NORML News Summer 2002-3
A column detailing political goings on.
Politricks
The outcome of the election results was both good and bad for the cannabis movement. The appointment of two new Green MPs was definitely a victory, especially former NORML secretary Metiria Turei. The coalition agreement between Labour, United Future and Progressive Coalition prevents the Government from introducing a bill to change the law. However, the bill doesn't stop Labour MPs from voting for a private member's bill, and Health Select Committee Chair Steve Chadwick announced in November that the inquiry would be restarted with the report due "early next year". About 85% of public submissions favour law reform, with over half backing Dutch-style cannabis cafes. The big question now is who gets to filter all this information and write the report?
We have a new drugs grandpa. As newly appointed Chairman of the Ministerial Committee overseeing the National Drug Policy, Jim Anderton has the power to make progress on sorting out the mess that our drug policy is in. The rest of the committee includes Phil Goff, George Hawkins, Lianne Dalziel, John Tamihere and Damien O'Conner.
The election results meant a sad departure for Minister of Youth Affairs, Laila Harre. Together with Nandor, Laila secured $450, 000 to assess the effectiveness of today's drug education programs in schools such as PRYDE and DARE. We hope new Minister of Youth Affairs John Tamihere will spend this money wisely.
Greens cannabis campaigner
Green MPs have hired former Norml South Island coordinator Sandra Murray as their new Cannabis Law Reform Outreach campaigner.
Sandra's job will be to work with key sector groups that have an interest in cannabis policy, in particular those in the education, health, law enforcement, youth and justice areas; improve public awareness of the underlying harm arising from the current law; and broaden understanding of the need for cannabis law reform that is based on a harm-reduction model.
Sandra Murray can be contacted c/- Nandor,
Parliament, Wellington. Ph 04 470-6712
Herbal Highs
In September, the front page of the Sunday Star Times accused Nandor Tanczos of benefiting from the sale of "ecstasy-like pills" by the Hempstore, in which he is a minority shareholder.
The Hempstore says their herbal high range is in line with the government's policy of harm minimisation by providing a legal, natural and safe alternative to dangerous hard drugs and pharmaceuticals. The active ingredient, benzopiperazine, is found in peppers. The Ministry of Health refused to cave into the sensationalist headlines and investigate the dance pills. A Ministry source said that while they were aware of its use, there was no cause for them to be concerned.
Craig McWho?
In a desperate bid for publicity, New Zealand's straightest MP Craig McNair (NZ First) laid a complaint with the police over Nandor Tanczos's use of cannabis as a Rastafarian sacrament.
NORML activists offered to turn themselves in on mass at the nearest police station if Nandor was arrested, making the front page of The Dominion and turning heads in the Beehive.
McNair's complaint backfired spectacularly. Instead of a public outcry about Nandor, all he stirred up was curiosity about how such an unusual person as McNair - a 27 year-old virgin who lives at home with his parents - could be in the House of Representatives!
The police seemed reluctant to investigate, and the last we heard, the Crown Law Office was being dragged in. All this to determine if a self-confessed once-a-month pot smoking MP should be hauled before the courts! What about the others such as Health Minister Annette King and Peter Dunne who have also admitted to having a toke?
Nandor's case is still being dragged out as a convenient political diversion from serious political debate.
If no charges are laid, it would seem reasonable that a general amnesty be applied to all cannabis users as one law applies for all. If charges are laid, people up and down the country have vowed to hand themselves in to the police to confess their past sins. One way to waste the most police time is to lay an official complaint against yourself, alleging that you smoked a joint in 1987... or was it 1988? Hang on, let me think...
Ganga Globetrotter
NORML welcomes the return of President Chris Fowlie from a six month global ganja odyssey of Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. Just a few hours back in the country, Chris appeared on TV2's Space. This was sparked by their interest in him passing the Cannabis Coffeeshop College in the Netherlands. Chris says that a key part of getting cafes open is staying one step ahead of the police and the politicians, and for that reason this magazine is not the best place to reveal too much about how exactly cafes will be set up.
Amnesty proposed
A source within the police told us a new approach is being discussed that could greatly reduce the number of cannabis arrests. A senior officer has proposed that people would be allowed three warnings for cannabis offences before they would be arrested. This is intended as an interim step while the law is being debated, so that people can talk openly of their experiences without fear of arrest. There is a lot of support within the force for comprehensive drug law reform, and we are pleased someone has listened to NORML's call for a moratorium on cannabis arrests.
