified psychiatrist?

    No. And I suspect he’d chuckle at ‘celebrity’. :)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Boden, in reply to ,

    And there is plenty to discuss. Tax, could it create a perverse outcome for example?

    Is this process of cannabis reform by referendum also an opportunity to take stock and look at our democratic health? How sophisticated is contemporary propaganda if there is even any at play?

    And I like how Portugal didn’t just make cannabis reform the cool hipster thing to twitter about. They had a go at proper drugs law reform.

    It's worth noting that Portugal's problem was primarily linked to opiate addiction. One of the things that we have not done well so far in the debate on drug law reform is being able to articulate clearly what problem we are trying to solve.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 97 posts Report Reply

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