Press Release: to all media 7 December 1999

"Nandor for Minister of Hemp", say Legalisers

Cannabis reform campaigners congratulated the Greens tonight on their "awesome re-entry", with the special vote from cannabis country Coromandel putting six "grass root" MP's into the House of Representatives.

"We are particularly thrilled that Nandor Tanzcos is in", said Blair Anderson and Kevin O'Connell, from the Christchurch Branch of the ALCP. Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party members believe that in terms of drug law reform, "Nandor is the man, as long as he remembers that HEMP is the green issue that matters most".

The fallout from Mrs Shipley's misguided cannabis attack unquestionably assured a Green breakthrough. "Aotearoa owes a debt to this humble plant", said Mr Anderson: "Hemp is our future, how can we have ecology when the most useful natural resource is denied, or justice when 52% of the population aged under forty five are marijuana criminals?"

Cannabis Party analysts had picked the Green turnaround, given the clear swing of the cannabis vote to the Greens on election night, and the 3.5% special vote precedent for ALCP "late enrollments" in 1996 - trends that evidently went unnoticed by superficial mainstream commentators.

The Cannabis Party believe that prohibition apartheid must be dealt to without delay, and have an expectation of immediate action. This would be a genuine commitment to "social equity and economic justice" according to philosophy of the "green" parties.

Drug law reform is plausible and increasingly deliverable with the Greens strongly represented in the house. "We will be hammering home the need to immediately divert the expenditure on cannabis enforcement into health promotion", said Mr O'Connell. The $300,000 a day "invested in cannabis crime prevention" is unsustainable and a disgrace to this democracy, he says.

A Commission of Inquiry into the cannabis laws is expected, as agreed by Labour in a 1998 conference remit which eluded pre-election speculation. "This should focus on the mismanagement of public health and harm minimisation expenditure in respect of drugs", say the Cannabis Party analysts. It is time to STOP the arrests and deliver truth and exoneration for Christmas!

The arrival of practical harm reduction expertise in Parliament is timely- given controversy about the Ministry of Health's newly announced "dance party guidelines" which acknowledge the widespread use, despite prohibition, of substances such as ecstasy, LSD and marijuana.

Nandor, who was number 5 on the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party list in 1996, gained notoriety for distributing drug testing kits to protect the health of dance scene enthusiasts, who are disregarding the hypocritical drug laws. He is now the first Rasta elected to Parliament in Westminster history - "Go greener than green, Nandor!!", say the ALCP - we're with you all the way, Rastaman!.

Kevin, Blair, Christchurch Branch, ph (03) 389 4065
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Blair Anderson mailto:blair@technologist.com Electorate Strategist, Christchurch Branch, Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

Media Center - phone ++64 3 389-4065 Web site http://www.alcp.org.nz

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It is time within drug policy, to set aside moral cowardice, and adopt harm minimisation; it is the stuff of social capital.

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