XbX
Active member
Well people I had a thread on OG on this but its down....
Anyway to ssummarise, that MP Christopher Pyne wants to recriminalise....so theres a committee that is running "The National Cannabis Strategy"....
I emailed this woman who is running the committee as i wanted my views considered...Below is a summary of Pynes speech with my comments in ""double quotes"" this was sent to Pyne and to the woman who runs the committee.
I did get a reply from her. Here is what she said:
"Hi,
Thank you for your email regarding the National Cannabis Strategy. The National Cannabis Strategy is being developed within the existing legislative framework which means that it will not recommend that the states and territories change their laws with respect to cannabis (by either toughening them or by encouraging states and territories that have not decriminalised to decriminalise the personal use of cannabis).
I'm sorry you were not aware of the submission process; it was advertised in all major newspapers nationally. For your information, there is a cannabis user forum being held in Sydney this Friday if you are interested in attending and you are in the Sydney area. Please find the ad for this attached. If you're not able to attend this forum, your comments provided in the email will be taken into account in any case.
Many of your comments were directed at Christopher Pyne rather than the Cannabis Strategy so I would advise that you contact him with these points also.
Thanks again for taking the time to email; and for your interest in the National Cannabis Strategy."
So from that - all actions will be within existing legislation - so no law changes will be recommended - hooray (depending which way you look at it).
There is a forum being held for regular smokers to give their views on cannabis use. This is in Sydney.
If you live in Sydney I encourage you to attend this forum, and here is the ad:
Do you use
Marijuana?
You are invited to attend a forum for regular cannabis users that will help inform a working party about the best ways to provide information and support for cannabis users.
The forum will be held in early February at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in Randwick.
You will be reimbursed $30 for travel.
If you are interested, please call Jen on:
(02) 9385 0272
Numbers are limited
Please attend and tell them you want LEGAL cannabis, that is LEGAL to buy,sell,grow,possess.....
Here is the response to that moron Pyne, it is his speech, with my responses in "" "" - and this was sent to Pyne and the National Cannabis Strategy...
I wish more of YOU would take part in this activism so we can get these unjust laws turned on their head...
Ok here it is (Pynes speech)
The Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, today called for
each state government to re criminalise the possession and consumption of
cannabis.
""This is a backward step that will clog up the courts and bring young
people into the criminal justice system, hindering their chances of
employment,travel and other crucial life experiences due to a criminal
record for minor cannabis offences""
Speaking at the National Young Liberal Convention in Sydney, Mr Pyne said
there was a growing body of evidence that showed a link between cannabis
consumption and serious mental health problems.
"Young people are particularly vulnerable and we must do more to tackle the
perception that cannabis is a harmless drug," Mr Pyne said.
""There is no clear proof that cannabis use CAUSES mental illness. It is
only being said by recent studies that those PREDISPOSED to mental illness
may suffer earlier onset due to frequent cannabis use. The perception that
it is a relatively harmless drug is because IT IS a relatively harmless drug
when compared to amphetamines,cocaine and heroin. Its even relatively
harmless when compared to alcohol and tobacco as frequency of use in most
users is a lot less frequent than alcohol or tobacco""
"In Australia in 2004, 15 per cent of our population over the age of 15
years used cannabis.
"In a list of 24 of our national contemporaries such as the Netherlands, the
United Kingdom, the United States of America and New Zealand, Australia
ranked the highest in cannabis use.
""The Netherlands I have read has the LOWEST use of cannabis amongst the
population amongst the countries you mentioned. WHY? Because the Dutch have
a progressive system which regulates the sale of cannabis and MINORS are not
allowed to purchase cannabis (only over 18 consumption is tolerated). Lets
also note that these countries have relaxed their laws for personal use even
the USA in some states eg Oregon, California""
"Cannabis use can lead to the exacerbation of psychotic illness and symptoms
of schizophrenia as well as mood swings, panic attacks, delusions,
hallucinations and paranoid thinking.
""With abuse, combined with a susceptability to mental illness it
can(cannabis) lead to those things. However in most average people it DOES
NOT LEAD TO ANY OF THOSE THINGS. Its like saying drinking alcohol can lead
to domestic violence - a generalisation that does not hold true in all
instances.Propoganda baseless in real fact.Irresponsible scare mongering.""
"A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom found that one in four
people may have a genetic profile that makes it more likely that cannabis
use will trigger psychotic disorders. There are also other important
research findings that I have formed an Expert Committee to examine," he
said.
""What that means that there is a prevalent level of mental illness in our
UK society today. Obviously the statement says that 1 in 4 may be
susceptible to psychotic disorders due to cannabis use, however there is no
data on the percentage of these people who become psychotic due to cannabis,
and those who become psychotic (out of the same 1 in 4) without cannabis
use. The fact that 1 in 4 are susceptible to mental illness may actually
indicate some other pathogen that has been a by product of industry etc
which has over generations affected the genetic profile of Britons and made
them more susceptible to mental illness. This can not be ruled out and to
blame cannabis for these peoples psychoses is irresponsible, when no
research into why 1 in 4 have what is potentially a genetic defect, is
occurring. We have a similar issue in Australia with depression with more
and more people suffering. A disproportionate percentage of the population
is getting depressesed - this is similar to what is happenning in the UK and
we must do more to tackle the real underlying causes. The cause is NOT
cannabis.""
The Australian Institute of Criminology reported in October 2005 that 94 per
cent of juvenile offenders had used cannabis. And while alcohol use was
slightly more prevalent (97 per cent), more juveniles regularly used
cannabis (63 per cent) compared with alcohol (46 per cent). The drugs most
commonly used by young people prior to offending were cannabis and
amphetamines.
""Of these 94% of juvenile offenders, for what percent was the actual
offence possession of cannabis and no other offence? Furthermore, if a more
responsible distribution system that was not open to minors was adopted, a
case can be strongly made that these juveniles would not have had access to
cannabis in the first place.The above statement of yours is not qualified
properly and is misleading unless you clarify actual figures of arrests by
type of offence""
"The Australian Government has undertaken a significant Tough on Drugs
campaign and the most recent phase included advertisements that targeted the
use of cannabis and focussed on the links with mental health and social
isolation," Mr Pyne said.
"The government has taken considerable steps toward raising community
awareness about the dangers of cannabis. But we need the state and territory
governments to come on board with appropriate legal sanctions," he said.
""The campaign narrowly focuses on mental illness symptoms. Most young
people will take no notice of the ads. A better targetted campaign would be
along the following lines: Are you under 18 and using cannabis? Do you know
that if you are predisposed to mental illness you can suffer a psychotic
episode as a result of your use? Do you have any of these symptoms when
using cannabis (describe the symptoms)? Offer a free referral service to
area mental health centres for those who can identify with the problems and
as a part of the campaign, offer diagnosis and case management of mental
illness if found. Warn those people not to use cannabis as they are
predisposed to mental illness. Clearly the approach your suggesting does not
save anyone's mental health. It makes them criminals. It denies them
counselling or early intervention. It exposes juveniles to harder drugs by
leaving cannabis in the hands of drug dealers. It works to the detriment of
the youth of this nation""
In November 2005 the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS) agreed to
the development of the National Cannabis Strategy. A report is due with the
MCDS early this year, and it is expected to outline measures to tackle the
problem of cannabis use in Australia.
""A lot of cannabis reports in the past instigated by different governments
over the years actually called for decriminalisation and even legalisation.
Thats why the states decriminalised cannabis. Unless this report is biased,
it will probably suggest the same thing. Rather then take the tried and
failed prohibitionist tack, why can't you show some real political courage
with this issue and really work to keep cannabis out of access of children
by working on a model of distribution similar to the Netherlands where per
capita cannabis use is FAR LOWER than in Australia - this is with
"tolerated" distribution to over 18's only. By pursuing policy along the
lines which you have, you risk the exposure of our children and youth to
harder drugs, you offer them no real help for mental health problems whether
related to cannabis or not. You will alienate our chillren and youth for
life by making them criminals for what now are non prosecutable offences
currently in Australia and most of our civilised contemporary countries. So
to sum up, you will not be doing the youth of this country any good at all.
You will not minimise their harm, you are not looking out for their
interests in a realistic way. The majority of cannabis smokers in this
country work,pay taxes and live full and meaningful lives. In your own
electorate cannabis use is rife and ingrained, it will never go away. By
enacting such poorly thought out policies you are making cannabis a more
dangerous drug than it really is, and by keeping it in the hands of
unscrupulous drug dealers you continue to promote cannabis as a gateway to
other drugs. You are doing a disservice to the nation and you will
ultimately damage the reputaion of the Liberal party. You will have the same
effect on society as a drug dealer if you pursue this policy.""
Thanks if you read so far - I know its a long read - but i am very
passionate about this issue and believe the government is acting in a way
that does not look after the public interest. Furthermore the government is
distorting the facts and hiding the real issue which is deteriorating mental
health in a higher percentage of Australian population than ever before of
which most are not cannabis users. This cannabis bashing is occurring at the
expense of real work that needs to be done in the nations mental health
system and you sir, are the prime culprit of this time wasting by espousing
these anti cannabis views and sidetracking real progress in mental health
services by linking them (mental health) to cannabis use and only focusing
on it (cannabis use) as an aspect of mental health.
Please consider my points - they are not baseless in fact but carefully
considered and geared towards harm minimisation and preventing exposure of
children to cannabis and other drugs.
It would be far more beneficial for the community if the focus was on
improving mental health services, early diagnosis/intervention for those
susceptible to mental illness, medicare subsidised dental care, better
hospital infrastructure in general etc. These things should take priority
rather than the recriminalisation of cannabis use - cannabis use is only one
aspect of mental health. Theres so much more to fix. The states have managed
minor cannabis usage reasonably well and have all moved to more progressive
systems. We should not go backwards, only forwards and more progressive.
Anyway to ssummarise, that MP Christopher Pyne wants to recriminalise....so theres a committee that is running "The National Cannabis Strategy"....
I emailed this woman who is running the committee as i wanted my views considered...Below is a summary of Pynes speech with my comments in ""double quotes"" this was sent to Pyne and to the woman who runs the committee.
I did get a reply from her. Here is what she said:
"Hi,
Thank you for your email regarding the National Cannabis Strategy. The National Cannabis Strategy is being developed within the existing legislative framework which means that it will not recommend that the states and territories change their laws with respect to cannabis (by either toughening them or by encouraging states and territories that have not decriminalised to decriminalise the personal use of cannabis).
I'm sorry you were not aware of the submission process; it was advertised in all major newspapers nationally. For your information, there is a cannabis user forum being held in Sydney this Friday if you are interested in attending and you are in the Sydney area. Please find the ad for this attached. If you're not able to attend this forum, your comments provided in the email will be taken into account in any case.
Many of your comments were directed at Christopher Pyne rather than the Cannabis Strategy so I would advise that you contact him with these points also.
Thanks again for taking the time to email; and for your interest in the National Cannabis Strategy."
So from that - all actions will be within existing legislation - so no law changes will be recommended - hooray (depending which way you look at it).
There is a forum being held for regular smokers to give their views on cannabis use. This is in Sydney.
If you live in Sydney I encourage you to attend this forum, and here is the ad:
Do you use
Marijuana?
You are invited to attend a forum for regular cannabis users that will help inform a working party about the best ways to provide information and support for cannabis users.
The forum will be held in early February at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in Randwick.
You will be reimbursed $30 for travel.
If you are interested, please call Jen on:
(02) 9385 0272
Numbers are limited
Please attend and tell them you want LEGAL cannabis, that is LEGAL to buy,sell,grow,possess.....
Here is the response to that moron Pyne, it is his speech, with my responses in "" "" - and this was sent to Pyne and the National Cannabis Strategy...
I wish more of YOU would take part in this activism so we can get these unjust laws turned on their head...
Ok here it is (Pynes speech)
The Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, today called for
each state government to re criminalise the possession and consumption of
cannabis.
""This is a backward step that will clog up the courts and bring young
people into the criminal justice system, hindering their chances of
employment,travel and other crucial life experiences due to a criminal
record for minor cannabis offences""
Speaking at the National Young Liberal Convention in Sydney, Mr Pyne said
there was a growing body of evidence that showed a link between cannabis
consumption and serious mental health problems.
"Young people are particularly vulnerable and we must do more to tackle the
perception that cannabis is a harmless drug," Mr Pyne said.
""There is no clear proof that cannabis use CAUSES mental illness. It is
only being said by recent studies that those PREDISPOSED to mental illness
may suffer earlier onset due to frequent cannabis use. The perception that
it is a relatively harmless drug is because IT IS a relatively harmless drug
when compared to amphetamines,cocaine and heroin. Its even relatively
harmless when compared to alcohol and tobacco as frequency of use in most
users is a lot less frequent than alcohol or tobacco""
"In Australia in 2004, 15 per cent of our population over the age of 15
years used cannabis.
"In a list of 24 of our national contemporaries such as the Netherlands, the
United Kingdom, the United States of America and New Zealand, Australia
ranked the highest in cannabis use.
""The Netherlands I have read has the LOWEST use of cannabis amongst the
population amongst the countries you mentioned. WHY? Because the Dutch have
a progressive system which regulates the sale of cannabis and MINORS are not
allowed to purchase cannabis (only over 18 consumption is tolerated). Lets
also note that these countries have relaxed their laws for personal use even
the USA in some states eg Oregon, California""
"Cannabis use can lead to the exacerbation of psychotic illness and symptoms
of schizophrenia as well as mood swings, panic attacks, delusions,
hallucinations and paranoid thinking.
""With abuse, combined with a susceptability to mental illness it
can(cannabis) lead to those things. However in most average people it DOES
NOT LEAD TO ANY OF THOSE THINGS. Its like saying drinking alcohol can lead
to domestic violence - a generalisation that does not hold true in all
instances.Propoganda baseless in real fact.Irresponsible scare mongering.""
"A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom found that one in four
people may have a genetic profile that makes it more likely that cannabis
use will trigger psychotic disorders. There are also other important
research findings that I have formed an Expert Committee to examine," he
said.
""What that means that there is a prevalent level of mental illness in our
UK society today. Obviously the statement says that 1 in 4 may be
susceptible to psychotic disorders due to cannabis use, however there is no
data on the percentage of these people who become psychotic due to cannabis,
and those who become psychotic (out of the same 1 in 4) without cannabis
use. The fact that 1 in 4 are susceptible to mental illness may actually
indicate some other pathogen that has been a by product of industry etc
which has over generations affected the genetic profile of Britons and made
them more susceptible to mental illness. This can not be ruled out and to
blame cannabis for these peoples psychoses is irresponsible, when no
research into why 1 in 4 have what is potentially a genetic defect, is
occurring. We have a similar issue in Australia with depression with more
and more people suffering. A disproportionate percentage of the population
is getting depressesed - this is similar to what is happenning in the UK and
we must do more to tackle the real underlying causes. The cause is NOT
cannabis.""
The Australian Institute of Criminology reported in October 2005 that 94 per
cent of juvenile offenders had used cannabis. And while alcohol use was
slightly more prevalent (97 per cent), more juveniles regularly used
cannabis (63 per cent) compared with alcohol (46 per cent). The drugs most
commonly used by young people prior to offending were cannabis and
amphetamines.
""Of these 94% of juvenile offenders, for what percent was the actual
offence possession of cannabis and no other offence? Furthermore, if a more
responsible distribution system that was not open to minors was adopted, a
case can be strongly made that these juveniles would not have had access to
cannabis in the first place.The above statement of yours is not qualified
properly and is misleading unless you clarify actual figures of arrests by
type of offence""
"The Australian Government has undertaken a significant Tough on Drugs
campaign and the most recent phase included advertisements that targeted the
use of cannabis and focussed on the links with mental health and social
isolation," Mr Pyne said.
"The government has taken considerable steps toward raising community
awareness about the dangers of cannabis. But we need the state and territory
governments to come on board with appropriate legal sanctions," he said.
""The campaign narrowly focuses on mental illness symptoms. Most young
people will take no notice of the ads. A better targetted campaign would be
along the following lines: Are you under 18 and using cannabis? Do you know
that if you are predisposed to mental illness you can suffer a psychotic
episode as a result of your use? Do you have any of these symptoms when
using cannabis (describe the symptoms)? Offer a free referral service to
area mental health centres for those who can identify with the problems and
as a part of the campaign, offer diagnosis and case management of mental
illness if found. Warn those people not to use cannabis as they are
predisposed to mental illness. Clearly the approach your suggesting does not
save anyone's mental health. It makes them criminals. It denies them
counselling or early intervention. It exposes juveniles to harder drugs by
leaving cannabis in the hands of drug dealers. It works to the detriment of
the youth of this nation""
In November 2005 the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS) agreed to
the development of the National Cannabis Strategy. A report is due with the
MCDS early this year, and it is expected to outline measures to tackle the
problem of cannabis use in Australia.
""A lot of cannabis reports in the past instigated by different governments
over the years actually called for decriminalisation and even legalisation.
Thats why the states decriminalised cannabis. Unless this report is biased,
it will probably suggest the same thing. Rather then take the tried and
failed prohibitionist tack, why can't you show some real political courage
with this issue and really work to keep cannabis out of access of children
by working on a model of distribution similar to the Netherlands where per
capita cannabis use is FAR LOWER than in Australia - this is with
"tolerated" distribution to over 18's only. By pursuing policy along the
lines which you have, you risk the exposure of our children and youth to
harder drugs, you offer them no real help for mental health problems whether
related to cannabis or not. You will alienate our chillren and youth for
life by making them criminals for what now are non prosecutable offences
currently in Australia and most of our civilised contemporary countries. So
to sum up, you will not be doing the youth of this country any good at all.
You will not minimise their harm, you are not looking out for their
interests in a realistic way. The majority of cannabis smokers in this
country work,pay taxes and live full and meaningful lives. In your own
electorate cannabis use is rife and ingrained, it will never go away. By
enacting such poorly thought out policies you are making cannabis a more
dangerous drug than it really is, and by keeping it in the hands of
unscrupulous drug dealers you continue to promote cannabis as a gateway to
other drugs. You are doing a disservice to the nation and you will
ultimately damage the reputaion of the Liberal party. You will have the same
effect on society as a drug dealer if you pursue this policy.""
Thanks if you read so far - I know its a long read - but i am very
passionate about this issue and believe the government is acting in a way
that does not look after the public interest. Furthermore the government is
distorting the facts and hiding the real issue which is deteriorating mental
health in a higher percentage of Australian population than ever before of
which most are not cannabis users. This cannabis bashing is occurring at the
expense of real work that needs to be done in the nations mental health
system and you sir, are the prime culprit of this time wasting by espousing
these anti cannabis views and sidetracking real progress in mental health
services by linking them (mental health) to cannabis use and only focusing
on it (cannabis use) as an aspect of mental health.
Please consider my points - they are not baseless in fact but carefully
considered and geared towards harm minimisation and preventing exposure of
children to cannabis and other drugs.
It would be far more beneficial for the community if the focus was on
improving mental health services, early diagnosis/intervention for those
susceptible to mental illness, medicare subsidised dental care, better
hospital infrastructure in general etc. These things should take priority
rather than the recriminalisation of cannabis use - cannabis use is only one
aspect of mental health. Theres so much more to fix. The states have managed
minor cannabis usage reasonably well and have all moved to more progressive
systems. We should not go backwards, only forwards and more progressive.
