UK Govt decriminalises Cannabis

"Cannabis is to be reclassified as a less dangerous drug to free-up police resources to fight hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine, Home Secretary David Blunkett has announced....The change will put cannabis on a par with anti-depressants and steroids. Possession of small amounts would no longer be considered an arrestable offence."

Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_2120000/2120116.stm

What do you think the chances of this happening here are? Esp. given the Health select committee's inquiry into Cannabis law reform is suspended without having completed any report and apparently the committee is unlikely to resurect the inquiry after the election.

Good step, don't see it happeneing here any time soon thou...

This spin about freeing up police resources to concentrate on so called hard drugs is crap.

As far as NZ goes it is not a matter of if but When.

Their are quite a few pending civil rights Private members bills in the pipe line. Held up by this Goverment, Who stalled them i election year. and by the very small amount of time allocated to them in the last parliament.

A incoming Goverment must prioritise these bills.
Most are free votes in parliament.

The cannabis committee headed by Crap Alliance MP Bunkle who is history now,stalled things. Actually Anderton and Clark are very conservative on drug freedom issues and are the main problem in getting reform on these issues.

My understanding is that the only way reform can take place in the next 3 year term (in reality 2 as The all controlling labour do not like these issues to be part of election year) is if they split the reform process in two and take a pieacemeal approach to the process.

Pushing through a medical reform bill first.

Once cannabis reform has taken place the Parliament can move on to Harm Minimisation.

The right wing Law and Order beat up that takes place in election years is responsible for some of the slow down.

It is looking like the incoming parliament will be markedly more liberal than the last one and that civil rights legeslation will be a priority.

Cannabis reform needs consensus cross party politics

My prediction small reform in 2004 major drug reform in 2006.

Do not vote for conservative idiots.

At least they are talking about it.

i think its a brilliant idea, n really dont
understand why they dont do it here.
apparently they had medical experts n everything
pushing fer the decriminilization of it.
Obviously there would have to be some guide lines
hmm you dont really want 12-13 year olds walking
around smoking
But it would free up so many resources..

*bump*

there are already loads of 12-13 yr olds walking around smoking so prohibition dosent work, will be interesting to see what happens.

damn right. hope it gets legalized, i wanna be able to smoke a doob and drink a coffe in a coffe shop dammit!

The different sides have different reasons for doing the same thing.

A left govt will only legalise pot once they want it legalised or it looks like the majority want it legalised. ie "we want to use it so we will make it legal"

A right govt would legalise as a matter of principle as it should have never been made illegal in the first place. ie "We may not want to use it, but if you do then it should be your choice"

Currently some members of the police will use any stupid excuse to search people,
"I can smell weed on you"
"You look like you are stoned"
If they have any inkling of reason to think you may be in the possession of cannabis, whether it be the way you look or just the fact that you are in a daze, police will just throw a stupid reason at you and try and get their brownie points up.

There are real crimes out there, and maybe they should be addressed, not as to whether someone may be giving themselves lung cancer or heart disease - along with a nice relaxed time.

what a load of shite trapper. ACT and greens have same policy, as do labour and national. How you can see a left/right split in that is beyond me.

(I think trapper was just pointing out the theory behind how a left/right political party formulates its policy on any issue).

Is it possible that as more of our generation get into power, the thinking will change and therefore so will the laws?

I don't think so, given that most of the ones in power now were also doing what we are doing now in the 60s. Also I can think of WAAAY too many geeks that will end up eventually running this country (Labour candidate in Otaki, Darren Hughes, anyone?!?! 26 going on 50) that are just like the people we have now.

The split is more parties of the central as opposed to ones from a more "extreme" left/right position I think. parties of the centre tend to be more conservative.

so will nz, in about 30 years.


Behind the times or what.

All government decisions have to be approved by leaders of all parties( or majority of leaders), which I don't think will happen in the near future.