Pubdate: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 Source: Otago Daily Times (New Zealand) Copyright: Allied Press Limited, 2001 Contact: http://www2.odt.co.nz Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/925 Author: J. Kearney Note: Headline supplied by newshawk Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n539/a09.html GOVERNMENTS REJECT OWN CANNABIS ADVICE DR IVAN HARPER (16.4.01) claims that pro-cannabis propaganda instigated by university intellectuals is responsible for the failure of cannabis prohibition. In reality, the problem seems to be the continued refusal of governments to heed their own advisers who say that cannabis prohibition creates more, and worse, problems than cannabis use. The harder authorities try to enforce their "zero tolerance" of cannabis use, the worse the problem becomes. Drug fighting agencies then ask for more funds and greater powers for their "war on drugs" which in turn worsens the problem and so on. This leads to our present situation where a single student caught with cannabis in a police search at a Queenstown School (ODT, 31.3.01) is heralded as a success (a previous raid at the school netted no cannabis) whereas the police are too fearful to prevent the mayhem in our city streets created by alcohol abuse (ODT, 3.4.01). J. Kearney, Dalmore [Abridged. - Ed.] - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk