Tue, 5 Oct 2004

Health Board candidate uncovers "non-participation" problem

Press Release: Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

6 October 2004

Last year I lived at Kaikoura so I know and love the area. One thing that disturbed me when I arrived was the amount of litter around the beachfront and roadsides - particularly near the high-school. In the absence of apparent community action, I set about tidying up during my 10 months in town.

So I hope locals (of all ages), tourists and council have noticed and are helping keep up the respectable standard I attempted to set.

That problem with ‘non-participation’, I think, is symptomatic of a general ALIENATION in the NZ community:- from rule of law, health promotion, and environmentally sustainable values.

I believe there are damaging double standards surrounding certain commonplace drugs. To bully and vilify people for cannabis is a gross double standard, when you look at the damage alcohol and tobacco do, and sends a dangerous hypocritical message.

Drugs are a massive health issue and we should be focusing our attention and resources in the health arena, not funding the black market, prisons, courts and police ‘protection racket’.

I hold science and arts degrees from Canterbury University. As CDHB member, I will be advocating ‘early intervention’ (as above), inclusive, equitable, cost-effective, and evidence-based approaches.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>