The madness of Crusher Collins war on drugs
“Any society that tolerates alcoholic consumption at the level at which we do, but inveighs against cannabis and prosecutes and punishes against cannabis has an extraordinary amount of self-deception.”
That was David Lange in an interview with Kim Hill, oh how we miss his wisdom.
A news item today shows how insane our war on cannabis has now become. In the last 6 years, we have imprisoned over 1600 NZers for small amounts of marijuana or having a pipe for smoking marijuana and we have convicted over 20 000 - this war on cannabis is an utter failure and yet it is allowed to pointlessly continue.
I'm currently working on a documentary looking at the history of cannabis in NZ and the inane position we have managed to get ourselves into because of American paranoia. Cannabis prohibition has nothing to do with your health, it has everything to do with allowing Police vast levels of power over the most widely used illegal drug in society.
Listening to 'Crusher' Collins cook up bullshit justifications for 20 000 prosecutions and 1600 imprisonments over 6 years for personal use of cannabis is an insult to our collective intelligence.
Having watched first hand the levels of intimidation the Police are prepared to use to bully cannabis activists, I don't believe for one second they are capable of using the discretion necessary to ease this pointless war and bring the debate to a more adult level. The Police simply gain too much power from cannabis being illegal to change and the only reason we have seen a decline recently is because the pointless cost of this stupid war is starting to bite too deep even for the Politicians to swallow.
While the US makes large strides towards easing up on their war, NZ is still as narrow minded as ever on the issue.
The documentary will be out before the 2014 election.
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posted by Bomber @ 10:39 am
7 comments
7 Comments:
Well said Bomber and interesting to hear about the documentary! I'm stealing the Lange quote too ;)
Love to help if you need anything on the film - lots here if that helps!? - http://www.politicallycorrect.co.nz/devasating-effects-of-the-war-on-drugs/
I've also got a recent exchange (into an article now) with Dunne on twitter ready to go, scoop said they'd be interested so I'm waiting to hear back before posting it ourselves.
For 2013, we decided on a twitter campaign on #NZ_End_WoD - just the facts and a few tweets a day as we thought death of the war on drugs 'by facts' would help things along. You can find all the tweets at the end of the link above.
Either way, happy to help with research etc. if needs be.
Cheers,
Humph
Until "P" came along, I was all for decriminalising everything and spending the ridiculous amounts of money spent on enforcement (helicopters et al), on counselling and rehab. I do not smoke myself - having watched a stoner bro become progressively demotivated, BUT even so - the amount spent on enforcement could have him and MANY others with the necessary way out.
P however - and its associated inventions are a totally different story - because like alcohol, they affect the brain - P frying it, alcohol shrinking it - much like glue sniffing or benzine sniffing.
What's criminal however, is the attitude, control-freekism, and outright dishonesty of the likes of Judith Collins. She's a wonder to behold!. I'm not as pessimistic as you though Bomber. One Day Roger Fitch!
It doesn't take the Brains of Britain to see that the inevitable will occur - on a timeline - Jude may escape her fate if she's after longevity........somehow I doubt it though.
Not unlike the situation with banksters and the 1% syndrome. These people profess to have an understanding of basic mathematics too!
I have yet to watch this, but apparently it's very good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8UtNF-Le2L0
Narrated by Morgan Freeman and featuring Presidents Clinton and Carter.
I gather it will only be free to view on YouTube for another few or something so get in quick (or DL it).
Sorry gang but it won't matter how much kiwis kick up about the neccessity of decriminalising drug consumption nothing will change anywhere but the US where the dichotomy and its hypocrisy will continue.
Why? Cause the anti-drug laws around the world are all UN sanctioned, unlike many of the antiterra-ism and most of the intellectual property laws. That means anti-drug legislation is still the best bet for amerika when it feels it needs to stick its nose into another man's country. If Dotcom had been found with a coupla bales of pot he would have been whisked off to super-max for life a long time ago.
I was closely involved in drug legalisation replacing the criminal justice model with a medical model in another country.
We got sufficient pols onside to get the legislation passed, which it was - it didn't matter a damn. The head of state used the courts to declare the law unconstitutional because it breached the country's treaties with foreign states and that was the end of it.
What matters isn't the method used - that will vary according to a nation's political structure. The important thing was that the US pulled out all stops to lean on both the leader of the legislature and the head of state, until they went against their own position and agreed to revoke the law.
Exactly the same thing would happen here. jonkey is already in the US back pocket 'wasshisname' the labour leader de jour spent the noughties licking US ass furthering their agenda in Iraq & Afganistan so its safe to guess what he would do. The greens? As soon as Norman took over they resiled from the pot legalisation thing immediately.
Just last year Norman bent over backwards at the behest of the US senate to smear Huawei so that US corporation Cisco could get a look in at kiwi fibre infrastructure contracts. You really think he's gonna buck his bosses on pot? Dream on.
Campaigns like this lead to frustration and disillusionment at the grassroots. It is smarter to fight battles than can be won, build a decent power base that hasn't been corrupted by empire and then - when yer position is established and there aren't more pressing matters (eg Kiwi kids with empty stomachs) then fight for the right to do to your body what thou wilt.
The greens? As soon as Norman took over they resiled from the pot legalisation thing immediately. Just last year Norman bent over backwards at the behest of the US senate to smear Huawei so that US corporation Cisco could get a look in at kiwi fibre infrastructure contracts. You really think he's gonna buck his bosses on pot? Dream on.
I didn't even know that, but this just further reaffirms my theory that the Green Party has been co-opted (imo by banksters, due to all Norman's recent "QE will save us" babble). Still no one has chimed in on who the economic/finance policy advisor(s) is for the Greens?
Ever read about the long history of CIA complicity in the international drug trade?
https://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1998_cr/980507-l.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_Drug_Trafficking
With the UN an organisation to maintain international peace and security largely in favour of the big five, or more so two. With the US exerting its weight across the globe being obvious to all, you can understand how effective international drug prohibition is for their interests.
Many or most wars since the Second World War have been smeared with the drug trade playing its role.
With the CIA and its seedy associates in the underworld; mafia, yakuza, etc. Drugs prove an effective means of funding war and expanding US interests.
If there’s a government threatening a state’s lucrative drug supply, there’ll be intervention. If a government reduces the profitability of drugs through legalisation, there’ll be intervention.
Drugs are a cheap product to produce, criminalise it and you have a source of almost infinite wealth.
“The sinews of war are infinite money.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero.
With the US purporting to be the bastion of democracy, that’s clearly flawed if at the heart of the country there’s an organisation that operates in utmost secrecy and impunity, the CIA.
Since the CIA have many links across the globe with organised crime as well as with power brokers in the US and corporates, it’s extremely unsettling.
Whether this has any bearing here is disputable, being a small country, etc. But you can guarantee forces will prevent this country from exiting the status quo of drug criminalisation at the risk of a perceived domino effect.
Make drugs legal worldwide and one of the most profitable industries will be knocked out. Drugs will be worthless.
Drugs serve to provide power to the establishment more than they do any criminals or small time dealers. Not just domestic law enforcement but the wider darker realities of warfare and control.
I look forward to your doco. I often wonder how the NZ police are involved in the drug trade, since they’re almost constantly embroiled in scandal. Can we believe all drugs seized are destroyed?
Of interest:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0208/S00055.htm
Procrastinator is right on the money.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2008/10/map_of_the_week_the_mystery_of.html
See what happened in 2001? The Taliban banned Opium production/exports. See what happened after 2001? Was the invasion of Afghanistan even about terrorism at all, or about ensuring a steady supply of heroin?
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