 | NORML News: NORML Conference 2005: ''Respect the Majority!'' |
 The 2005 NORML conference adopted a new Strategic Plan for 2005-2008, the road to reform...
By Chris Fowlie
With the shape of the new parliament known, cannabis law reformers gathered in late November at a lodge on the foothills of Mt Hutt to discuss and adopt a new strategic plan to take us through to the next election.
The strategic plan recognises that the Government’s coalition agreement appears to prevent legislative change, that the momentum in favour of reform has been lost, and that we therefore need to go back to the grass roots to build a massive public campaign for reform. This includes a renewed emphasis on forming NORML branches and increasing our membership base. It also recognises that to make progress we must engage the wider issues of drug law reform.
The conference heard from Green MPs Nandor Tanczos and Metiria Turei, former National Party candidate David Round, Otago University Phd student Geoff Noller, who gave a thought-provoking account of the successful campaign to change the laws in West Australia, as well as enjoying awesome food cooked up by Irinka and co, and the beautiful scenery of the Southern Alps.
Thanks to everyone who came, cooked, cleaned, shared, organised and participated.
NORML’s new strategic plan is summarised below. We welcome your comments, feedback and most of all, your offers of support!
"Respect the Majority!"
It is obvious that prohibition does not work. Adult drug users who do not have a drug “problem” are being busted and forced into the criminal justice system. Teens are encourage to use cannabis because it’s illegality makes it “cool” - and easy to get. Addicts who need treatment can’t get help.
So why does the United Future policy of “don’t change the law” have any credibility when measured against successful alternative policies such as those followed by the Netherlands?
In the vital political demographic aged 15-45, over half (52%) have used cannabis according to studies by the Alcohol and Public Health Research Unit (APHRU). When will Parliament respect the choices made by the majority of young adults? And how can cannabis law reformers harness that majority?
The lesson of the past three years is that Parliament will not act unless there is visible public support for change.
Gaining majority support for reform
In fact, regular users are not a majority, and so majority support for law reform depends on the goodwill of non-users.
NORML can be more effective, we believe, if it develops into the kind of lobby group that appeals to the whole community. Our task is to be organised with a clear vision that is broad enough to appeal to all: young and old, parents, police, lawyers, health workers and teachers, Maori and unionists.
Our campaign has two complementary aspects:
1. NORML is opposed to the criminalisation of drug users, especially cannabis users, and the discriminatory effect of criminalisation on young people and on Maori.
2. NORML supports a total overhaul of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
This two-pronged approach allows NORML to attack the prohibitionists at their weakest point: their demand for ever more punitive and harsh punishments of those who offend against their prohibitionist fetish. It also allows NORML to dispel the myth that any reduction in penalties for drug use must inevitably increase harm.
Calling for a major rethink of the Misuse of Drugs Act is consistent with existing NORML policy but also does not prejudge the outcome of any review. NORML recognises that we must also deal with the wider issues of drug use in New Zealand – one reason that cannabis law reform has stalled is that it is overshadowed by pressing concerns about the harmful use of other legal and illegal drugs: alcohol, tobacco, “P”, NOS, ecstasy and others.
A Plan of Action
It seems unlikely this Parliament is ready for major law reform, and so our thinking must be long-term. We should endeavour to make it safer for supporters to “come out”. NORML needs to lay the groundwork for the next election. Key to this is working with other groups and getting back to the grassroots in order to broaden our support base. Previous attempts by NORML to establish or foster more “mainstream” groups to promote law reform have had some success. Other ideas include publishing a full page advert in daily newspapers of prominent (and ordinary) New Zealanders calling for reform, facilitating more speaking tours of overseas experts, and encouraging support for a wide-ranging community drug summit to thoroughly debate and discuss all aspects of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Please get in touch if you would like to join NORML’s campaign for sensible drug laws.
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