Pubdate: Sun, 14 Dec 2003
Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2003 New Zealand Herald
Contact:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300
Author: Kevin Taylor

LABOUR MP PROMOTES VISIT BY LEGAL-DRUGS ADVOCATE

Labour MP Tim Barnett is helping promote the visit of an American drug
reform advocate who believes in legalising all drugs - including P - as part
of the way to fight them.

Clifford Thornton's visit to New Zealand is being assisted by the Mild
Greens group, but both Mr Barnett and the Green Party are helping promote
it.

In a notice to media on Mr Barnett's letterhead, Mr Thornton is described as
America's foremost "anti-drug war African American activist". He advocates
legalisation and "medicalisation" of drugs, meaning they are administered by
health professionals.

Mr Thornton heads drug reform body Efficacy and speaks around the world on
how the war on drugs harms people, especially the poor.

His mother died of a heroin overdose when he was 18 and although he
initially wanted tougher laws and more police, the notice said he now
believed if heroin had been legal and supervised by doctors his mother would
have lived a relatively safe and healthy life.

Mr Barnett denied helping promote the visit was flying in the face of the
Government's tough approach to drugs such as P.

"Every time we make a decision in areas like this we need to look at what
the alternatives might be," he said.

"What people would be interested in is whether he's offering a new way
forward. Labelling him as someone who supports this or that is actually not
going to get people very far."

But United Future leader Peter Dunne said Mr Barnett's involvement in Mr
Thornton's visit "might come as a surprise to some of his more senior
colleagues".

"The Government's policy is quite clear," he said.

"They are not going to change the legal status of cannabis. There's also
been a pretty strong line - which we think is probably not strong enough -
on the issue of P."

Mr Barnett said he thought it important that there was more than one view on
the drug law reform debate.

He said he sent a note to other MPs this week suggesting they might want to
meet Mr Thornton, and he did not think his assistance was at variance with
the Government's approach to drugs.

Blair Anderson of the Mild Greens organisation said that Mr Thornton was an
advocate for "legalisation, decriminalisation and medicalisation".

A Green Party spokesman said that the party, while helping promote Mr
Thornton's visit, did not bring him to New Zealand.

He said that the Greens had no official association with the Mild Greens.
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