Sheathed in a cloud of smoke, more than 100 people gathered on Parliament's front lawn this morning to promote the benefits of cannabis over its legal counterparts alcohol and tobacco. The protest was part of the Armistice Tour -- a nationwide promotion of cannabis law reform. Despite the presence of police and parliamentary security guards many of those present were openly smoking cannabis cigarettes. Spokesman Dakta Green told NZPA cannabis was a more natural, healthier option than other drugs and did not fuel crime. [continues 292 words]
Raewyn Hill's long-awaited larger cast dance-theatre work, Angels with Dirty Feet, has premiered at Downstage before touring to Dunedin, Auckland and Christchurch. It explores the realm of drug addiction and is inspired by Australian author Luke Davies' 2001 book Candy. Hill describes herself as a child whose education included nothing about drugs. She believes works like hers should tour small towns and schools, funded from the $3 million recently allocated for drug education. Children "need to be treated like adults by adults," she writes in her programme note. "If they are smart enough to understand and access drugs then they need to be outsmarted, not lectured ... Give them something that will encourage them to feel, think and talk about" the issue. [continues 396 words]
The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP) says it will stand a candidate in the by-election seat Tariana Turia expects to win in her bid to return to Parliament. Tariana Turia had hoped to take the seat unopposed and had pledged support for core ALCP issues in hopes of getting the pro-cannabis group to back away from plans to put a candidate up against her. But the ALCP says her pledge of "passive support" is not enough and that the issue of cannabis decriminalisation is an important Maori issue. [continues 99 words]
In what may be a world first, a UK man's death has been officially described as having been caused by marijuana. The news comes just before cannabis is to be reclassified in the UK as a Category C drug from the more stringently controlled Category B classification. Category C drugs are typically prescription-controlled drugs in ordinary use, such as Valium. Category B drugs, like amphetamines, are considered more dangerous and attract a greater degree of legal penalty for abuse. [continues 186 words]
