Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: A handful of deeply precious…, in reply to ,
If I was vulnerable in in a hospice situation, I’d really especially not want anxiety drugs like THC, mabe just the CBT. So that’s why doing a half arsed job of this legislation that doesn’t bother with proper science isn’t a good idea in this instance.
It'd be your choice. And most of the medical products actually aren't at all like the super-high-THC weed that goes into the recreational market.
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Hard News: A handful of deeply precious…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Of course they still have to persuade a majority of the other MPs who haven’t heard all that personal testimony.
What the National MPs on the committee, Shane Reti especially, say in the report and tell their colleagues is going to be crucial.
The limits in the bill are there because of New Zealand First's conservatism. National has the power to make that not matter.
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I mentioned Mark Crotty’s oral submission, which was shortly before mine. Mark has given me permission to post his written submission (with the request that I give it an edit for spelling and grammar). This is it:
My name is Mark Crotty. In late 2014 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. And my life became a living hell for more than two years.
There were endless trips to the doctor, tests, more than 20 pills a day at times – including sleeping pills and opioids. I lost two jobs. After two years on these horrible medications I couldn’t take it anymore. I began to research cannabis.
I accept that there is not a lot of evidence directly related to Crohn’s, but I decided to integrate cannabis into my medication regime. I tried to get get legal access and was stonewalled at every turn – even lied to by medical staff on several occasions.
The only person who would help was my GP. In his exact words “you cant keep living like this”. He was right, I couldn’t. From that point he began to help me – but as yet it has not been successful.
That was when cannabis came into it properly. After talking to some people in the know and learning further about how much and how often and what types would help and seeking some counselling I began using cannabis.
Since starting to use cannabis in what I believe is as safe and controlled way as possible I am off all meds. I’m no longer suffering from the depressive tenancy that was a side-effect of my meds and am back working part time. I’m also in the process of starting my own business.
I often hear politicians saying cannabis ruins lives. This could not be further from the truth. It is the laws around cannabis that have harmed people’s lives in many cases. I would even go as far as to say that it has saved mine, and I will continue to do what I have to do in order to live a healthy normal life.
I have many issues with this bill in its current form but I must take this opportunity to point out my main objection. This being that it only allowed a defence for the terminally ill in court should the police decide that they wish to prosecute. The fact that you would allow a person to die with dignity yet refuse the right of a patient to live with dignity I just cannot comprehend. Furthermore, the bill does not provide protection for family or support people, making them and the patient even more at risk. It’s as if you are actually asking a terminally ill person to go to a tinnie house.
I will give you an example of how this could have negative outcomes and I will use myself and my mum as an example. Mum has MS. It is widely accepted that cannabis can be beneficial to people with MS. What this legislation means to me is that this government expects me to watch my mum’s health go from where it is now (not the best already) to the point where she can’t move or talk and is in a wheelchair because of the pain and complications caused by MS. But hey, never mind because we will let her have some after she is told she is going to die.
That may not happen if she could be allowed to grow her own cannabis. I know in this case my mum has the support of her doctor to use cannabis based medicine (Sativex). However, at $1500-odd a month this is unrealistic for someone who is on a benefit due to health complications.
This legislation needs to be changed in such a way that it gives people with chronic pain/illness the right to grow their own cannabis or have someone grow it for them for medicinal use. Cost should never be a barrier to someone’s health and there is no need for a patient or the taxpayer to be fishing out thousands for each patient to have a medicine they can grow at home.
Please take the time to reconsider and allow people who are ill to grow and possess their own cannabis in order to be well with out fear of prosecution.
The thing is, Mark told me he came away from the hearing thinking that he hadn’t done enough, or made a difference. Quite the contrary. I honestly think these personal testimonies really are making a difference.
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Hard News: A handful of deeply precious…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
It was quite social in the corridor outside the two rooms at times
It was! I also found it quite profound sitting there chatting with the likes of Cat Le Brun, Mark Crotty and Sam (I missed his surname) the father who had two daughters with a rare, eventually fatal condition causing status elipticus and can't even try a cannabis-based medicine through the system.
The impression I got was that liberalisation – including for chronic conditions – was a given
That's the vibe the MPs are giving off. I really hope so.
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Hard News: A handful of deeply precious…, in reply to nzlemming,
Thanks, Russell, for taking point.
Cheers. I've thought a lot this year about when it's time to step up.
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I seem not to be the only one who sat in on these hearings and came away with the impression that the bill's statutory defence may well be extended to those with chronic illnesses. If that happens, it's huge. It's worth bearing witness.
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This is good from Patrick Thomsen: It's time to centre Koreans in our analyses of the Korean peace process
South Koreans are well-aware of the slippery nature of DPRK diplomacy. Since I've been here, North Korea has sunk navy ships, shelled South Korean islands (both leading to significant loss of life) and threatened to reduce Seoul to a sea of fire. Not once though have South Koreans pushed for war. Korea's social, political, historical and cultural context is unique, and as such should no longer be ignored in our analyses. Now is the time for a diverse set of Korean voices to be listened to.
Trump has already been quick to claim this as a victory for his foreign policy on Twitter, however, the real trump card has been Moon Jae-In, who swept to power last year after President Park Geun-Hye (daughter of former military dictator Park Chunghee) was removed from office (and thrown into jail). He campaigned on a platform that promised to bring a softer approach to the DPRK and so far, has been running that script without any hitches.
What the US can take credit for is Trump's bamboozling tweet-storms that makes it seem like he wants to isolate the US from its allies like South Korea, making urgent the need for the Koreas to put their differences aside and solve this issue on their terms. One of the most significant statements that the Panmunjom declaration made was that from now on, Koreans would work together to take charge of the affairs of the Korean peninsula.
Western analysts should take this statement more seriously.
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Hard News: The remarkable rise of…, in reply to Joe Wylie,
That would depend on what you believe is really happening. As a number of commentators have noted, North Korea will be well aware of the example of what happened to Gaddafi once he renounced his rogue state ambitions.
As one commentator observes in the New York Times' latest report, it's Kim who's running things here, it's his show. Trump's threats and whatever's China's doing in the background will have played a part, but it's his show – and so far he's getting all his meetings without actually giving up anything.
Don't get me wrong, it's way better than a belligerent North Korea, but there is a complicated history here.
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So Avenatti's not all good. His dealings in the retail coffee business seem a bit questionable.
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Hard News: The remarkable rise of…, in reply to Dennis Frank,
Looks like playing tough with China worked for him – obviously little fat rocket man scurrying toward denuclearisation talks is due to China giving him a private warning of a significant withdrawal of their support.
North Korea has no intention of denuclearisation. Trump is talking up a nuclear pact that doesn't exist even as he prepares to wreck one, with Iran, that does.