smoking a joint
- the Stereo sitting under the single raised bunk bed is
playing the Bon Jovi tape that I bought along with a collection of classic 80's tapes in a multi-fluorescent patterned cassette-tape carry-bag at a garage sale a while back. My cup of coffee is empty and the heat from my computer's power-supply helps prevent my blood from freezing in my arteries as I sit in this freezer they call my room. I am reminded of the Medicinal Cannabis Ammendment Bill which Metiria Turei put in the ballot
back in June 2006. Its first reading was tonight where
it was defeated with 34 in favour and 86 against.
All five ACT MPs voted in favour of the bill which would have made a provision in the
Misuse of Drugs Act for seriously sick people to use marijuana for pain relief. Obviously the bill's intention was to get a foot in the door for the ultimate decriminalisation of marijuana use and sale, however it was introduced under the banner of improving health-care in New Zealand. This is a standard method of bringing about social change, as can be illustrated with the passing of Sue Bradford's Anti-Smacking Law. It was passed under the guise of lowering child-abuse, however its passing is merely one step in the agenda to make children autonomous from their parents: wards of the state.
"We would be sending a signal that it's okay," said National MP Jonathan Coleman who is also a doctor. This is a commonly held postion however it doesn't make sense. There are plenty of things that are not ok, and yet we do not legislate against them. By simply decriminalising weed, the government would be admitting that something was illegal that should not have been. Rather than
positively making the drug legal, they are instead
passively decriminalising it: making no ruling either for or against it.
Why should weed be illegal?
"Because it's bad for society" comes the standard reply. Apply this principle consistently across all facets of society, and you have a totalitarian state where even an individual's thoughts which are deemed to negatively affect society are legislated against. There are so many things that are bad for society. Letting young children watch too much low-quality television will wreck their minds, however there is no legislation against this. Why not? Quite simply because it is a matter of what is often called "common sense". Legislating against the excessive watching of low-quality television by young children is not the correct way to address the problem. Likewise, legislating against the use of marajuana is not the correct way to address the problem of the abuse of this drug.
Coming soon at StarStuddedSuperStep.com: An exclusive interview with a marijuana user. If you have a question you would like me to ask, please leave it as a comment.
