NZ Award for ‘P’ing into Wind?

.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Holme’s Anti-P campaign is unworthy of recognition by anyone but the deluded.

Which part of what has been done has been effective, efficacious or efficient? Remind me please… everything that has been ‘anti-P’ seems only to on evidence produced more of the problem than existed before.

• (see NZ Herald Kiwi of the Year Award – Awarded to Holmood post the Jan  Molenaar /Napier Armed Siege, again an unintended consequence and ‘function’ of poor drug policy

This is entirely predictable. “P” prevalence is a function of poor drug policy not the pharmacology of the drug.

If such policy as we have now is to be lauded, it cannot be lauded for its success. Mr Holmes waxes lyrical about his own family circumstances but then endorses the very system that has both failed him and others, but worse, has contributed to the very mess he sets out to clean up.

That ranks alongside stupidity and to nominate any ‘award of merit’ would be to bring the award itself into disrepute.

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

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Call 0800-Poison?

That is a cannabis Plant and Bong, ya fools!

“Hazmat confiscated a marijuana plant, a melted plastic bottle and what appears to be gas lamp fluid. Authorities say they are all items for making meth and they leave a strange smell in the air. “

So who are you supposed to be scaring in silly ouftits like this?
Both are safer than Speights.

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

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The Big Meth Con – Menace or Moral Panic?

Image via Wikipedia

This writer has consistently argued that the prevalence of “P” in NZ is a product of a policy that delivers many unintended consequences one of which is more “P”.

It is almost a given that Carla-Louise Wallace’s seminal thesis on methamphetamine and NZ media “Menace or Moral Panic?” will not feature at tonight’s “Holmes” celebrity roast fundraiser before 300+ rich folk ($325 seat) including the Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennet and Minister of Justice, Simon Power.

AUT Communications graduate Carla-Louise draws on extensive work by Prof Jock Young et al supporting the contention that the policy and its policing is creating the problem (deviancy amplification). http://aut.researchgateway.ac.nz/handle/10292/215

Abstract: [excerpt] This thesis, presented as a collection of articles, journalistic in its tone, is titled “Menace or Moral Panic? Methamphetamine and the New Zealand Press”. Within the collection, evidence and background information is presented that supports a claim that a moral panic fitting Stanley Cohen‘s classic model occurred between 1999 and 2004.This moral panic was also identified using Stuart Hall‘s definition of a moral panic outlined in his mugging study published in 1978 as well as the more contemporary model of Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994). Jock Young’s theory of The Deviance Amplification Spiral is also addressed and can be applied to this collection when considering the close ‘symbiotic’ relationship that our press here in New Zealand have with our police force. In looking at this particular subject it is vital that we look at how drugs and drug use play a role in the media. Also as part of the back grounding for this collection it was of critical importance to find whether a moral panic happened anywhere else in the world in relation to methamphetamine. Two previous moral panics about methamphetamine are featured in this collection as part of a case study presented in “Ancient Anecdotes meet Modernity: Drugs and the Rise of Methamphetamine” in which between the years of 1989 and 1996 America passed through two moral panics brought on to a considerable extent by a mixture of media hype and political opportunism. (snip)

The last article in this collection investigates, using expert interviews, if there is enough evidence to support the claim that methamphetamine may be a menace to New Zealand society, but that the extent of that menace may be exaggerated by a moral panic brought on by our media and fuelled by our police force. (snip)

The police as amplifiers of deviancy [J Young – Drugs and Politics, 1977 – books.google.com ] examines the reasons for police action against the drugtaker and issues of moral disturbance, disproportionality, displacement and volatility.

A recent paper by MIT’s Urban Studies and Planning, Gary T Marx citing Young on the same subject reads like an instruction manual for how to work out what went wrong in Napier placing as it does responsibility for unintended consequences, contrary to the ruling paradigm, on Policing, not just Policy.

Image via Wikipedia

This evenings Sky City Stellar Trust Dinner “Roast” is just another such moral panic conveniently funding everything that has failed (Methcon, FADE, LIFE are the prime beneficiaries) and further entrenching everything that is broken. Paul Holme’s false assertion of <5% treatment success for “P” may be way off mark, but ‘the roast and its purpose’ speaks volumes. No good comes from putting labels on anyone. Least of all those on those who need help. (http://www.grownups.co.nz/read/directories/community_services_charities/stellar-trust )

The more dangerous a drug is, the more culpable a government for abrogating control to criminal networks, maximising social harm, misplacing resources and deluding themselves and everyone else. However, as this point is likely to fly over the heads of dead tree media it will be interesting to see what the Celebrity Roast’s Cellars and Bar-take is and how that might inform the real drug debate.

The MildGreens say the intersectoral social capital is in the ‘all drug’ approach as originally

Image via Wikipedia

mooted in the National Drug Policy consulative phase and accepted in principle in the final drafts. The first step, the homogulation of any and all psychoactive recreational drugs safer than alcohol and tobacco (nicotine) to be placed in the October 6th 2008 regulations for sale, storage, manufacture, labeling, advertising, premises, and age of consent for [“Soft” drugs needing] effective control and emperical research. Cannabis, LSD, MDMA, Ibogaine…all administered by the Ministry of Health.

The rules are already there, so with that legislative progress one could wonder why (Health Minister) Hon Tony Ryall is avoiding a “roasting” seat tonight?

Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›
ph (643) 389 4065 cell 027 265 7219

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The Meth Mess

Notable interview, the blatantly obvious undertow is the prejudice inherent in the system for those on (any type of) drug charges.

9:30 Unsatisfactory delays in the court system
A South Auckland judge has thrown out a criminal case because of what he called a grossly unsatisfactory delay in the court system and inadequate facilities at the Manuakau District Court.
Tony Bouchier, lawyer who acted for the man whose charges were dropped; and Graeme Newell, President of the Criminal Bar Association.

listen in South Auckland Judge Throws Out Case

Judge said”A grossly unsatisfactory delay in the court system and inadequate facilities at the Manuakau District Court.” (duration: 12′20″)

direct comments to mailto:ninetonoon@radionz.co.nz
—
Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

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WHO Says US/NZ Drug Policies "a failure’ ?

The World Health Organization Documents Failure of U.S. Drug Policies
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 / By Bruce Mirken

The United States has some of the world’s most punitive drug policies and has led the cheering section for tough “war on drugs” policies worldwide, but a new international study suggests that those policies have been a crashing failure. A World Health Organization survey of 17 countries, conducted by some of the world’s leading substance abuse researchers, found that we have the highest rates of marijuana and cocaine use.

The numbers are startling. In the United States, 42.4 percent admitted having used marijuana. The only other nation that came close was New Zealand, another bastion of get-tough policies, at 41.9 percent. No one else was even close. (more)

So? Whats new about this unremarkable fact? Could it be that the “MethCon’s” and “Kiwi Party” think we can incarcerate our way to a drug free society.

Perhaps the media might have liked to print the following attributed to Degenhardt’s research team (as published by Reuters )

“Globally, drug use is not distributed evenly and is not simply related to drug policy, since countries with stringent user-level illegal drug policies did not have lower levels of use than countries with liberal ones,”

Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

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Class D, Legal Regulation reduces Meth: New Statesman.

In 1999, the New Zealand government was facing a rising crystal meth problem and took the unusual step of creating a new class for “harm reduction” drugs, Class D, allowing licensed companies to make and sell piperazine-based highs. So far, five million BZP pills have been sold in New Zealand and Bowden’s Stargate business has the lion’s share.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200610230025

More crucially the failings of drug policy couldn’t be more evident than the the lying b’stards (and former NZ Police at that) over at MethCon . Who dreamed that word up?. Opening line of their latest media missive New ‘Ice Age’ is drug scourge of New Zealand

It begins with the illusion that P has exceeded the popularity of cannabis. What have these guys been smoking? New Zealand has the highest cannabis uptake in the OECD. It couldn’t be more popular if it was made compulsory. Meth is a stink drug. MethCon says its “wakefulness, hyperactivity, lots of energy and euphoria” will lead to “one of the most serious threats to the workforce, and indeed, society as a whole.” I don’t see the connection between these two but MethCon does, it may have something to do with asking for money to save the planet.

I have heard “P” described by host and senior female police officer at a “Healthy Christchurch” community event as a “30 Minute Orgasm”… (whereupon a sheepish if lone voice was heard to call ‘where can I get some!’).

Parents, keep these guys, particularly former detective Sabin, out of your schools and away from your children, they set a bad example and should be embarrassed by, rather than proud of perpetuating the Meth Con on our kids.

Teachers teach kids, whereas former Police, Drug Addicts and Alcoholics foster double standard impediments to health promotion. Ottawa Charter stuff…

Send the kids to Class D, and respect adult choice.
[ Class A drugs are much too good for them anyway!]

Blair Anderson,
Educators for Sensible Drug Policy EFSDP.ORG

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Big fat anti-drug NGO griftfest

Big fat anti-drug NGO griftfest
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

The UN drug policy consultation [BEYOND2008] in Wellington this week will be a big fat expert blowhard session say the ALCP,

see http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0802/S00059.htm.

Notably it is expected rational observations – eg. that an ongoing cannabis ban is damaging, wrong, and in particular is counterproductive (it opened the gateway for NZ methamphetamine networks) – will be suppressed.

ALCP has little faith that the urgent stalled debate on cannabis will be brought out into the open. This was highlighted by the NZ Drug Foundation effort to promote debate last year, that went unheeded by both politicians and media.

This conference is all about confirming contacts and contracts first, with public good a very poor second. The UN and their band of grifters will ignore the elephant in the corner. By tackling only illicit drugs, minus any context with alcohol and tobacco, or rampant cannabis and BZP and other substance popularity, they will merely reinforce a dangerously unhealthy context of double standards.

Doubtless the failure of cannabis illegality may come up in the discussion but it will ultimately be omitted from the final report. This has happened many times before, eg. our National Drug Policy, and select committee Cannabis Law review.

The vast majority of normal pot-using Kiwis (an estimated half-million, based on the NZDF figure of 1 in 8 prevalence ) would be completely mystified at the concept of Drug Treatment Services for their use. They would laugh at it, and therein lies some insight that may benefit NGOs attending the consultation; the whole ridiculous policy is based on prohibition, double standards and vested interests. For those 5% who run into problems with their cannabis use, prohibition is no help whatsoever – in fact promoting furtive or paranoid behaviour. At every step prohibition is harm production, not harm reduction.

If our politicians want to look at a big fat ugly root cause of whats currently troubling NZ, it is a social policy mix underpinned by criminalisation and anti-cannabis prejudice. “The drug war is the single most destructive force loose in society” said ALCP deputy leader Mike Britnell.

“Prohibition has not only failed but it is the lynchpin that is maintaining all this chaos, mayhem and murder.”

In our Prime Minister’s own words, it is ‘poor public policy’ (1994 Great Marijuana Debate). ALCP say an apology anytime soon would be good.

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Leading Evidence

Leading Evidence.

The evidence of a corollary between the societal response to dogs and drugs is mounting. This media is an exemplar of the othering and typecasting that Natalie, quite correctly points out.

The metaphors, ‘give a dog a bad name’ and ‘never kick a dog that’s down’ are relevant to resolving the tensions behind both of these perplexing social problems, and indicative of what we, the community need to do to fix both.

Media would be less likely to report for example “it has been my experience that Jack Russells more often than not, are agents provocateur” despite that it may well be the common experience of many others. How likely would it be that ‘that tale be told’ let alone, including in this case, be it the actual circumstances?

Prejudices leads to othering. Othering leads to lies. Lies lead to injustice. Injustice serves no one. Dog or Man.

(see comments at http://doglinks.blogspot.com/2007/05/dog-owners-feed-pitbulls-p.html )

Blair Anderson
http://mildgreens.com

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Massey on Meth and other stuff

Image via Wikipedia

The economics of illicit drug markets
[ Click here to download a PDF of the original printed version of this story ]
In a kind of convenient shorthand, people often refer to Dr Chris Wilkins as an illicit-drug researcher. This is true, as far as it goes, but a more adequate description would be that he is a New Institutional Economist with a particular interest in stateless economic systems such as illicit drug markets.

New Institutional Economics (NIE) is an economic school which studies the role institutions play in economic behavior and performance. These include formal institutions such as the law and the state, and informal institutions such as social custom, norms of behavior and ideology. “ NIE looks at the institutional context of economic behaviour,” explains Wilkins. “It looks beyond the workings of demand, supply and pricing to examine how institutions, property rights, social convention and transaction and information costs affect the decision-making of economic actors and the performance of economic systems.”

New Institutional Economics is particularly suited to the study of ‘stateless economies’: economies where there is no state to enforce contracts or property rights, and this includes illicit drug markets. In his PhD thesis Wilkins looked at the workings of cannabis markets, where, in the absence of legal enforcement and remedies, cheating might be expected to be widespread. But Wilkins found these markets were typified by generally reliable transacting between buyers and sellers. The reason, says Wilkins, lies in the search and information costs associated with these exchanges. “ In the legal economy exchange is generally impersonal. In the supermarket you don’t know the person at the till and you may not even deal with cash. In the cannabis black market the buyer typically knows the seller, can inspect the product, and hands over cash. It is very personal, very face-to-face.”Image via Wikipedia

“In the clandestine illicit drug market it can be quite difficult for buyers and sellers to find one another. Legal commodities are advertised, and there are public retail outlets. In the cannabis market it is difficult to obtain information about the location of sellers, and the quality and prices of products. It takes some effort even for experienced buyers to assess the options available in the market. This means that in cannabis markets both the buyer and the seller make a significant time investment in the exchange relationship, and that constrains cheating to some extent. If a cannabis seller cheats a customer, then that customer won’t return, and that’s potentially a big loss.”

In a recent paper, Wilkins and Professor Sally Casswell explored the role gangs play in outdoor cannabis cultivation in New Zealand. The analysis in the paper suggests that gangs are unlikely to have complete monopoly control of cannabis cultivation – cannabis is too easy to cultivate and rival cannabis cultivators and cannabis crops too hard to deter and detect – though Wilkins is quick to say this does not mean the gangs do not have persuasive advantages elsewhere in the cannabis market, or when it comes to other drugs. In their paper Wilkins and Caswell set out the conditions under which an illicit drug market most favours the involvement of organised crime. These occur where there are cost advantages from larger-scale production, where there is a need for specialised skills, capital equipment or large amounts of start-up capital, and where there are visible targets for violence aimed at discouraging competition. While a few seeds, some potting mix and a secluded patch of ground are all that is required to cultivate cannabis, manufacturing methamphetamine is a much more technical and sophisticated process , says Wilkins. “You need to have access to the appropriate precursor chemicals and have the knowledge and equipment required for manufacture.”

Anecdotally, ‘cooks’ – the amateur chemists who manufacture methamphetamine – have became much sought after. Highly skilled, they can command premiums, and such is the demand that kidnappings are not unknown.Image via Wikipedia

Stories have circulated that gangs traditionally at odds are co-operating in the methamphetamine market. “Working together may be a rational way of gaining access to rare precursor chemicals and to exchange manufacture techniques.”One of the flow-on effects of the rise in the use of methamphetamine may be to extend the power and influence of New Zealand’s gangs, in much the same way that Prohibition once strengthened the hand of the Mafia in America. If this is happening then it will mirror trends that have been seen internationally. A report by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime has noted a shift away from “a loose network of independent laboratory operators towards larger organisations able to produce more and better drugs at lower costs. The larger groups are more flexible, and are able to identify and exploit any lucrative business opportunity, as well as any flaws in law enforcement efforts. They assist each other to more efficiently produce, market and distribute their products.”Image via Wikipedia

Wilkins is the current recipient of a Fast Start grant from the Marsden fund to investigate which illicit drug markets nurture the development of organised crime.

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