PM heats up cannabis war at COAG

[Pa-uul]

10 February, 2006:

The Prime Minister has launched a renewed smear campaign against marijuana users once again associating them with mental illness at this years head of government meeting, COAG. The PM has long held anti-cannabis, pro-prohibition views and is tickled to bits that recent scientific evidence has been made to justify them.

The need to invest in mental health

Mr Howard has made no secret of the fact that he feels vindicated in having been strongly opposed to the decriminalisation of marijuana.  The Prime Minister condemned a "tolerant and absurdly compromised" attitude towards marijuana use as exacerbating mental health issues.

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5107869,00.jpg (Picture: Kym Smith, copyright: The Courier Mail)

The PM must have prescience for drug use: to suspect that marijuana smoking was naughty even before there was evidence to believe it! PM you are either are a clairvoyant or just a ruddy bigot!

 

There has been careful preparation and investment to establish credibility for the latest marijuana, mental illness link. Last year the coalition government appointed John Mendoza to direct its Mental Health Council established in 1997 to spearhead the government's political agenda on mental health.

http://www.mhca.org.au/AboutUs/images/JM-NFS-1-hr.gif

(MHCA.org.au) Mendoza has a strong track record against drugs. He began receiving his anti-drug credibility as the Director for Education and Prevention Services with the Drug and Alcohol Services Council of South Australia before graduating to membership of the national steering committee for the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse, the government funded entity designed to justify and help implement drug prohibition. He then became Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, a perfect fit for his anti-drug pedigree. In January 2005, despite having no medical qualifications except in "public health" (a non-medical type diploma), he was appointed the Directorship of the Mental Health Council to commence work on, among other things, the PM's anti-cannabis offensive. He wasted no time following up on the PM's anti-cannabis COAG remarks by declaring on ABC radio on the 10th of February, 2006 that:

Mental Health Council chief not expecting firm commitment on Govt spending

"We have about 600,000 Australians who have severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bi-polar, psychotic disorders related to drugs."

What??? This is, of course, a gross distortion. But that's his role, isn't it?

We need an integrated approach to cannabis.

Which means to me: "we need to keep associating cannabis use with mental illness in order to achieve the government's political objective of maintaining support for prohibition".

 

The corporate media was only too happy to tow the line with the Age printing today that:

The need to invest in mental health

There is little doubt that the situation, along with the potency of the drug, has changed since the 1960s when hippies advocated its use as a means of promoting peace. It is now known, for example, that people who suffer psychotic illnesses are more likely to be cannabis users than the rest of the population, and it seems that cannabis use can worsen mental illnesses such as severe depression and schizophrenia.

Statistically, it is still just correlation they're talking about, not causation. :thumbdown It could still be considered that there is an association of people with mental illness towards cannabis merely because they like to use it. Edited February 11, 2006 by Pa-uul

[WantDaChronic]

what really pisses me off is the fact howard is using $1.1 billion dollars to fund his campaign and that money came from pot smoking tax payers

[Frazz]

Its really sickening to be fed this propaganda

i know the truth about marijuana, after so many torrid love affairs with the girl who wouldn't...

yet i hear all the lies that powerful people broadcast i think to myself how many other things are they lying about...things i dont know about....an there's a lot of them

 

:smoke

[dsyfer]

Why is the "alcohol / mental illness" link not discussed?

 

Fucking hypocrate cunt politicians

 

If cannabis was legal and taxed before this 'link' was found, it would not even be an issue.

 

John Howard can lick the sweat of my dogs arsehole.

 

Sorry for the language but I don't know a better way to vent my frustrations with these (how does Iemma say it) 'fuckwit' boys club members.

[Hanky]

Large scale commercial growers are going to love this. I see prices of $600 to $1000 an oz in NSW before long.

 

Yay for promoting organised crime, well done Howard, you twat.

[Brash]

Large scale commercial growers are going to love this.  I see prices of $600 to $1000 an oz in NSW before long.

 

Yay for promoting organised crime, well done Howard, you twat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, Sydney prices are already expensive but I can see the cost of pot going up to compensate for greater risk.

[pipeman]

Being anti drugs is good politics, end of story. Its got nothing to do with the truth. The key is not to try to change the mind of the polititions, as they will do whatever is popular, it is to educate the general public so that any pollie that gets on the "war on drugs" bandwagon actually loses votes.

[raverspec]

pipeman speaks the truth.

[HighRising]

Very good point, pipeman.

[Guest niall]

Preciso pipo.

 

So in a nutshell we need 1) to educate ourselves and stay on top of all research as it comes out; and 2) to mount a massive public education campaign.

 

Politicians aren't going to do our job for us, they only want votes. At least the Tasmanian Greens are being honest on this point.