Dr Carol de Launey
Dr Carol de Launey has university degrees in Psychology (with
Honours), Business, and Cultural Studies. Her PhD thesis investigated
Nimbin’s so-called ‘drug problem’ and included
a door-to-door survey of Nimbin’s drug use and opinions
about drugs. She currently works part time at Southern Cross
University, and is widely published on topics that include Nimbin’s
cannabis culture, the ethics of research into illegal activities,
cannabis crop growers, and the real value of a cannabis plant.
Her most recent work is a book chapter on the MardiGrass, and
currently she and Michael Balderstone are jointly researching
‘dealing’. Carol has been using cannabis for about
30 years.
Editor
Northern Star
Dear Ed
I refer to recent NS headlines regarding the upcoming MardiGrass.
Firstly, I acknowledge that the interviewed officers may have
been asked loaded questions. However, I wish to make a few pertinent
points in this endless debate:
The police service should not claim community support if they
don’t have it/can’t prove it. I remember the infamous
El Dockin operation in Nimbin where senior police spokesmen
claimed community support. My household survey of Nimbin (answered
by 8 out of every 10 households) indicated that the local community
most assuredly did not support those police activities. My finding
were supported by the numerous complaints to the Ombudsman,
and to the media (including the NS), and by an article published
at the time in a law journal (The Death of Community Policing
by a local lawyer). The police then claimed support from local
businesses, but that was quickly disputed when the Chamber of
Commerce surveyed Nimbin businesses, who almost unanimously
called for police to be ‘less heavy-handed’.
Furthermore, most Australians don’t particularly care
about pot smokers either (eg see the Aus gvt’s National
Drug Strategy household surveys). We have quite a list of crimes
that do concern us, notably child abuse in all its forms, all
crimes of violence, property crime, etc. The NSW Police Service
should adjust its priorities to better reflect community concerns.
Perhaps packing a tiny village with up to 10,000 happy revellers
is a nuisance to some, but it is not a crime. There is no doubt
that trips to the north coast, motel stays, and easy targets
are a soft policing option, but they cost taxpayers’ money,
and utilize officers and other resources that would be better
spent tackling serious crime. Aside from some pot smoking, the
crime rate is low or nonexistent during the festival despite
the thousands of visitors.
Finally, the MardiGrass is an established, major Australian
festival. It is much more than a drug protest rally. It is a
celebration by the alternative culture who settled, and forever
changed, the north coast of NSW. Cannabis is symbolic of much
that distinguished the ‘new settlers’ from the established
farming community, and it was always their weak spot. Because
it was an integral part of the counter-culture cannabis made
the ‘damned hippies’ an easy target during police
operations that often escalated into Drug Wars (eg who remembers
the skull & crossbones on the police helicopter? the grandmothers
carted off the multiple occupancy for a couple of plants? ..
for those who don’t remember, the NS covered it all in
the 70s, 80s & 90s). And one only has to attend a MardiGrass
today to see the culture on parade—they dress up as fairies
and plants, put on face paint, play lots of musical instruments,
display their arts and crafts, and generally enjoy themselves
whilst spreading values of peace, tolerance, sustainability
.. in fact pretty much what they first did in 1973 at the Aquarius
festival, except that they keep their clothes on.
So for heavens sake, readjust priorities and allocate resources
where the community wants them. As an alternative to drug wars
against largely law-abiding and productive communities, police
should be trained in, and rewarded with promotions for, their
community policing activities; community policing involves law
enforcement officers working with communities, in a partnership,
to address each community’s specific local concerns. It
is an effective, and sensible, use of resources.
Dr Carol de Launey
ANONYMOUS SELLERS SURVEY
Hello. This survey is a joint effort by Dr Carol de Launey (Southern
Cross University) who surveyed crop growers (eg: The True Value
of a Cannabis Plant, Alt Law Jl, 1996 vol.21:3) and Nimbin’s
drug culture (eg: her 2002 PhD thesis: What Drug Problem? SCU)
& Michael Balderstone (foundation HEMP Party President &
a major spokesperson for Nimbin’s cannabis culture). We
want to show the true face of drug dealers—not the stereotypes
portrayed in the media; furthermore, the police and some residents
have estimated vast amounts of money being made on the streets
of Nimbin, which may or may not be remotely accurate! So we
want an idea of the real situation .. the money made (&
lost), and the day-to-day problems (& good times). You are
under no obligation to answer any particular question/s that
you don’t want to. To protect you, this survey is completely
anonymous; you fill out the form yourself, and when you have
finished, put it into an envelope & seal it. If you don’t
understand anything, please ask the person who is collecting
the envelopes. There are spaces throughout the survey for you
to add comments, or criticize, or explain something. Early results
will be available to you at the HEMP Embassy soon after the
survey is finished. Thank you for your time.
PLEASE TICK THE APPROPRIATE BOXES ?
1. DEMOGRAPHICS
a) Are you: MALE ? FEMALE ?
b) Aged: under 20 ? 20-29 ? 30-39 ? 40-49 ? 50-59
? 60-69 ? 70+ ?
c) Do you support dependents (eg children): Yes
? No ?
d) How long have you lived on the north coast?
.............
e) Where did you grow up (eg city, rural town)?
........................................
f) What is your highest level of education (including
trade qualifications) ......................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
g) When you were a child was your family: Single
parent ? Two parents ? Extended family ?
Other ..............................................................................................................................
h) Were your parents/guardians: Well-off ? Comfortable
? Quite poor ?
Comments ...............................................................................................................................................
i) What is your cultural background (if you want
to tell us) ........................................................................
2. SELLING
a) Do you sell cannabis? Yes ? No ?
b) What [other] drugs do you sell? .....................................................................................
None ?
Comments ...............................................................................................................................................
c) About how long have you been selling? .......................
d) Do you sell: All year round ? Most of the year
? Only occasionally ?
Other ........................................................................................................................................................
e) Do you sell: Your own ? Other people’s
? Both ?
& if other people’s, is it usually
on credit? Yes ? No ?
f) What are the main problem/s you face when dealing?
...............................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
g) Are your customers mostly: Local (north coast)
? Other Australian ? Overseas Tourists ?
..........................................................................................................................................................................
h) Which sorts do you sell in: Bush Hydro Both
SPRING ? ? ?
SUMMER ? ? ?
AUTUMN ? ? ?
WINTER ? ? ?
..........................................................................................................................................................................
i) Why do you sell cannabis [&/or other drugs]?
........................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................................
j) About how many customers a day would you sell
to, in: Good times ................ Bad times .............
Comments: ............................................................................................................................................
3. PROFIT (If it is hard to estimate an ‘average’
amount, use a range, eg: $500 - $2,000)
a) In Spring, what would your profit be: On a
good day $ .................... On a bad day? $ ........................
b) In Summer, what would your profit be: On a
good day $ .................... On a bad day? $ ........................
c) In Autumn, what would your profit be: On a
good day $ .................... On a bad day? $ ........................
d) In Winter, what would your profit be: On a
good day $ .................... On a bad day? $ ........................
e) What sorts of expenses & losses do you
have? ............................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
f) What sorts of things do you spend the money
you earn on? ...................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
g) If you couldn’t sell cannabis, what would
you do for money (or drugs)? .................................................
.............................................................................................................................................................................
h) Has the drug market changed over time? ................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................
i) Do you think you will still be selling cannabis
[other] in five years time? Yes ? No ?
j) What are the best things about selling? ...........................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................................
Anything you want to add? .........................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................
NEXT, A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HYDRO (We have heard a lot about
it, but what do you think?)
4. HYDRO
a) Do you sell hydro? Yes ? No ? (if No, then go to back page)
b) About how many different varieties of hydro
have you sold in the past year? ........................................
c) Which ones have been the most popular ......................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................
d) Why? .................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
e) Do you have customers who only want hydro?
Yes ? No ? ....................................
f) Do you have customers who only want bush? Yes
? No ? ....................................
g) What do you think are the main risk factors
or health problems with Hydro? ....................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
Anything you want to add about hydro? ..............................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
And lastly,
5. YOUR PERSONAL DRUG USE
a) When did you last use: TODAY PAST WEEK PAST
YEAR EVER NEVER
Alcohol ? ? ? ? ?
Cannabis ? ? ? ? ?
Tobacco ? ? ? ? ?
Amphetamines (speed, ice) ? ? ? ? ?
Opiates (heroin) ? ? ? ? ?
Party drugs (XTC, cocaine, etc) ? ? ? ? ?
Other ...........................................
Comments .........................................................................................................................................................
c) If you smoke cannabis, do you usually mix it with tobacco?
Yes ? No ?
d) If you use cannabis, is it usually: Hydro ?
Bush ? Both ?
e) Do you usually: Smoke it in a bong ? or a joint
?? or Eat it ?? Other ................
Comments .........................................................................................................................................................
Is there anything else you want to say (about anything): ......................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................................................
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
