Don Brash: "We should decriminalise marijuana"

[husaberg]

I'm not the one who has trouble remembering what I posted and what was written in response to my questions.
Then getting smug idiots off makes you a hypocrite too.
You can keep your blood money. I'd rather earn an honest living than lie for a living.
No problem.
So you would lie for me. Don't they call that perjury?

Never lie I don't testify. The NZ legal system is an adversarial system. It is like most legal systems biased towards the defendant.Japan is a notable exception.
Just because some is found not guilty it doesn't necessary imply that they are innocent. Think about it. But don't expect me to reply because I have Had enough and I will not be voting Act. As they are to liberal.

[mashman]

Never lie I don't testify. The NZ legal system is an adversarial system. It is like most legal systems biased towards the defendant.Japan is a notable exception.
Just because some is found not guilty it doesn't necessary imply that they are innocent.

Biased towards the defendant. Surely if they get off, then justice has been served? Don't be bitter about it because you think you know better than the judge... @not necessarily innocent even though they have been found to be innocent by the legal system. Healthy prejudice you have their.

Imagine how few of us dole dwellers you'd have to deal with if marijuana was decriminalised...

[mashman]

bwaaaaaaaa ha ha ha haaaaaaaa... don't let the druggies go free, because they want to break the backbone of the cannabis industry... what a waste of time and money.

[Clockwork]

Ummmmm speeding is not a criminal offense. I have been convicted of speeding. I do not have a criminal record.

Speeding is against the law so is smoking Dope.

See, we can both split infinities.
Ummmm, isn't that the point of this little debate?
Yes this is the point but this debate is pointless because If you want dope decriminalized vote for it. If you don't vote for a party that doesn't support decriminalizing it. There are obviously some firmly intrenched ideals at stake here.

Personally I think there is a world of difference between something being illegal and something being a criminal offense, not least in the long term consequences for the offender.

Also, I didn't split infinities, I have been known to outrageously split the odd infinitive but not on that occasion.

The fact is I'm not a dope smoker but if I discovered that either of my adult children were smokers I would be far more concerned for the detrimental social consequences to themselves of their action than I would be for their health.

If you guys who smoke dope or who support the decriminalizing it are such a majority as you claim to be it shouldn't be a problem to vote for a party that supports a change and win with a landslide. Or at the least get enough signatures to force a referendum on the matter.

If only democracy were that simple, this is the first time DB has espoused any policy that I would support. Unfortunately we are unable to cast our one (OK two) votes issue by issue. I would suggest simply looking at he number of alleged users that there are more than enough people in NZ who are OK with it that in a referendum it could possibly be carried (I wonder why NORML or ALCP haven't tried this??)

The real reason mainstream parties tend to shy away from this issue is the fear of the reactionary responses such as yours, or they hold such reactionary attitudes or even they struggle with the hypocrisy of trying to admit that maybe they had been wrong all this time.

If cannabis was as good as every user says it is it would have been seized upon by drug companies who would have developed very effective painkillers from it. All those who support it are smokers who want to keep on smoking it.

Any talk of medicinal benefits is simply an attempt to justify using it as a recreational drug. Dope has been probably more thoroughly investigated than any other drug and the only supporters, are as I said, the ones smoking it for pleasure.

I think its already been said but I suspect the main reasons the drug companies aren't interested is that the active ingredient is already illegal and and it would be difficult to get a patent on a naturally occurring substance .

...
Note the deaths with positive toxicology for cannabis and yes Mashman the rates of HIV in Portugal have decreased remarkably in Portugal in drug users since decriminalization faster in fact than non drug users but there seems to be no figures for after 2006 and all the trends are heading up for crime and everything else so its not all rosy in decriminalize land.

I'm not sure what your point is with the first graph here but the second one appears to show that drug users are moving away from cocaine and opiates in favour of cannabis; and this is a bad thing?

Short term memory failing you.
I still seem to get smug idiots like you off charges every week so I can't be that bad at it.
As far as Crimes go you are hardly what I would call world class. I won't be swapping you dole cheque for my salary in the near future mate.
But thats your problem Not that you have any problems aye.
I could get you off most charges Diminished capacity.

So your are a Lawyer and you don't consider that there is a difference between illegal and criminal!!

Where as you say one eyed. I say Jaded. I suppose it is just an amazing co incidence that 70 per cent of the petty criminals I have to deal with are Dope users. An amazing co incidence.

Ps So what if my English and grammar offends you. Guess what I don't prepare my own briefs so don't worry. My English teacher was a little scathing of it as well. She also said I argued too much. My occupation was her Idea. Maybe I should have just smoked dope and then I could have gone onto the dole like you. Then I could have just lived in denial like you guys. Husaberg has had enough. It would seem some people need to live with distorted reality. I guess its how they cope with how their life has turned out. Smoke up boys, I would like a new car this year.

So now we get to the truth! If we decriminalized cannabis use it would adversely affect your income.

[Edbear]

Biased towards the defendant. Surely if they get off, then justice has been served? Don't be bitter about it because you think you know better than the judge... @not necessarily innocent even though they have been found to be innocent by the legal system. Healthy prejudice you have their.

Imagine how few of us dole dwellers you'd have to deal with if marijuana was decriminalised...

Why are you on the dole?

[scissorhands]

Why are you on the dole?

Shouldn't you be at work?

[Edbear]

Shouldn't you be at work?

I run a business, I'm always at work. Seven days a week, doing whatever it takes to support my family.

If anyone NEEDS the dole, it's there for them, but if you are unemployed, your responsibility is to find work and that means finding A job, not being picky about what you do.

If you're not actively looking for work and doing what it takes to be accepted, eg. changing what you need to change about yourself that may be interferring with finding a job, then you are a bludger.

Selfish irresponsible people will never find a job, unselfish, responsible people will always find a job, and the truth is really that simple. You may not get the job you want, but you will be working and contributing to society rather than living off those who are working.

[Edbear]

PS. I've broken my back twice in the last 16mths and live on painkillers and a severe disability. What's wrong with you?

[Clockwork]

PS. I've broken my back twice in the last 16mths and live on painkillers and a severe disability. What's wrong with you?

In all seriousness now. Would you try THC if it were legal?

[oneofsix]

I run a business, I'm always at work. Seven days a week, doing whatever it takes to support my family.

If anyone NEEDS the dole, it's there for them, but if you are unemployed, your responsibility is to find work and that means finding A job, not being picky about what you do.

If you're not actively looking for work and doing what it takes to be accepted, eg. changing what you need to change about yourself that may be interferring with finding a job, then you are a bludger.

Selfish irresponsible people will never find a job, unselfish, responsible people will always find a job, and the truth is really that simple. You may not get the job you want, but you will be working and contributing to society rather than living off those who are working.

Generally I agree with you Edbear but having been supporting a daughter trying to find work for nearly a year and doing what she could to get a job it can be frustrating. Some posters seem to think that if you are looking then you will find a job tomorrow

to get back on subject Edbear and in part reply to Clockworks question. yours would be one of the situations that I would consider looking TCH as a pain killer alternative.

[Edbear]

In all seriousness now. Would you try THC if it were legal?

If it was an approved drug and prescribed by my GP of course I would, because it would not have the side effects of Cannabis as taken generally. As I said, it is recretional smokers who enjoy the effects who are the most vocal about it and who couldn't care less if it's bad for the health.

Generally I agree with you Edbear but having been supporting a daughter trying to find work for nearly a year and doing what she could to get a job it can be frustrating. Some posters seem to think that if you are looking then you will find a job tomorrow

to get back on subject Edbear and in part reply to Clockworks question. yours would be one of the situations that I would consider looking TCH as a pain killer alternative.

As I said, if you need it it is there for you and only you know your full circumstances. Having dependent children complicates things. I was turned down for a part time job as most employers wan shift work on a rostered basis and my health doesn't alow me to be that flexible.

[Edbear]

Generally I agree with you Edbear but having been supporting a daughter trying to find work for nearly a year and doing what she could to get a job it can be frustrating. Some posters seem to think that if you are looking then you will find a job tomorrow

to get back on subject Edbear and in part reply to Clockworks question. yours would be one of the situations that I would consider looking TCH as a pain killer alternative.

Oh, PS. You have said you've been looking for work that would allow you to care for your daughter and that may not be easy to find. You are not what I'd class as a bludger.

Bludgers are those who always seem to find an excuse as to why they can't find a job.

[Clockwork]

Oddly enough, if it were an approved medication it would completely invalidate work place (or road side) drug testing. I wonder if that's part of the objection to it from the authorities

[scissorhands]

$$$$$$$$$$$$patents$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

PS. I've broken my back twice in the last 16mths and live on painkillers and a severe disability. What's wrong with you?

Nothing, I'm retired and live off rents. I do quite a bit of volunteer work, like protesting unfair laws that criminalise kids with mental issues.

Criminalising them just makes them more of a problem to society than what they already are.

It should be a health issue.

Ed: What sort of painkilers? Opiates? Does that affect your judgement and driving and stuff?

[Edbear]

Oddly enough, if it were an approved medication it would completely invalidate work place (or road side) drug testing. I wonder if that's part of the objection to it from the authorities

Extracting the effective ingredient by a phamaceutical company and developing a painkiller from it is very different from smoking the weed for a high. It would do nothing at all to affect the legislation against Cannabis use.