WA: Back to the dark ages

Local News by ashryn, 11th October, 2009

www.fasterlouder.com.au

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ashryn

ashryn joined us on the 3rd Jan, 2007 and is a contributor.

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WA Premier Colin Barnett plans to repeal Labor’s cannabis laws in the next two weeks.

The current laws allow people to grow two plants and posses 30 grams of weed however Barnett’s new legislation will make it illegal to grow any plants and the legal limit for possession will be reduced to 10 grams. It will be illegal to sell smoking implements.

Barnett also plans to give police the power to stop and search anyone they like without needing reasonable grounds for suspicion that they are carrying weapons or drugs.

“It will not be abused” said Barnett in an astounding display of gullibility.

He acknowledges that it is giving quite extraordinary power to police, but says that violence and anti-social behaviour in Perth has made it necessary.

What this means for festivals such as the big day out is that you will have to begin queuing for entry at least 3 hours before the first band you want to see so that you can get through the strip search at the door.

The forward thinking Liberal has admitted that it will raise concerns about civil liberties, but clearly isn’t any more concerned about the right of people to their privacy than he is about the right of people to choose what they do to their bodies.

Comments

Stuo

said on the 11th Oct, 2009

that's it i'm moving to melbourne!

disco

said on the 11th Oct, 2009

until they learn to start handing out stiffer penalties to muppets that cause dramas in northbridge then the dramas will continue.

frog_e

said on the 11th Oct, 2009

yeah, because harsh punishment has worked thus far disco.....

ashryn

said on the 11th Oct, 2009

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,6584534,00.jpg Nice photo

digitaljunglist

said on the 11th Oct, 2009

riiight... coz chilled out stoners are starting all the northbridge fights. "my name's terry and i'm a law abider..."

disco

said on the 12th Oct, 2009

stop wringing your hands guys, i dont think it will be the chilled out crowd being victimised. the system doesnt work at the moment frog so what do you suggest? some "education" maybe? maybe these people bashing elderly and assaulting the average patron out for a harmless night on the town just need some understanding? until people start taking a bit of resposability for their own actions and we get a system with the balls to act then it will get worse before it gets better.

The Terminator

said on the 12th Oct, 2009

prohibition only works for organised crime. upping the stakes on cannabis will inevitably lead to greater profitability of all drugs and subsequent increase of use of harder substances. we need a minimalisation of harm strategy and education, not another witch hunt. the health (especially on the developing brain) and social impacts of the legal drug alcohol are well demonstrated and yet we don't seem to be able to come up with ideas on how to address the binge drinking culture. much easier then to pander to the concern of the voting public by coming down hard on fringe groups like stoners.

ashryn

said on the 12th Oct, 2009

I'm not sure that the voting public are all that concerned about stoners. just the misinformed and the noisy wowser minority. I hate what weed does to me, so I never touch the stuff, but I don't see any more harm in it than alcohol, in fact I think it does less societal harm and physical harm. Why, when all evidence shows that prohibition is not effective, do they insist on trying to bring it back?

annejohnsen

said on the 12th Oct, 2009

weed is legal here?? 4 years and now you tell me

The Terminator

said on the 12th Oct, 2009

exactly. stoners are unlikely to mug little old ladies or go into a blind rage and bash someone at a pub. other substances including legal drug alcohol do that. but politicians that came in on a law-and-order platform need to be seen to be doing something, after all they have a mandate. alcohol is too much of a holy cow in western society and too profitable via the excise. doing something meaningful about other drugs like decriminalisation and regulation, to dry out the illegal market, redirect resources from prosecution to rehabilitation and engage in harm management, is not an option because it's not supported by the majority of voters. so the political right panders to their base when they come in and reintroduces a no tolerance approach (= prohibition), and the left will loosen things a little when they get back in. bottom line is nothing changes and opportunities to make a difference are not considered. we have had the more or less tough-on-drugs approach for decades, nearly a century, now. if it does what it's cracked up to be, why do we have an ever escalating drug problem? the labor approach of semi decriminalisng home cultivation of a couple of plants imo was not a good idea either and may well have contributed to cannabis becoming available to younger and younger users. you are right, ashryn, we do need a revolution - one of attitude in a broad base of the voting public. why can we not regulate recreational drugs of similar health and mental health impact as alcohol in a similar way and leave harder substances to be available on prescription only. this would remove a billion dollar a year opportunity in the black market and the incentive for addicts to become violent criminals to feed their habit. excise, like imposed on other, legal drugs could discourage use (the claim it works for tobacco) and pay for associated cost including eduction on intolerably risky substances like ice. health professionals could investigate underlying reasons for patients' need to uses drugs and direct those with a chance of rehabilitation into therapy, while less incidence of drug overdose and other quality related accidents would minimise the workload for health services somewhat. it's time we addressed drug addiction as the health issue it is and abandoned the criminal law approach. that's if we want change! and just for the record: i don't consume cannabis (or other illegal substances). i've smoked some in the past and don't like how it dulls down one's mind and how it isolates socially. i am also well aware of the huge, detrimental impact this drug has - like alcohol, mind you - on the developing brain and nervous system of adolescents.

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