Pubdate: Wed, 02 May 2012
Source: Northern River Echo, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2012 APN News & Media Ltd
Contact: http://www.echonews.com.au/contact/feedback/
Website: http://www.echonews.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4736
Author: Liina Flynn

CALL FOR END TO WAR ON DRUGS

THE force truly was with Nimbin MardiGrass organisers as they demanded
drug law reform and marched through the streets of Lismore last
Tuesday (May 1). With the police force leading the way of the May Day
Cannabis Law Reform Rally, the "polite force" and green-clothed
activists followed, waving placards and calling for an end to the war
on drugs.

As the rally moved from the court house to the police station, Hemp
Party president Michael Balderstone hand-delivered a letter to the
police commissioner asking him to take action on creating law reform
and decriminalising marijuana use.

"Crime in the community would drop significantly if cannabis was legal
and regulated," Mr Balderstone said.

"The current war on drugs isn't working and police and politicians
know it. Now we have to convince our elected representatives of this
fact... and this is a fact. No rational human can look at the history
of our war on drugs and deem it as being anything other than a
colossal mistake."

As the rally moved on to the offices of Page MP Janelle Saffin and
Lismore MP Thomas George, Mr Balderstone delivered letters to them,
asking them to hold a public forum where the "taboo" topic of drug law
reform could be discussed.

"We want to have politicians, police, social and health workers as
well as the wider community at this meeting," Mr Balderstone said.

"Drug law reform is such a taboo topic in Canberra and we need to get
more people who work in government to stand up and speak on the issue.
It's time Thomas and Janelle represented our point of view. We are not
criminals."

Mr Balderstone said legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco were more
dangerous.

"If anyone ever attempts to tell you that the death toll from illicit
drug use in Australia is a 'problem', then ask them why we seem to be
so complacent about the legal drugs which are killing forty-nine times
as many Australians every year."

Mr Balderstone cited the recently released Australia21 report, which
calls for widespread consultation towards fashioning a rational
response to drug-taking in the community.

"However, our politicians are refusing to listen to the voice of the
majority of Australians," Mr Balderstone said.

"In a recent poll, more than 70% of Australians agreed that our drug
laws must change - yet our politicians remain silent," he said.

"We must wake them up. Other western world countries have tackled this
issue. More than 70% of Americans currently have access to legally
available medical cannabis and many countries around the world are
abandoning prohibition. It's time that Australia caught up with the
rest of the world."

The rally in Lismore marks the lead-up to the annual Nimbin MardiGrass
Law Reform Rally this weekend on May 5 and 6. The rally is now
celebrating its twentieth year and Mr Balderstone said he hopes to see
a "safe, peaceful and strong MardiGrass".

"This should be the last march and rally if they listen to us," Mr
Balderstone said. "Dr Alex Wodak, one of the authors of the
Australia21 report, will be speaking at one of the forums we'll hold
over the weekend and we will be having a wreath-laying memorial
service for the victims of prohibition, instead of a mass surrender to
police! We are now looking forward to a big weekend no matter the
weather," Mr Balderstone said.

For more information about what's on at MardiGrass, see page 33 and
The Scene.

The full program is available at nimbinmardigrass.com.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D