Aussie drugs woe in DEA report

[Frazz]

OK OK everybody, i am going to vote green or any other colour except blue, furthermore i will encourage every man and his dog to do likewise!

just had to clear that up

 

i think the problem that is not being addressed is the massive use of meth & coke at the present time. These drugs give herb a bad name due to unwarrented association.

 

Yes vdub highlights a very real problem, reputation by association.

 

as is quite rightly pointed out meth & powders are doing untold damage to the user and society at large, and what's worse marijuana is being labelled a"gateway drug".

Implying that one starts on weed and will more than likely graduate to speed, coke and probably end up a screaming junkie!

 

This theory could be largely overcome if there was some kind of legalization to seperate marijuana from these other illicit substances.

Which brings me back to square one, how do we move forward towards legalizing our dear freind?

[Brash]

Hey Brash, how do you reckon an anonymous letter writing campaign to all the major newspapers would work? We have all the skills needed here to carry something like that off and I'm sure that between a few of us we could put together some top arguments in our favour.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm afraid anonymous letters wont get printed. All the major newspapers require a valid name, street address (not a post box) and day/evening phone number for confirmation, although you can request 'name with held' at time of publication.

 

To make a difference in this world we need to have the courage of our convictions, stand up and be counted, come out of the closet (all the usual clichés). Letters to politicians, policy makers, editors and other public forums can make a huge difference but only if the letter writer is sufficiently motivated to sign the bottom. Look at the successes of the Christian right. They mobilise their flocks to write massive letter campaigns which carry a disproportionate weight in the political arena.

 

In a country where only 16% of the population are regular church attendees, we have a situation where the Christian right essentially run government. The majority of federal cabinet are members of a group called the Lyons Forum who pray for guidance before each parliamentary session. An extreme christian faction is attempting to control the NSW Liberals, they already have control of the Young Liberals.

 

On the other side, the Greens started out as seen as the looney left in Australian politics, something for commentators to giggle at on election nights but things have changed. At the last by-election in NSW, the Greens got 40% of the primary vote in Marrickville. This result puts them as a strong 'third force' in Australian politics - certainly a better result than the Democrats.

 

As for 'single-issue' parties such as HEMP , I am inspired by a quote attributed to Neville Wran in the 80's. When talking to reps from the AMP (Australian Marijuana Party) he is reported to have said that 'if I even thought you guys had a chance of getting a seat in the upper house, I would beat you to it by decimalising it straight away.' If every pot smoking voter put HEMP first on the ballot I truly believe we would see change.

 

Back to the 'letter to ed' campaign, whenever you read a negative pot story in the press, don't get angry - GET WRITING, and put your opinion across. If we all did it, the weight of opinion would make a difference.

[Brash]

Some tips to get your 'letters to the editor' published:

 

keep it current - topics covered by a previous day’s newspaper may get published, topics a few days old will get ignored.

 

provide relevance - In the opening paragraph provide relevance by clearly stating you position and referring to a previous published story: It is reported that ______ (publication & date, possibly page number), I firmly believe ________________. In the second paragraph back up your argument. Sum up (restate your position) in the third.

 

keep it brief - all papers have limits on letters often 250 words, but they can (and do) publish more brief letters than big ones. If it can be said in a couple of sentences, do it. It will improve your chances of getting published.

 

keep it to the point - stick to the topic at hand, don’t let you letter ramble. Avoid personal attacks rather attack people’s arguments.

 

keep it legal - don’t use direct quote of public figures, newspapers will have to go to the trouble of checking the quote is correct or they may be sued. It is better to say [it is reported that he said ‘____’] rather than [ he said “________”].

 

make it interesting - you can make letters more entertaining (more readable and therefore more publishable) by adding a joke, humorous comment or bit of word play if appropriate.

 

Don't get disheartened by non-publication, newspapers get lots of letters each day and can only publish a small portion, that's why it's better to keep it brief and above all, keep trying.

[Tom]

I'm afraid anonymous letters wont get printed.

Maybe not, but if they suddenly started getting heaps of them all starting with "for obvious reasons I am denied true freedom of speech and therefore must remain anonymous" they will start to take notice of the issue even if they don't actually print them, we just need to convince them that printing positive mj related stories will help them sell papers, greed will do the rest.

 

On the other side, the Greens started out as seen as the looney left in Australian politics,

As someone that had to deal with the NSW greens on occasion back then I would look on that as being a very kind and understated appraisal. ::

 

[WantDaChronic]

what really concerns me above anything else is that no matter who i ask (and i have asked everyone i know) absolutely no-one voted for johnny howard or his posse of bible bashing idiots how can someone get into power without any votes? by taking pointers from George W Bush

 

seriously though, pot smokers in general are scared of going to prison for smoking something they think shouldn't be a crime BUT wont risk going to prison to stand up for what they believe in :thumbdown IMO all we need is something like the HEMP party going on TV and saying " Now we know that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol, tobacco, caffine, panadol and a whole host of other legal drugs, we also know its not a gateway drug and that users will not go out hurting or even killing someone just because they couldnt score some smoko....having said that, if you think marijuana should be as legal as tobacco or alcohol, then vote for the HEMP party and we'll do everything we can to turn that dream into a reality"

 

now if they spammed those ads all over the media for say 3 months upto the elections and really spammed them in 2 weeks before the election, i reckon that alot of smokers would come outter their shells and vote for the HEMP party :thumbsup

[Luke Skywalker]

Brash has hit the nail on the head, again.

 

We have to stand up for what we believe in, and yeah, if a newspaper wants to publish a letter, they need an address and name. They can, and will suppress this at your request, and newspapers have a good habit of not revealing information about individuals who don't want to be identified.

 

We need more Brashs.

 

I must suggest that anyone who thinks that there are "hard" drugs, reads "SAYING YES: IN DEFENSE OF DRUG USE" by Jacob Sullum. Should be at most local libraries. It opened my mind, and it should do so for most who read it.

[cranky]

As someone that had to deal with the NSW greens on occasion back then I would look on that as being a very kind and understated appraisal.   ::

 

roflmao trust me , at ground level nothing has changed

[Infinitee]

Estimated Numbers of Current Cannabis Users, Aged 14+, 1995.

 

Daily Use = 253,000

Once a week + = 455,000

Once a month + = 354,000

Every few months = 303,000

Once or twice per year = 404,000

Less often = 303,000

 

Total = 2,072,000

 

Cannabis users isn't just a few hundred votes, peoples. I can't think of ONE reason why ONE of the 253 THOUSAND daily users of marijuana would be against legalisation. It makes no sense.

 

I'm with Wantdachronic on the HEMP party commercial thing. If stoners would stop being so paranoid for a second and then come together and vote for the one HEMP party we WOULD see results. If half the voting stoners (hypothetically) voted Green and the other half HEMP than we have already cut our chances of legalisation in HALF!!

 

I read in a study that a whole 35% (avg) of boys/girls aged 14-29 had used cannabis in the last year. With numbers like this in Australia (providing we aren't invaded by us/china) how can we NOT see pot legalised in aus in the next 10-20 years?