 | No Arrests at Dunedin Police Station Smoke-In |
 Much respect to Dunedin marijuana activists who invaded a Dunedin Central Police Station as part of their J Day celebrations. There were no arrests - in fact the police completely ignored them!
Senior Sergeant Bruce Ross refused to accept a statement offered by NORML's Dunedin co-ordinator Duncan Eddy and then left the reception desk. The group then continued smoking inside and outside the police station.
This lead to a lot of press attention in the Otago Daily times, which asked the police why they hadn't arrested the protestors.
They said that dealing with the protesters would have been a "considerable drain on resources". Well exactly! Smokers around the country might like to turn up to police stations smoking pot and daring police to arrest them. Clog the Courts!
 05/5/03 Cannabis Protest Ignored By Police
 05/5/03 Police reaction to pot smokers a 'cop out'
06/5/03 No Arrests Of Cannabis Protesters
CANNABIS PROTEST IGNORED BY POLICE
Otago Daily Times, 05 May 2003
By CHRIS MORRIS
Police did nothing to stop protesters smoking cannabis in the foyer of the Dunedin Central Police Station on Saturday.
About 20 people, led by protest organiser Duncan Eddy, walked into the police station at 2.45pm smoking cannabis joints as part of Dunedin's J-Day - "joint day" - protest against cannabis laws.
They were met by Senior Sergeant Bruce Ross, who appeared briefly behind the reception desk and refused a statement offered by Mr Eddy.
Snr Sgt Ross then left the foyer and the protesters returned to the steps outside the police station, where another 50 protesters were gathered also smoking cannabis.
Earlier, about 70 protesters had marched from the Octagon to the police station carrying a large fake joint, at the conclusion of the 4th annual J-Day rally in the Octagon.
About 300 people attended the rally between midday and 2.30pm to protest against the cannabis laws, Mr Eddy said.
"We have just had a few hundred people sitting here and smoking cannabis in the grand tradition of civil disobedience. There's been a really good feeling here."
One Dunedin mother (38), who declined to be named, brought her 20-month-old daughter with her to protest.
"This is her third J-Day. She has been coming here since she was in utero." The woman said she wanted to protest "repressive and oppressive" cannabis laws.
"You make rules in society to minimise harm. The harm of arresting people for using marijuana is so much worse than the harm of using it," she said.
Another man, a dentist who also declined to be named, suggested relaxed marijuana laws could help save power.
"We could save power by growing our cannabis plants outside, instead of using expensive hydroponic units inside," he said.
Mr Eddy said the rally and protest aimed to get police involved in the debate on cannabis law reform.
"I think a lot of police realise cannabis laws need to be changed. We want the police to get involved in the debate and tell us what they think about the law," he said.
However, Snr Sgt Ross said he was not interested in debating cannabis law reform with protesters and ignoring them was the best way to deal with the situation at the time.
"If they want to change the law there are right ways to go about it, and that's to see their MP."
----
No arrests of cannabis protesters
Otago Daily Times, 06 May 2003
By CHRIS MORRIS
Police say they had better things to do than arrest
protesters smoking cannabis in the Dunedin Central
Police Station at the weekend.
About 20 protesters entered the station foyer on
Saturday afternoon smoking cannabis joints to
highlight their call for cannabis law reform. They had
earlier attended the fourth annual J-Day - "joint day"
- rally in the Octagon, where cannabis was also
smoked.
Police did not attend the rally and declined to act
when the protesters smoked cannabis inside the
station.
City area controller Inspector Dave Campbell said
police did not have a policy of ignoring J-Day but
chose to ignore the action on Saturday because of
staff numbers and the minor nature of the offending.
"It was just an act of defiance and I believe was
treated appropriately. These things depend on what
else we are doing at the time.
"It's all about priorities."
Southern district commander Superintendent Nick Perry said the offending was not "at the higher end of the scale" and police resources were better used
elsewhere.
"The reality of the situation is, if we have a number
of people turning up to commit an offence that we are not in a situation to deal with at the time, we don't initiate any action."
Dealing with the protesters would have been a
"considerable drain on resources". Police would have acted if the offending was serious enough.
When contacted yesterday, protest organiser Duncan Eddy agreed police resources were better targeted elsewhere. The incident highlighted the need for cannabis law reform.
"I don't think they should be busting anyone for
smoking pot, because they've got better things to do. There's not enough police to deal with real crime, let alone cannabis crime," he said.
Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson, who spoke at the
rally on Saturday, said when contacted yesterday he supported partial decriminalisation.
"My main concern with legislation as it is, is the
damage done to someone who might be apprehended with a small amount of marijuana for personal use is grossly in excess of their misdemeanour."
Partial decriminalisation would mean it would not be a criminal offence to be found with small amounts of marijuana for personal use, he said.
However, partial decriminalisation would likely face
stiff opposition from New Zealand First and United
Future.
Editorial: UPHOLDING THE LAW
Otago Daily Times, 09 May 2003
What does it say when about 20 protesters can enter a police station foyer
and openly flout the law?
That is what happened last Saturday at the Dunedin Central Police Station
when cannabis smokers walked in smoking joints as part of Dunedin's J-Day -
"joint day" - protest against cannabis laws.
Most would agree that, today, smoking cannabis does not rate up there with
the crimes of the century. It is disturbing, nonetheless, that police
authority and the law can be ignored in such blatant ways.
Does turning a blind eye to lawbreaking create helpful precedents? What
will be next? Will the police also choose to ignore underage drinking when
it is awkward and when it would have been a "considerable drain on resources"?
There are two distinct issues here. One is the rights and wrongs of
cannabis and whether it should be decriminalised. The second is about
apparently condoning brazen law breaking.
Perhaps it is a reflection on changing attitudes to cannabis that there
have been little, if any, public response on this second matter.
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