Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: The Drugs Meetup

Russell Brown

Fri, 21 May 2021 17:47:38 +1200

Russell thank you for this “as usual” excellent summation of an important event / set of issues. I agree generally with your summation of Nick Russell’s comment; the MoH’s obsession with a pharmaceutical model is throttling the nascent development of the availability of medicinal cannabis and the associated regulations, strategies,…

BenWilson

Thu, 20 May 2021 12:18:17 +1200

In sum, it was was an important affirmation that science is not values-free.

And yet that is meant to be its main strength. I have long thought that an obsession with value free knowledge as a means to making value judgments and inevitably practical moral decisions is a very dangerous…

BenWilson

Thu, 20 May 2021 10:29:58 +1200

I started to despair of politics and politicians.

I'm not sure if this makes me happy or sad. I despaired some years ago but misery does love company.

So how the Minister can stand there with a straight face and claim that he expected a different result is beyond me.…

Geoff Noller

Wed, 19 May 2021 11:35:58 +1200

Russell thank you for this "as usual" excellent summation of an important event / set of issues. I agree generally with your summation of Nick Russell's comment; the MoH's obsession with a pharmaceutical model is throttling the nascent development of the availability of medicinal cannabis and the associated regulations, strategies,…

Russell Brown

Wed, 19 May 2021 08:38:03 +1200

I can’t help but notice how closely the Ministry of Health’s scheme for medicinal cannabis seems to resemble the same Ministry’s scheme for administrating the Psychoactive Substances Act.

There are certainly some similarities – notably the establishment of a transitional scheme that the system can't get past because product approval…

Nick Russell

Tue, 18 May 2021 09:28:23 +1200

I can't help but notice how closely the Ministry of Health's scheme for medicinal cannabis seems to resemble the same Ministry's scheme for administrating the Psychoactive Substances Act. A regime which purports to exist for the purpose of regulating a lawful activity is functionally indistinguishable from an outright ban. And…

Simon Armstrong

Mon, 17 May 2021 21:00:11 +1200

If dope was free maybe beer could be too. What does money have to do with drugs anyway?

Russell Brown

Mon, 17 May 2021 17:53:42 +1200

I think you’re being a bit harsh on Andrew Little. He can’t just go rouge, he has to listen to his caucus.

Nah. Little's been way out ahead of his caucus on this – Kris Faafoi, his replacement as Minister of Justice has already said he'd vote for a decriminalisation…

Public Address

Mon, 17 May 2021 17:45:08 +1200

Discussion from blog post.