Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Fine words, some hope

Andre

Wed, 02 Sept 2015 11:35:43 +1200

An interesting statistic, reported on Monday, shows alcohol sales have increased after marijuana was legalised in USA states like Colorado – the opposite to liquor industry expectations. I think this may be because users are able to budget better since there are no supply issues, or because the price of…

Ross Bell

Wed, 02 Sept 2015 09:17:21 +1200

To be fair, Labour also has plenty of this in its ranks.
Yep. And there was silence from all parties in respsonse to the new policy. And only NZ First sent an MP to the launch.

Russell Brown

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 19:43:01 +1200

Perhaps another sign that the libertarian right is well in control of the stodgy, rural, conservative Nats. I guess there are winners and loser in that.

I actually don't think the attitude to law reform is based on political principle at all. It's political risk-averseness – and clearly not helped…

Russell Brown

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 14:55:00 +1200

But one of the first things being looked at here is a destigmatisation programme – *possibly* along the lines of the Like Minds, Like Mine mental health work. That could be a bloody important piece of work.

Hell yes. Especially having a story due out any day with __Matters of…

st ephen

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 14:46:10 +1200

we have a conservative, right-wing government which releases a drug policy that says "alcohol and other drug problems are first and foremost health issues." There's no use of the word "scourge", or "evil". Perhaps another sign that the libertarian right is well in control of the stodgy, rural, conservative Nats.…

Ross Bell

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 12:16:44 +1200

Good summary, Russell. I don't think we can overstate the political context under which the policy was developed – we have a conservative, right-wing government which releases a drug policy that says "alcohol and other drug problems are first and foremost health issues." There's no use of the word "scourge",…

BenWilson

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 12:08:47 +1200

But they are, and removing them would unequivocally cause additional harm.

I think that depends on whether you are one of those people who sees any kind of use as harm (probably thinking of brain damage), and therefore anything that makes healthier (for the lungs) use convenient is something that…

Russell Brown

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 11:29:38 +1200

It didn't really fit within the ambit of a strategic document, but one thing the government can do to cut the number of drug deaths is get with the damn programme and approve naloxone for widespread use.

Read Ross Bell here.

And Amberleigh Jack here.

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 11:28:44 +1200

an ecstasy-related death by expediting a terrible bill.... that cracked down on drug utensils

Ban ecstacy utensils! Er.. fingers?

Public Address

Tue, 01 Sept 2015 11:28:44 +1200

Discussion from blog post.