Vote for Greens drug reforms.

[Nooby]

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/greens-h...-y0h4.html#poll

 

It's a newspaper poll, I know the 'anti-drug' crowd are mustering votes in favour of continuing to treat all users as crims but I figured you guys might have different ideas.

 

Cheers

[louise]

voted... currently the tally sits at 75% yes

[freddie]

I voted too. Currently 72% in favour.

 

I don't completely support what the Greens are saying though.

Imposing treatment orders and/or fines for ''personal drug use'' instead of criminal penalties. But criminal sanctions would still apply to drug dealers.

All very well to say that but what about legislation so we can grow our own. The supply question must be addressed otherwise you still have a thriving black market with criminals producing your pot.

 

I support full legalisation.

[Frazz]

the Greens will never have the power to legislate any change to Australia's backward prohibition laws, which is a shame

 

everytime ive voted for the Greens they have passed my vote onto either Labor or Liberal anyway,

so whats the point of voting for the fruitcakes? ... sonsofbitches the lot of them

 

just look what kind of laws are being passed right now in progressive democracies such as Germany,

 

Berlin Set to Relax Cannabis Laws- 18/05/2010

 

The city-state's top health official told SPIEGEL that she plans to raise the amount of marijuana and hashish one can possess to 15 grams (0.5 ounces).

 

German federal law prohibits the possession of marijuana beyond a "small amount" but leaves it up to the states to determine exactly what that amount should be.

Der Spiegel - http://www.spiegel.de/international/german...,695215,00.html

 

 

As we speak in Germany people are allowed to carry 10 grams of cannabis on them

 

[snooch]

I support full legalisation.

 

Yep, I agree. Having not read the whole policy, just the article, I'm a bit confused by what it means when it says treatment orders and/or fines will be imposed instead of criminal penalties. How are treatment orders and/or fines not criminal penalties? You're still being penalised for drug use. It might mean no criminal conviction (for first offence anyway, after that though I'd suggest not much changes...)

 

And I couldn't see a policy working where personal drug use is allowed if drug production is still illegal. How can anyone use drugs if they can't produce them (talking specifically illegal drugs here obviously..)?

 

Legalise - it's the only logical choice, but unfortunately when vested interests get involved the vicious circle just continues unabated.

[freddie]

the Greens will never have the power to legislate any change to Australia's backward prohibition laws, which is a shame

 

everytime ive voted for the Greens they have passed my vote onto either Labor or Liberal anyway,

so whats the point of voting for the fruitcakes? ... sonsofbitches the lot of them

 

just look what kind of laws are being passed right now in progressive democracies such as Germany,

 

 

 

 

As we speak in Germany people are allowed to carry 10 grams of cannabis on them

 

The Greens may one day hold the balance of power in the senate and therefore a bit of influence with whatever major party is in power. This son of a bitch fruitcake would be very happy if that happened.

 

That German law is great but I still think if they don't tackle supply what's the point? You're still going to have pot produced and sold illegally and all the associated problems.

 

Legalise - it's the only logical choice, but unfortunately when vested interests get involved the vicious circle just continues unabated.

i hear what you're saying about vested interests. It will be interesting to see how California votes on legalisation.

[jabez]

Paraphrasing bob brown here. It's all well and good for a political party to stand by there morals, but that doesn't win votes.

 

The greens have copped a complete belting from the mainstream media and political parties for there drug policies in the past, which has almost certainly lost them a lot of votes.

 

So these days I think there just being a lot more intelligent about things and playing the political game a lot more effectively. By that I mean, there being really careful about how they word there drug policy and basically just calling for change in a way that will scare the public least and in a way that won't make it easy for Rupert Murdoch to make the green party look like a few hippies trying to get the right to get smashed.

 

I'm very confident that the more powerful the green party becomes, the more sensible there drug policy will become.

[mull-ray]

Yep occasionally you get a freak of nature where your Green vote can actually count. If they win a seat or two it can mean they hold the balance of power which makes them important when votes are going through the senate. Personally I think they are weak fruit cakes but they're better than the other twats. The of course you have hypocrits like Pete Garrett who totally sold out and got bummed by labor. What a loser - I used to like the oils:-)

 

MR

[hoovin]

Nice to meet you all I guess everyone!

 

This is my first time voting, most politics I generally turn a blind eye to but this is serious business .

 

The greens have some points right I guess, I have no problem with growing for ones self and I think that this should be addressed. I mean who would buy off drug dealers if everyone could grow themselves?

 

 

H

[morphine34]

I think its disappointing for us that the Greens don't support decriminalisation or part thereof to a degree we would like - but as was said earlier by someone else, there's no point in standing for the perfect policy if it keeps you out of office and unable to do anything at all. I respect Bob Brown's and the Greens' judgment on this. We're never going to get blanket decriminalisation or a sane policy for that matter in one big go. Its going to happen one bite at a time and in order for that to happen, its going to take people like us taking a stand and supporting them in chipping away one bit at a time.

 

Good luck if you think the other parties have any capacity for making sensible policy on this. The criticism levelled at Peter Garrett earlier was a bit rough - he's out there having a go but I think his experience is showing that he may have been better to have put his efforts into growing the vote for the Australian Greens. You never know - before long maybe he will!

 

I'm a bit scared when I think what taking a stand for decriminalisation might entail (ie putting my butt on the line in some way) but the worse thing that could happen to us is ending up in prison. At least no-one is going to beat us up or kill us.

 

cheers,

 

Morphine