Drunk drivers avoid drug tests via loophole – theage.com.au

Drunk drivers avoid drug tests via loophole – National – theage.com.au: “Police figures suggest that drug-driving is nearly four times as prevalent as drink-driving, with one in every 67 drivers testing positive for cannabis or methamphetamine-based drugs. This compared to one in every 250 drivers testing positive for alcohol.

Drivers who return positive laboratory tests are fined $307 and gain three demerit points for a first offence or are prosecuted. If the offence goes to court, the maximum penalty for a first offence is $614 and a three-month licence cancellation.”

There is an order of magnitude difference between the tollerance of impairment thresholds for allowed for alcohol (a mild traquiliser) and a zero threshold for metabolites of cannabis absent to any required standard, proof of impairment.

And there lies the injustice. The rest is government hyperbole and obsfucation creating manufactured consent.

It is in breach of public health principals and all standards of efficacy and consensus for Government or crown agency [Police] to declare something ‘on trial’ a success before the results are in. Nor is good governance assured when this is done according to its own often nebulous objectives and performance criteria as in this case.

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Shops Warned About Drug Equipment [UK]

UK: Web: Shops Warned About Drug Equipment: “‘There is no point in us taking the drug awareness information into schools when the children can walk down the high street and see this kind of paraphernalia being sold in all kinds of shops.’ ”

This sure makes Labour’s passing of the National Party’s NZ Bong Bill look terribly duplicious… /Blair

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Since WE Asked: A Different�Test� For Students?

Cool… a published letter in Oregon, and they don’t publish (normally)
from outside of circulation area!
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0515/local/stories/20local.htm

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Singapore to murder for a 1kg of cannabis

Hi Brandon,

I conducted a ‘public hanging’ in Cashel Mall at 3:00pm – replete with wooden mock gallows, a black hood, the ‘hemp’ noose and a 19year old ‘everyday druggie’ called ‘Grace’ whom we managed to Save.

After introducing the french connection “Avoir de la corde-de-pendu dans sa poche” to have hemp in your pocket for luck, esp as it was friday 13 and unlucky for some, the audience was treated to a comparison between media coverage on Schapelle and Shanmugam. The context of the UN Single Conventions, the drug related deaths world wide etc. and that NZ Prime Minister Hon Helen Clark has sold our souls to the devil for a few shekels in trade – and no one notices, was thoroughly was canvassed.

After a brief mock trial where i was judge and jury, sentencing was passed, and Grace’s appeals denied so she was prepared for her maker, hooded and commiteed to the gallows.

1 minute of silent “grace’ for Shanmugam Murugesu and a prayer for his children then took place.

[Grace was amazing, her last words to the amassed rabble were “fly high” but as it was NZ, and not Indoensia or Singapore or Thailand, or any of the other 40 nation states on this earth who kill for justice, the capital punishment today was commuted for harm minimisation deads well done. ]

Which must have pleased someone. Police had recieved formal complaint from a member of the public (a shopkeeper, I believe) ‘offended’ that this street theatre was too graphic and unsuitable for the public despite an attentive audience of about 100 people. Some asked “what do you suggest we do about it?” Others more discretly spoke “your telling the truth here, your brave”.

Two Police, one very senior dude and a woman with some sympathy for what this is about came and talked to me and M.Britnell as we packed things up.

It was pointed out to us that protest was useless as we cannot change the laws in a foreign country… I reminded him that the ‘red brigade’ baton just sold for 20,000 dollars… a legacy to the social conscience and collective concern that helped change a nation. Anyone disturbed by the ‘graphic nature’ dramatized here should be better directed at those who perpetuate the all to graphic human rights abuse of swinging someone from their neck until dead for what is smoked in new zealand in each and 15 seconds. (nor what bloody ‘drug ed’ message thatsends to our children.)

The senior officer at first ‘who needs another problem drug out here’ later went along with medpot and decriminalisation. They left with theRoyal College of Physicians and Seattle Initiatives under wing.

Regretably a technical hitch with the (guy behind the) camera, so no photo as planned . but lots of images were taken by the audience. Maybeone will turn up.

Brandon Hutchison wrote: the Singapore High Commission address is 17 Kabul St Ngaio Wellington ph 04-470 0850
Source: Khaleeg Times
Pub date: May 10, 2005
Subj: Singaporean to be hanged despite plea by sons group
Web: http://www.khaleejtimes.com

SINGAPORE – Singapore will hang an ethnic Tamil man on Friday for trafficking about 1 kg (2.2 lb) of cannabis despite a rare public plea by his teenage sons to stop the execution, a human rights group said. After 38-year-old Shanmugam Murugesu lost an appeal to escape the gallows in January, his 14-year-old twin children took to Singapore’s streets, handing out flyers last month urging public support to stop the execution, saying it would make them orphans.

Think Centre, a Singapore human rights group, said Murugesu’s family had received notification on Monday he will be hanged on Friday, May 13. “We are calling everyone, wherever they are, to hold a silent vigil for Shanmugam,” Think Centre president Sinapan Samydorai told Reuters on Tuesday.

Murugesu, a Singapore citizen, was convicted of trafficking after his arrest at Singapore’s border with Malaysia in August 2003. Singapore President S.R. Nathan said last month Murugesu would not receive clemency. Prison officials said they could not immediately comment. Singapore enforces some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Anyone aged 18 or over convicted of carrying more than 500 grammes (17.6 ounces) of cannabis faces execution by hanging. In a 2004 report, human rights group Amnesty International said about 400 people have been hanged in Singapore since 1991, mostly for drug trafficking, giving the wealthy city-state of 4.2 million people possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population.

Amnesty says only 6 people sentenced to death in Singapore have been spared execution since independence in 1965. Singapore staunchly defends its use of capital punishment. The government claims death penalty has broad public support and has deterred major drug syndicates from establishing themselves in Singapore.

–ends—
sig. Blair Anderson
50 Wainoni Road.
Christchurch, NZ.
http://mildgreens.com http://mildgreens.blogspot.com/
cell phone 025 2657219 ph (643) 389 4065

In an age of conformity, of conventional wisdom, of suffocating pieties, reform is a breath of fresh air.
– Simon Carr, The Independent, Jan03

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POVERTY AFFECTS HEALTH MORE THAN SMOKING, STUDY SUGGESTS

REGINA—Poverty erodes a person’s health more than smoking, drinking or lack of exercise, a Statistics Canada study suggests

• As in previous studies, the government research also suggests that moderate drinking could protect against illness. Norm O’Rourke, a gerontology professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, objected to the finding. He called it “crude.”

This is my take too.. the wine ‘alcohol’ studies are correlation not causation. It could be the ‘flavinoids’ etc.. in the wine itself for example. But here is the truth of the matter…. [IMHO]

An equitable society is a healthy and educated society. Equity is everything, less than healthy poverty is a function of an inequitable policy base and poor decision making. Good health costs everyone less.Equitable access to health is a netbenefit investment. The payback for community investment in health is fiscally neutral.

The war on drugs is an example of classic failure of such principles…exemplified by the abject failure of basic economic ethos and a public accounting; – the ‘never been done’ cost benefit analysis? What healthy benefits in this multi-billion dollar aberation are we foregoing? (suggested read: Narcodollars for Dummies, Catherine Austen Fitts on the power of drugs to control communities and to finance and build the train tracks of control.)

Hello? Who controls the NZ war on drugs? – the Minister(s) of Health. Jim, Damian and Annette – all bearers of weapons of meth destruction and false promise.

More Kiwi’s die every year from preventable misadminstration disease than Saddam gassed Kurds, suggesting ‘ time for a healthy regime change….’.

CZAR Jim flogged another 6 million dollars today…. out of EACH AND EVERYONE of our pockets to further his misadministration of health goals. It can only be but bloody irony that CZAR Jim is the Minister of small business and regional development. The glove Fitts.

CBC News Online wrote:
POVERTY AFFECTS HEALTH MORE THAN SMOKING, STUDY SUGGESTS
WebPosted Mon May 9 18:57:31 2005

REGINA—Poverty erodes a person’s health more than smoking, drinking or lack of exercise, a Statistics Canada study suggests. Education and income were more important for middle-aged health than acting healthy, said the study, released on Monday. “Among middle-aged adults aged 45 to 64, socio-economic characteristics such as the education level and household income were more important determinants of healthy aging than healthy behaviours,” it said. The eight-year study of middle-aged adults found that only after the age of 65 does healthy living impact health more than financial well-being. Some older people are simply too poor to live a healthy life, said Wally Coates, a board member of a Saskatchewan seniors group. “A lot of them are eating cheaper foods,” Coates said. “They’re not necessarily getting a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables. Because that all adds up to more money, eh? It’s just not a lot of money, if you have to live in the neighbourhood of 12,000 a year.” The Statscan researchers warned, however, that it’s too early to determine the consequences of unhealthy living for the middle-aged segment of the study, which is continuing. And it suggested that people benefit in the long term by healthy living. As in previous studies, the government research also suggests that moderate drinking could protect against illness. Norm O’Rourke, a gerontology professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, objected to the finding. He called it “crude.” “Moderate alcohol consumption is very strongly tied to socio-economic status,” O’Rourke said. “If you’re sitting down each night for a dinner with a glass of wine, the likelihood is that you don’t have Wendy’s take-a-way.” He said the study didn’t pay nearly enough attention to the crucial role of attitude, noting a person’s outlook on life is very important as they get older. Copyright (C) 2005 CBC. All rights reserved.

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Cannabinoids spell relief in colon inflammation

One of those ‘this time last year’ items….

Hang on, wasn’t one of our successful entrepreneur and Christchurch citizen’s Ian Jackson facing the justice for having an irritable bowel?

Or is the science just a lot of blarney? So much for a Healthy Christchurch!

Medical News Today Archive Search: “these results suggest that the endogenous cannabinoid system represents a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.”

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Drug Testing in Schools?

Letter to the Editor
Mail Tribune

Dear Sir,

Drug testing – Educators say No.

Since the publication of the definitive Making Sense of Student Drug
Testing, Why Educators are Saying No (January 2004) written by Fatema
Gunja, Alexandra Cox, Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD and Judith Appel, JD, the
key flaws in random student drug testing have been exposed. Simply put,
evidentially coercive interventions fail to accomplish the ‘deterrence’
aims intended.

The 24 page report facilitated by ACLU and the Drug Policy Foundation
discusses promising alternatives to continuing paradigms of failure. I
commend it to your readers and trust it helps inform parents and
caregivers about how best to address drug use among young people in your
community. see
http://www.aclu.org/DrugPolicy/DrugPolicy.cfm?ID=14767&c=79

While cannabis and all other drug related information should be
integrated across the curriculum – i.e.: in context, New Zealand’s House
of Representatives parliamentary findings highlighted that the double
standards in respect of cannabis are an impediment to credible [all]
drug education. see http://mildgreens.com/inq1.htm

Yet again, prohibition has been found wanting!

sig. Blair Anderson
Director, Educators for Sensible Drug Policy (NZ)
http://www.efsdp.org

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Hahaaa! The Conservative Voice on MPP. Soros et al.

….. extract….
In a separate part of the paper, the Style section, The Post ran an item favorably highlighting tonight?s MPP 10th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., which is attracting several liberal Democrats who accept the group’s claim that pot has medical benefits. Kincaid commented, “Tell that to the families of the victims of the killer student in Red Lake, Minnesota, Jeff Weise, an admitted pothead who bragged about marijuana being his ‘gal of choice’ before he killed nine people and himself.

Weise was also on psychiatric drugs.
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=5430

also you’ll love this anecdote that closely approximates the madness we can’t talk about
see: . http://www.dailyreckoning.com/Writers/Mogambo/DREssays/PotandPorn.html

Tradition ; The Psychology Of Civil Self-Policing And Obedience

1. Start with a cage containing five apes. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the Banana.
2. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result – all the apes are sprayed with cold water.
3. Turn off the cold water. If, later, another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will try to prevent it even though no water sprays them.
4. Now, remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The New ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other apes attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
5. Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.
6. Again, replace a third original ape with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape.
7. After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced.

Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not?
“Because that’s the way it’s always been done around here! Hahahaha!

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Medical Fact: Marijuana is Safer Than Alcohol

Letter to the Editor,
NZ Herald
Dear Sir,
Readers of your Saturday fronts-piece on doctors concerned about teen alcohol issues may find the alcohol http://www.progress.org/2005/drc68.htm ‘solution space’; as proposed and supported by youth in the USA; interesting. They argue that Marijuana is Safer Than Alcohol.

This weekends ‘global marijuana march’ is not about promoting drugs (as likely it will be portrayed); as it is elevating the dialogue internationally as to what really is ‘harm minimization’ and how we might make the crucial adjustment. Christchurch’s rally certainly heard about how the phrase has been hijacked by the current political prohibitionist ideologues. Our Health Select Committee reports that based http://www.mildgreens.com/inq1.htm on evidence received the current practice of cannabis prohibition is an impediment to credible [anti]drug education.

The reason why Jim Anderton and the Progressives want to re-raise the drinking age to 20 evidences that failed policy foundation. He and his ilk should not be rewarded for failure (and nasty name calling) by blaming evil drugs or for lying to the public about relative harms when Anderton contrasry to his evidence based education announcement recently stated at a public forum held in Christchurch (28Apr) that cannabis is more dangerous than tobacco. The New Zealand and Australian Colleges of Physicians and Psychologists reported collectively and robustly that politicians should forgo the short term interest in votes, account for prohibitions shortcomings and in invest evidence based policies for success.

It appears the American Students for Sensible Drug Policy are onto something see http://www.progress.org/2005/drc68.htm (please forward to your respective news journalist as you see fit.)

sig. Blair Anderson 50 Wainoni Road. Christchurch, NZ

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Drug Prohibition Is No Laughing Matter

Libs on Anderton – and this is a serving he rightly deserves!

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0505/S00080.htm

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