End Cannabis Prohibition Now
John Kaye
Legislative Council Candidate
The Greens NSW
14 April 2006
Best wishes to participants in
Mardi Grass 2007. Have a happy and enlightening time in lovely
Nimbin. I’m looking forward to joining you for the celebrations.
On behalf of the Greens I appreciate
the opportunity to discuss the Greens work to end prohibition
and to gain respect for the rights of informed adult users to
make choices about their lives.
Recognising the social, human,
political and economic damage done by prohibition and the failure
of current laws to protect the safety and well being of users
and the wider society, we have worked hard to have drug consumption
treated as a health and social issue and not as a matter of
criminal penalties.
We believe that current laws
on cannabis are dangerous and irrational. They compromise the
civil rights of users and the public and they impede access
to counselling and health services.
The Greens have campaigned against
the use of sniffer dogs in public places and the harassment
of rural residents by drug helicopters. We have argued for the
removal of criminal sanctions for the possession and growth
of cannabis for personal use and for a regulated approach to
the supply of cannabis.
We have also advocated for medicinal
and industrial uses of cannabis.
Governments at all levels are
now seeking short term political gain by exploiting community
ignorance of hemp and its effects on users. There is a growing
need to refocus the debate away from law enforcement options
and onto harm minimisation polices and the protection of civil
and human rights.
The Greens have suffered constant
attacks at every election for our commitment to drug law reform.
We have stood up to these attacks and rejected the idea that
the Howard government or the Murdoch media should dictate policy
through fear and ignorance
The Greens NSW are committed
to ensuring that drug policies are based on evidence and that
we should repeal criminal sanctions for the possession or use
of cannabis.
John Kaye: John is number two on the Greens ticket for the Upper
House (Legislative Council) in the 2007 NSW state election.
He is an electrical engineer with 30 years experience in university
teaching, consulting and research in infrastructure planning,
renewable energy and climate change solutions. For the past
8 years John has also been the Greens NSW education spokesperson,
where he has been an effective voice for public schools, universities
and TAFE colleges. John was the Greens NSW senate candidate
in 2004 and a long time advocate of drug law reform.
For more information: John Kaye
0407 195 455 or john@nsw.greens.org.au
