Pubdate: Fri, 08 Jun 2001
Source: Daily News, The (New Zealand)
Contact: +64 6 758 6849
Website: http://www.nydailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1056

PART OF THE MEANING OF THE WORD ADULT IS SELF-RESPONSIBILITY

New Zealanders with more than a kneejerk reaction to cannabis laws are 
likely to agree on three things: as with tobacco and alcohol, those under 
18 should be discouraged from its use; not all adult cannabis use is 
abusive; and prohibition laws are a spectacular failure.

Within those parameters it is not unreasonable to consider that New Zealand 
has the wrong approach to dealing with cannabis abuse.

In line with a pre-election Labour promise, a parliamentary select 
committee is hearing public submissions, from individuals and 
organisations, on marijuana's use and restrictions.

By a rare coincidence, Green Party member Nandor Tanczos' private member's 
bill seeking permission for industrial hemp-growing won a legislative 
ballot and has been simultaneously referred to another select committee.

Hemp is the church-going cousin of marijuana ­ the raw material for a range 
of innocuous products and so insignificantly hallucinogenic that bona fide 
cannabis growers and smokers would be horrified at the risk of 
cross-pollination.

However, the hemp bill's progress through the parliamentary system is 
modestly supportive of the much more controversial issue of 
decrimin-alising adult marijuana use, also being advocated by the 
dreadlocked Rastafarian Greenie, Mr Tanczos.

The major thrust of those seeking the right for smokers to grow their own 
cannabis, for personal use and not sale, is realism.

Even avowed non-smokers will be tempted by the argument that police time 
wasted hunting commercial plantations, and processing traders and users, 
could be better used catching the criminals who more immediately make 
honest people's lives a misery.

The police spend more than $20 million a year on cannabis crimes, with no 
evidence that use is being remotely discouraged.

On the contrary, prohibition keeps the price high, which attracts serious 
criminals and gangs to the potentially big profits. There is also evidence 
of the forbidden-fruit syndrome.

Ten American states that have decriminalised marijuana over the last 30 
years report no increased use. Netherlands' consumption rates are said to 
be less than half New Zealand's.

With MPs in all parties divided over the issue, and a conscience vote 
looming, it seems likely this country's laws will be eased, with the debate 
centring on how much users can grow and how police will measure 
dope-smoking drivers.

But in all of the discussion, a much bigger element is being overlooked: 
drugs that make cannabis look positively homespun are being synthesised and 
will soon be flooding the market. These can be combated only with honesty 
and education.

Life is full of dangerous temptations, none of them less attractive by 
being illegal. Part of the meaning of the word adult is self-responsibility.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens