That seems like a lot for something anyone can grow on their lawn.

It saddens me that the greens latest bill was shot down so quickly in parliament for the medical use of Marijuana I have a friend who will be dead in a few years thanks to aggressive MS and he smokes weed to cope with the pain and tremors that goes along with the disease sadly he is a criminal for doing so.

I myself smoke weed on the odd occasion for relaxation but I do not drink alcohol ever as I find it makes me feel horrible the next day even in not particularly large doses.

I think we should legalise it but make it R21 or R25 it's just a pity that old guard politicians disagree.

mrfte: Yup, because NZ drivers don't get tested for dope. Just alcohol.

kingdragonfly:

I read a few years ago that the underground market for weed in NZ is 500 million bucks.

Based on usage in legalized areas, the potential market in NZ, based on population, would probably be in the lows billions per year.

I suspect lack of supply may constrict it down to 500 million possibly now.

However if it was easily available I'd except 1 to 2 billion dollars per year.

Typically tax rates aboard are more than 30%, so easy to see this is a win-win situation

Add in the savings on the justice and corrections industries, the increased tax take from having dealers working instead of doing pokie and so on and the financials would look even more positive.

Seems daft to have it banned when booze is so accessible.

The ban is a leftover from the 60s when the establishment got hysterical that youth were turning away from existing social mores. Those youth are now the establishment.

My kids haven't got to the age of experimentation (yet) but I wonder if there is an dope equivalent for letting your teenager have a small wine with dinner.

gzt:

mrfte: Yup, because NZ drivers don't get tested for dope. Just alcohol.

NZ law has provision for drug testing and drug testing is in use where impairment is suspected and an impairment test is failed.

What we dont have is random drug testing of everyone like the random stop breath testing. There are several reasons for that. One is the reliability of the roadside test, the other is the current cost of that kind of test.

One Simon Bridges drew some of these conclusions when he conducted a review in 2012. It's possible his opinion may have changed since then.

Http://www.transport.govt.nz/legislation/acts/qasdrugimpaireddrivinglaw/

OOI why would we think it isn't reliable when the Australians are happy with it? I can't imagine their defence lawyers doing anything but running a big truck through the prosecution if the evidence was shown to be unreliable, for example.

gzt: Overall they are not that happy with it. Some of that is about issues of fairness which I believe Bridges also identified. It's more of a random 'are you a drug user' check with a consequent conviction and potential impact of that. NZ has opted to keep it's law far more sensible than some of Australia's.

They also have doctors objecting to it on the basis it affects their mj patients who have detectable but _very_ low levels of thc.

However in this context, where we have hypothetically legalised cannabis, it is a test to identify if you are driving under the influence in the same way a breathalyser is. So no potential impact for using cannabis, per se - merely for being under the influence when driving, the same as alcohol.

It's not legal in Australia (AFAIK) so those concerns may arise.

Stan:

 

It saddens me that the greens latest bill was shot down so quickly in parliament for the medical use of Marijuana I have a friend who will be dead in a few years thanks to aggressive MS and he smokes weed to cope with the pain and tremors that goes along with the disease sadly he is a criminal for doing so.

 

Your mate isn't a criminal unless he is convicted.  No-one is likely to charge him or prosecute him.  If they did a conviction is unlikely.  But he shouldn't have the risk of any such drama, with everything else he has going on.

What sucks is that he has to buy his product through illegal channels.  It would be much better for a controlled product to be available fully subsidised.  With modern formulation techniques it would probably be possible to develop slow release versions that provide longer lasting relief.

Geektastic:

 

However in this context, where we have hypothetically legalised cannabis, it is a test to identify if you are driving under the influence in the same way a breathalyser is. So no potential impact for using cannabis, per se - merely for being under the influence when driving, the same as alcohol.

 

It's not legal in Australia (AFAIK) so those concerns may arise.

 

The difficulty may be the presence/absence of THC (or whatever) vs impairment.

There is sufficient data on the impairing effects of alcohol, to support setting a precautionary maximum limit. 

Does analogous data exist for cannabis?

You know it has become the latest snake oil. The states that have the medical dope law are stuffed with young, fit, healthy people who suddenly have some illness and need it.

It is claimed to cure everything.

It doesn't. Nor do a lot of the pills you get from the docs.

However, other states in the US have made progress and really do grow varieties that have been altered.  It does help (not cure) some things. Not all, and not pain. 

I have a friend (on morphine) who uses it, it doesn't help the pain, it, um, assists in such a way that if she has morphine only she is just zonked and still unable to move about and do things.

With both, she can do bits and pieces for a while.

She found some variety, no idea where, doesn't have that odour, but is a lot better with her effect....quite possibly one of the modified ones I guess, THC? Who knows, she just likes to be able to not be lying there doing nothing all day.

pctek:

 

It is claimed to cure everything.

 

No it isn't.  Cut the BS.

pctek:

 

You know it has become the latest snake oil. The states that have the medical dope law are stuffed with young, fit, healthy people who suddenly have some illness and need it.

 

It is claimed to cure everything.

 

 

 

It doesn't. Nor do a lot of the pills you get from the docs.

 

However, other states in the US have made progress and really do grow varieties that have been altered.  It does help (not cure) some things. Not all, and not pain. 

 

 

 

I have a friend (on morphine) who uses it, it doesn't help the pain, it, um, assists in such a way that if she has morphine only she is just zonked and still unable to move about and do things.

 

With both, she can do bits and pieces for a while.

 

 

 

She found some variety, no idea where, doesn't have that odour, but is a lot better with her effect....quite possibly one of the modified ones I guess, THC? Who knows, she just likes to be able to not be lying there doing nothing all day.

 

 

 

I have not seen any claims it cures anything (which is not to say no such claims have been made) merely that it provides pain relief.

Personally I regard the medical aspect of it as a red herring. It makes no difference AFAICT whether you are ill or not. If using cannabis from time to time is a pleasant experience for you, why should you not be allowed to enjoy it provided it is not done in a way that endangers or harms others?

There simply is no logical or sane justification for alcohol to be legal when weed is not.

This is worth a watch - funny too.

Rikkitic:

 

That seems like a lot for something anyone can grow illegally on their lawn.

 

 

 

There ya go, I fixed that for you!