Don Brash may not have found anyone in his own party willing to back his call for hard sense on cannabis without the moral panic—and instead of backing the call the hipsters from Grey Lynn who should have supported it have instead lambasted him—but there is one political party leader at least prepared to do the right thing, and that’s Libertarianz leader and Wairarapa candidate Dr Richard McGrath. He told the Wairarapa Times-Age “it’s a freedom thing.”
"There is no longer a place for the enforcement of puritanical laws that make people's bodies the property of the state," he said.
Mr McGrath said he has worked as a doctor in the field of alcohol and drug dependence and believed that "drug use is a health issue, not a legal one."
Legalisation of drug possession in Portugal over the last 10 years had resulted in less drug use overall, including in the under 18 age group, lower rates of HIV infection, and more people coming forward for assistance with problems associated with drug use, he said.
There was no reason to be frightened of giving people back sovereignty over their bodies, he said.
"Fundamentally, the issue of drug use is a moral one, with the fundamental question being: Who owns your body - you, or the politicians?"
4 comments:
What's the best way to deal with any costs?
While it's a personal decision, we're caught in a socialised cost mentality eg Health/ACC.
If I choose to smoke, my premiums go up (as they should).
I wonder if a partial solution, is that if drunk driving/on drugs the ACC only cover say costs over 10,000? maybe similar with other health costs.
the "shared" costs is an arguement used to criminalise
Nice one.
A recent letter in the paper complains that ACTS decriminalise cannabis is a cheap shot at gaining votes! Well if it was all about our HEALTH as Labour and the nats say, then why arent they banning booze? After all its involved in a great deal of car accidents and domestic violence, so why arent they banning that? Because its not about our HEALTH - its about VOTES isnt it? If this is a cheap shot at gaining votes for the ACT party, then what exactly is Labour and Nationals inaction on banning alcohol if its not A CHEAP SHOT AT GAINING VOTES!
True, ACT wanting to decriminalise cannabis is a cheap shot at votes.
Alcohol creates more carnage than what we can imagine.
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