Posts by "chris"
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Hard News: Not so insane, in reply to BenWilson,
You’re game Ben, that doesn’t sound at all like what the doctor ordered.
it’s certainly the case that the law causes anyone who would use dope to use synthetic instead
I wonder how much of a spike in sales the synthetics dealers enjoy during that dry period (Februrary/ March?) just prior to the outdoor cannabis harvest.
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Hard News: On Telly, Telly Off, in reply to Russell Brown,
Perhaps God is having his revenge on Grey Lynn.
Jesus he was evil...?!
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Hard News: Rape and unreason, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
That elephant must be acknowledged. Writing that kind of crap is one thing. Making a professional decision to sanction by way of publishing those views, in a sense institutionally legitimising them, shows very poor if not worse judgement.
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Hard News: Friday Music: The Story, in reply to Kumara Republic,
Probably about as serious a rock band as Nickelback
Dude! Musical Godwin?
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Hard News: Another Saturday Night, in reply to Stephen Judd,
I’ve seen it used a lot in those Police reality TV shows, I guess to intensify the feeling that the action is still unfolding as we watch.
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Hard News: Another Saturday Night, in reply to Lilith __,
Pluperfect/ Past Perfect would use the auxiliary ‘had’.
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Hard News: Not so insane, in reply to Russell Brown,
by which vendors will be allowed to distribute products containing novel, not-yet-controlled, recreationally-used substances
Perhaps it's willful misinterpretation, but to me that reads as 'Government sanctioned experimentation on humans'.
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Hard News: Not so insane, in reply to BenWilson,
I’m sure some people might choose a synthetic high, even if both were legal, as I’ve heard that some of them leave you feeling less lethargic when they wear off than dope,
On the flipside, now that six new substances are prohibited, will the matured demand for these ‘advantages’ simply tip some of these substances onto the black market, enhancing the web of criminality?
I’d say that it’s certainly the case that the law causes anyone who would use dope to use synthetic instead, and that’s a LOT of people, in particularly, a LOT of children.*
And despite my earlier flippant comment re: forensic psychiatry, the Act itself was a step forward in that regard:
The sale of psychoactive products to people under 18 years of age is prohibited
No-one under 18 years of age is permitted to purchase or possess psychoactive products
Which is as it should be, and it would seem to be an ideal framework not to prohibit more substances but to take positive steps forward in terms of beginning to decriminalize/ legalize the more traditional psychoactive substances, and then allow the market to do it’s work.
The intention of the Act seems pretty clear but it conflicts somewhat with the way it’s being implemented:
The purpose of this Act is to regulate the availability of psychoactive substances in New Zealand to protect the health of, and minimise harm to, individuals who use psychoactive substances.
Kids still be sidling up to punga fences, purchasing anorexic tinnies laced with horse tranquillizer, so who’s to know what kind of additives will now find their way into a helping of Kronic skunk.
Banning a substance is not regulating its availability, quite the opposite in fact, they're washing their hands of it.
*ETA if that read like a rant Ben, it certainly wasn’t directed at you or anyone here.
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Nice one Jimmy, sweet as. I spotted the t-shirt so...
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Hard News: Not so insane, in reply to BenWilson,
Thanks for taking the time Ben, that was very coherent. I’m pleased to hear he’s (hopefully) not using that now and I was struck by this:
using it in preference to dope because it was a lot easier to get, and you didn’t have to take precautions carrying it, storing it, etc.
What I find most unsettling is that second clause could be read as a perception, if you will, that the potential ramifications of being busted for possession of cannabis would seem less attractive than the alternative: losing consciousness, having a psychotic break and inadvertently calling the armed offenders squad to one’s domicile, or far worse.
Were this symptomatic of the larger demographic, then the profitability of this synthetics industry, and the countless incidents that have stemmed from the use of these products hinge largely on the Government’s prohibition of cannabis, the potential decriminalization of which could potentially unravel that whole sorry mess.
That the Government continues playing ‘Here we go round the mulberry bush’ – juggling legislation for this second wave of (unknown quantity) psychoactive substances (with their ever changing constituents), while your friend remains in the cross-hairs as a prospect for the justice system, is deeply troubling and shows very little regard for the true safety and security of New Zealanders.