 | NORML News: Police want to seize Granny's house |
 NORML News Winter 2007. By Jonathan Rennie.
A Waikato great-grandmother
was surprised when police
arrived in force on her property
earlier this year, hyped-up to take
down a supposed drug kingpin.
They must have been disappointed
to bag only twelve small plants,
but incredibly, decided to proceed
with supply charges anyway.
Although she suffers from
arthritis and lives off a modest
income (selling legal garden
plants at the local markets), the
plucky seventy-year-old has
vowed to fight her case.
Frustrated that their victim will
not plead guilty, the police have
served a Restraining Order on her
property, under the Proceeds of
Crime Act: effectively paving the
way for them to take her house.
NORML understands the
Crown’s evidence mainly consists
of some cash, a stash, and some
empty plant pots. Even with the
immature plants, this is a pathetic
case for supply - nothing unusual
about that - but threatening to take
an elderly lady’s entire property
- for twelve plants?
This comes at a time when the
Government is gearing up to make
the Proceeds of Crime Act even
more draconian.
Instead of performing land-grabs
on ailing senior citizens, wouldn’t
legalising home cultivation for
personal use be a more effective
way of breaking organised drug
crime in New Zealand? With the
profits sucked out of the black
market, the real “kingpins” would
be bowled right over. But perhaps
the Government prefers landgrabs
to solutions.
Meanwhile, one granny is
preparing to defend her good
name and her castle against an
astoundingly vicious police
onslaught. “Pray to Mother
Aubert for me!” says our brave
defendant.
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