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zeta
Stranger
Registered: 05/24/02
Posts: 3,972
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New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released
#1796994 - 08/09/03 11:48 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Only several years overdue, the New Zealand parliament select committee has released its "Inquiry into the public health strategies related to cannabis use and the most appropriate legal status"
The full report is available here http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Content/SelectCommitteeReports/i6c.pdf
The Green Party's summary of the report:
Report on cannabis sets scene for law change
Cannabis law reform is now inevitable following the Health Select Committee report into cannabis, said the Green Party.
Green MPs Nandor Tanczos and Sue Kedgley, with Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons, have welcomed the long awaited report, saying that it presents a compelling case for change.
- Moderate, adult use of cannabis has low risk, but heavy, chronic and underage use can cause harm - The most effective public health strategy is one based on harm reduction and community action. - The aim of cannabis legislation should be to prevent young people using cannabis. Non-problematic adult use should not be criminalised. - Cannabis prohibition does not prevent underage use and creates significant problems of its own, including acting as a 'gateway mechanism' to hard drugs. - Progress can be made with medical use of cannabis, more use of police diversion, reclassification of cannabis by the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs, and the Justice and Electoral Committee looking at the justice and civil rights issues and the best model for legislative change.
"In light of the current concerns around increased use of methamphetamines, the comment in the report that 'prohibition facilitates the black market and exposes cannabis users to harder drugs' should make us all sit up and take notice," said Green Drug Policy spokesperson Nandor Tanczos.
"The conclusion is inescapable: prohibition is the gateway to harder drugs."
"The report also highlights the increase in cannabis use itself under prohibition. It notes that the result of law reform in the Netherlands is that far fewer young people use cannabis compared to New Zealand"
Green Health spokesperson Sue Kedgley said the report acknowledges that for the majority of occasional cannabis users, there is a low risk of cannabis related harm.
"The World Health Organisation acknowledges that cannabis use is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco," said Ms Kedgley. "This calls into question why we maintain prohibition against the adult use of cannabis when alcohol and tobacco have been demonstrated to cause more significant health risks."
"The Green Party strongly supports the harm minimisation approach to cannabis use that aimed to reduce the incidence and severity of drug use. As the report acknowledged, it is hard to educate, offer treatment to young people or do research when the drug is illegal.
"I am very pleased the report supports the possibility that cannabis products be available for medical purposes. This would be welcome relief for thousands of sufferers of debilitating pain in New Zealand who could now have a natural alternative to a cocktail of chemicals currently on the market," said Ms Kedgley.
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Sheepish
Registered: 04/02/02
Posts: 10,137
Loc: Exile
Last seen: 5 years, 10 months
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Re: New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released [Re: zeta]
#1828715 - 08/19/03 03:10 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Sounds promising. The only hurdle really is Peter Dunne - he's completely stubborn on the whole issue of marijuana legalisation. I guess now all we have to do is wait and see, and hope the next elections can bring about some serious change once and for all.
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zeta
Stranger
Registered: 05/24/02
Posts: 3,972
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Re: New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released [Re: Sheepish]
#1831987 - 08/20/03 12:24 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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He's a buttfuck. I'm pretty sure he'll be ignored soon.
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero
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Re: New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released [Re: zeta]
#1833204 - 08/20/03 11:34 AM (20 years, 6 months ago) |
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> The conclusion is inescapable: prohibition is the gateway to harder drugs
Wow... now if only the rest of the world would accept this statement... *sigh*
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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Thor
Anti-Theist OVERLORD
Registered: 08/12/98
Posts: 10,017
Loc: Iceland
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Re: New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released [Re: Seuss]
#1836896 - 08/21/03 11:04 AM (20 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
Seuss said: > The conclusion is inescapable: prohibition is the gateway to harder drugs
Wow... now if only the rest of the world would accept this statement... *sigh*
Good luck, imagine the US drug czars reading that, they'd call it pro-pot propoganda.
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Sheepish
Registered: 04/02/02
Posts: 10,137
Loc: Exile
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Re: New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released [Re: Thor]
#1841575 - 08/22/03 05:37 PM (20 years, 6 months ago) |
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I doubt we'd care if the US threw a hissy fit. We didn't want to send troops to Iraq, and stood by our decision, so I'm hoping we can do the same here, regardless of what the US says.
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Learyfan
It's the psychedelic movement!
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Re: New Zealand Cannabis Health Report released [Re: zeta]
#1846297 - 08/24/03 07:03 PM (20 years, 6 months ago) |
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Nice
-------------------- -------------------------------- Mp3 of the month: Sons Of Adam - Feathered Fish
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