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Mānawatia a Matariki, it’s Māori New Yr and our drug legal guidelines are nonetheless racist. Plus, the Inexperienced Occasion has a brand new drug regulation reform coverage that features regulating hashish.
[Stream the pot-cast of this show on 95bFM]
Is Police discretion for hashish possession racist?
On Newshub Nation this week, extra proof police discretion for medication offences nonetheless isn’t working and Māori are impacted at an “alarming price”.
New figures present that final yr greater than a thousand folks had been convicted for hashish possession – 49 p.c of them Māori.
100 and eighty folks had been despatched to jail with a hashish possession cost in 2022.
Whereas the general variety of folks prosecuted for hashish possession has been dropping, the proportion of Māori is on the rise.
For the primary time, in 2022 the precise variety of Māori convicted overtook Pākehā.
We’d like correct hashish regulation reform, as a result of the absence of reform means susceptible and ‘stereotypical’ folks proceed to be topic to police harassment and prosecution – whether or not intentional or not.
The NZ Drug Basis’s Sarah Helm, who I caught up with this week, was quoted saying “We’re getting it incorrect for Māori particularly, we’re getting it incorrect for everybody. If we attempt to do higher for Māori, we are going to find yourself doing higher for everybody, primarily.”
Chlöe Swarbrick stated the discriminatory utility of police discretion was a predictable consequence.
“in case you are enabling discretion, you might be probably going to open the door to the human component of potential discrimination”.
She stated “Many politicians, on the document, admit to utilizing illicit substances again within the mists of time, however they now oversee legal guidelines which penalize, prosecute and spoil the lives of people who find themselves doing precisely the identical issues that they as soon as did.
“That’s each the peak of hypocrisy, but in addition the abdication of accountability.”
Newsbub Nation put it to the Ministers in control of this mess, however they only handed the buck:
Justice Minister Kiri Allan stated accountability for this regulation sits with the Well being Minister.
Well being Minister Ayesha Verrall stated it was a matter for the Police Minister.
Police Minister Ginny Andersen stated she couldn’t touch upon operational issues.
In the meantime, folks like Mel and Garry – quoted within the story – are struggling. They discovered themselves on the incorrect finish of the regulation final September when police busted them for his or her medicinal hashish develop.
“We’ve put our faces on nationwide TV to show what’s taking place to small guys like us,” stated Mel.
Watch the complete video right here or on Three Now.
Greens launch new drug regulation reform coverage – however questions stay over one candidate
As we formally enter the regulated election interval with simply three months to go, Stuff stories ‘5 insurance policies you won’t have anticipated from the Greens’ election manifesto’. However there’s one all of us ought to know: the Greens are the strongest celebration in parliament to constantly advocate for drug regulation reform.
Others in Parliament would possibly privately voice their help, however the Greens lead the controversy.
Now, the Inexperienced Occasion’s newly launched 2023 election manifesto contains an “evidence-based, compassionate strategy to drug regulation reform”:
Repeal and exchange the Misuse of Medicine Act 1975 with an evidence-based strategy, which reduces hurt and treats drug use as a well being subject;
Regulate the private use of hashish, with “tight restrictions on promoting and the situation of shops”;
Enhance the framework for medicinal hashish;
Create a brand new framework for trials of therapeutic makes use of of different managed substances resembling psychedelics.
You’ll be able to learn the complete doc right here. It’s a bloody good medication coverage. The perfect of any celebration in parliament, thus far.
However questions stay over new Inexperienced candidate Efeso Collins, now ranked at quantity 11 on the Greens’ celebration record and set to enter Parliament on present polling. Efeso was towards hashish, and NORML, after I knew him at Auckland college within the 90s. 1 / 4 century later, and opposite to Inexperienced Occasion coverage, Collins campaigned for ‘Say Nope to Dope’ in the course of the 2020 hashish referendum – though he stated afterwards he would have supported decriminalisation.
The failed Auckland mayoral candidate now says he’s on a “journey” and has apologised for his earlier positions. To be honest, Efeso has quite a lot of good progressive coverage positions, however given his earlier campaigning towards not solely drug regulation reform but in addition marriage equality and reproductive rights, it’s unclear how far alongside the journey he has come.
I’d prefer to see clear statements from the brand new Inexperienced candidate about the place he’s at now, what he helps and the way he’ll work to enact the Inexperienced drug regulation reform coverage. In any other case, Collins is a flip off and I’d hate to enter this election wanting the Inexperienced vote to go down!
For the 49% who voted Sure within the hashish referendum, the Legalise Hashish Occasion is the clearest protest vote – and their Aussie equal has MPs in three Higher Homes. Te Pati Māori can also be strongly supporting drug regulation reform, and – as one listener reminded us – TOP has an excellent medication coverage too. I’d like to see ACT again a medicine coverage that aligns with their espoused rules of freedom and liberty. And credit score to Labour – they made medical hashish authorized.
Bible-wielding man tells courtroom he’s forgiven by God, hashish not a criminal offense
The Marborough Categorical stories a Marlborough man in courtroom stated God has forgiven him for the hashish discovered at his property. Seemingly with nothing higher to do, Police had charged the man with ‘procuring’ hashish, and additional determined to waste the time of the Blenheim District Court docket by prosecuting this offensive cost.
Brendon Shane Phillips stated he was “redeemed by the bible, Jesus of Nazareth”, and whereas the hashish was his, “I don’t consider there’s any crime in it”. Neighborhood Justice of the Peace Sherida Cooper didn’t agree, convicting Phillips with a sentence of six months supervision by probation.
Auckland Corrections employees member caught smuggling hashish into Mt Eden jail
Stuff stories a Corrections employees member has been charged after making an attempt to smuggle tobacco and hashish into Mt Eden jail. You’ll be able to guess this isn’t the one case. I’m informed medication are as straightforward to get inside as wherever else.
It begs the query – if medication might be (and are) smuggled into a jail, what’s the possibilities of prohibitionist drug legal guidelines efficiently wiping hashish from a free society?
Authorities analysis funding contains hashish coverage
Talking of evaluating approaches: the Well being Analysis Council (HRC) has introduced authorities funding of $53.7 million for analysis into numerous well being points, together with:
a challenge to enhance the well being and wellbeing outcomes of younger Māori launched from jail and youth justice residences;
the kava for PTSD challenge we lately mentioned on the present;
ketamine for despair, and;
$1,187,932 to Chris Wilkins of Massey College for a 36-month challenge “translating, modelling and evaluating hashish coverage reform”. Maybe he may begin with a never-performed cost-benefit evaluation of the present regulation vs legalisation.
Worldwide roll up:
California Addresses 90% of Hashish Circumstances in Expungement Efforts (NORML)
Seven years after California voters handed Proposition 64 in 2016, efficiently legalizing marijuana possession, cultivation, and gross sales, the courts are lastly practically completed relieving all qualifying hashish circumstances. As of April 6, 2023, California courts have expunged, sealed, or resentenced 206,502 circumstances out of an estimated 227,650
NBA Removes Hashish from Prohibited Substances Checklist (NORML)
League officers and the NBA Gamers Affiliation have signed a collective bargaining settlement that drops hashish from its record of banned substances.
Below the coverage, NBA groups could refer gamers suspected of getting marijuana-related dependency points to the Medical Director for a compulsory analysis, however league officers will not drug take a look at gamers for previous hashish publicity.
Retail Hashish Legalisation Correlated with Fewer Deadly Motor Automobile Accidents (NORML)
The legalization of the adult-use hashish market is just not related to upticks in both severe or deadly motorized vehicle accidents, in line with knowledge revealed within the journal Visitors Harm Prevention. “Hashish legalization led to fewer deadly, severe, and minor damage collisions,” the research’s creator concluded.
The research’s conclusions are in step with lately revealed knowledge from Canada discovering that the enactment of adult-use marijuana gross sales is just not related to any enhance in motorized vehicle accidents requiring hospitalization.
Occasions
· Final week was additionally 710 Day, or “cannabis vacation”. Most individuals learn about April 20 being 420 Day, however July 10 is for concentrates (710 the other way up is “oil”).
· Substance Testing developing @ The Hemp Retailer, a brand new addition this coming Thursday 20 July (2-6pm), after which Thursday 2 August (3-7pm). Due to the NZ Drug Basis. Reagent kits out there right here.
· Auckland J Day might be on Saturday 2nd December in Albert Park (postponed from Could), and NORML is organising hashish rallies main as much as the election.
Marijuana Media airs each Thursday at 4:20pm on 95bFM, along with your hosts bFM Drive’s Jonny and Chris Fowlie from The Hempstore. Stream or obtain the pot-cast for this present right here or tons of of earlier Marijuana Media reveals at 95bFM.com (or by way of iTunes / RSS feed). Due to The Hemp Retailer!
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