Press Release: Mild Greens 01/04/04

Bogus prohibition highlights ‘Mode of Use’ anomaly

An elderly Waimate couple have fallen victim to debased ‘harm reduction’ policy under Helen Clark and the so-called progressive Labour government.

Dawn Sarah Willis, a 68-year-old caregiver, was convicted for cultivating and preparing cannabis into bread and cakes for her sick husband, and has received a sentence of 100 hours community service for her 'crime'.

Mild Greens say that aside from the glaring natural injustice, it is significant that the medicinal cannabis was not being smoked, since avoidance of that potentially damaging mode of use highlights the practice of harm reduction which is supposed to be underpinning New Zealand’s official National Drug Policy.

Government medicines watchdog, Medsafe, say smoked cannabis could never be prescribed, and that the Minister of Health is awaiting British development of a cannabis spray Sativex before legal prescription is possible.

"But why is eaten cannabis not considered as a way forward by our stupid government – is it too obvious that in moderation this is a safe and user-friendly mode of use??"

The Mild Greens say the Willis case (amongst many, many others) is about a gross failure in duty of care, and weak leadership in NZ, pandering to a global War on Drugs protection racket.

"It is an abomination to deny people in daily need of the social lubrication and medical efficacy of cannabis, and to punish those most vulnerable for what is an everyday activity for tens of thousands of ordinary Kiwis."

"Politicians and Police need to take on board the simmering discontent of a significant proportion of the population who realise the draconian prohibition and enforced black-marketeering of cannabis is devoid of any integrity or credibility (c.f. the NZ Police undercover programme)".

Community leaders also need to heed the advice of the 2003 Health Select Committee who recognised medicinal availability of marijuana should be prioritised, along with formulation of the most appropriate legal status for general widespread use in the community (a task which the HSC found itself incapable of, despite this being its 3-year brief).

And Health Minister Annette King needs to explain, without lying (if that is possible with Labour Ministers), why 'Mode of use' was deleted from the statutory evidence based criteria for classification of substances she passed into law in the year 2000.

Perhaps the Minister could also explain the ongoing suppression of a certain cost-effectiveness investigation into prohibition methods required by the Ministry of Health under National Drug Policy development in 1996.

The evidence clearly shows that prohibition of drugs is notorious for incentivising distribution networks, corrupting governments and law enforcement, and rendering drugs completely uncontrolled and subject to the most dangerous methods of use. "Unfortunately, Police, Judiciary and the majority of Parliamentarians have self-servingly ignored the gross deficiencies of their policy which divides and dyfunctionalises New Zealand."

Regarding the 100hr community sentence dished out to Dawn Willis, (given there were 80 plants seized – ordinarily warranting a stiff jail sentence), Mild Greens ask should the public of NZ be grateful that the system has moderated its bad behaviour so that we don't notice or complain too much…

Late last year, Christchurch businessman Ian Jackson walked free on the basis that he was able to demonstrate the medical efficacy of the cannabis he was cultivating and heavily consuming, while still running a highly successful company.

Meanwhile, it is understood that another South Island cannabis enthusiast, who produces and gives away 'cookies' to people in need, is up before the Christchurch District Court this week, no doubt facing more contradictory and typically hypocritical and posturing, so-called 'justice'.

And as an aside, the Mild Greens ask New Zealand to consider how many criminalised young Maori receive 'preferential' Police treatment and are herded through the courts and prisons on false charges based on the bogus and unsubstantiated cannabis law and the criminality it engenders?

Mild Greens commend Dawn Willis for her initiative and fully support the exoneration of her, and her husband - and demand that the Government make amends for the forfeitures and persecution of all Victims.

"We also support the prosecution of Ministers and Officials who have conspired to fraudulently maintain dangerous and unjust prohibitionist policies."

ENDS

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