Nine-point plan to create a major social problem

12 November 2010 Media Speech

What would a nine-point plan on how the Government could create a major social problem in NZ look like?

Well, first you would take a drug which is known to be of high risk to public health (e.g. the equivalent of a Class B drug) and legalise it. Better still, you choose a drug that is known to directly cause aggression, but which also causes depression, is neurotoxic and carcinogenic so that the full range of health and social damage is likely to occur.

2nd Deny that the drug is actually a drug, by never mentioning the word and talk about it like it is a normal grocery item that you'd naturally expect to find in a supermarket.

3rd Make it really accessible, so that it can bought just about anywhere, at any time, on virtually any day of the year, especially in supermarkets.

4th Allow full and free commercialisation of it so that the price is really low in order for everyone to easily afford lots of it.

5th Make sure young people of 18 years of age can legally drink on licensed premises but confuse the issue by requiring them to be 20 years old in order to buy alcohol to drink elsewhere.

6th Elevate drug pushing (of this drug) to be one of the most highly respected careers in the land. The bestowing of NZ Honours, even Knighthoods, to industry leaders might be an effective way to do this.

7th Make sure you protect the drug pushers' right to promote the drug, especially to the nation's families, through the most powerful means possible such as TV and billboards. Turn a blind eye to any deception in the advertising such as links between using the drug and being cool, sexy, successful and part of the in-crowd.

8th Make sure that the drug is linked with everything that New Zealanders feel most proud about, especially sport. If there was going to be a major international event in NZ for instance, do everything you can to help the drug pushers promote their drug at the event. The ultimate would be if the drug could become the centrepiece of the event. "Party Central" would be an excellent concept to work on. Getting the PM behind this, would be a great idea.
9th Knowing that New Zealanders more than just about any other country in the world enjoy getting around in private motor vehicles, make sure that intoxication won't prevent them from driving their cars, and get your mates in the Automobile Association to back this position.

The first page of the Law Commission’s report states:
“Alcohol is a legalized drug with the potential to cause serious harm. We propose a new policy framework that amounts to a paradigm shift in the regulation of alcohol compared with the current system. We anticipate there will be considerable resistance to some of the proposed measures.”

I must admit I didn’t anticipate that the resistance would come from the Government of NZ!
The Government’s Alcohol Reform Bill to reduce excessive drinking is a recipe for the status quo – which means continuing disaster.

The last weekend’s appalling behavior at Eden Park, where a liquor ban wasn’t enforced, is proof the Government hasn’t gone far enough. It served to highlight the inadequacies of our current laws and shamed our nation abroad.

Why does this Government have difficulty accepting that alcohol is a drug?

This Government is not in step with the majority of New Zealanders. The mood of the country towards alcohol abuse is changing but it is being led by the public and the media, not the government.

In the same week as the Eden Park shambles, organisers of Christchurch’s NZ Trotting Cup day got it right by implementing a simple wrist band system that was removed from patrons thought to be intoxicated. This would have been unheard of five years ago and shows that the public is willing to change entrenched drinking habits.

Who would have thought that the Maori Affairs Select Committee’s proposal for a Smoke Free New Zealand in 2025 would cause hardly a ripple of protest? It’s because the time is right. Let’s aim for a Drunk Free New Zealand too, it is in step with public opinion.
There is 70% support to lower the drink driving blood/alcohol limit yet the Government needs ‘more research’. Really?

What is this Government scared of in the face of all the facts?
Alcohol abuse is costing this country billions every year – not to mention the human misery it causes.

This Government is normally a slave to the polls yet it is ignoring the polls on liquor reform.
Cheap alcohol is one of the main problems but this isn’t being addressed despite advice and research from NZ and international experts.

Our statistics on road deaths are horrific yet reducing the blood alcohol limit from 0.8 to 0.5 of alcohol per 100ml of blood ‘needs more research’. How many more deaths from drink driving must this nation endure?

One in every five New Zealanders is a heavy drinker - this is equal to the combined population of Wellington and Christchurch!
60% of criminal offending is associated with alcohol abuse.
Getting wasted shouldn’t be an ambition to which our people aspire.

This Government is showing abject political weakness over the alcohol debate which begs the question….
What is the National Party getting from the Liquor Industry for its unwillingness to act decisively?

How much money is being put into the “Victory Fund” account of the National Party by the liquor industry – could we have an answer from National Party members today and/or from the liquor industry itself?

I’m not holding my breath.

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