A lot of New Zealanders have at some time chosen marijuana, an illegal high, as an attitude adjuster or an avenue to get high. Society classes them as criminals and huge resources have been spent on locking them up while they look the other way with their own drugs of choice including nicotine and alcohol.
With this in mind, it is no surprise that the demand for legally high synthetic marijuana has brought about a moral panic to punish those who are providing the product.
Perhaps the whole buzz around legal highs is a smoke screen to point the blame away from the booze barons and patrons of their product. How can one sector of society chastise a dope smoker but sanction and glamorise another mind-altering legal high? If we could back the truck up for a moment before we all jump on the "ban-the-legal-high" band wagon, we might learn some valuable lessons that could benefit all generations.
Let's take a look at what we know before we react to what we don't know.
The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of more than 100 non-governmental organisations that come together to promote drug policy reform at a national and international level. Its international network of experts promote drug policy alternatives based on global evidence and best practice, human rights, public health, social inclusion, development and civil society participation.
If we want solutions to the highs and lows of psychoactive substance abuse, a good place to start looking is this organisation of experts, who say our laws and the ones we want to impose by criminalising cannabis are not working and will never work.
The impending Psychoactive Substances Bill is an attempt to deal with enhancing safety in the drug supply, rather than focusing on reducing possession and use of these drugs.
David Gilmour of Sorted, a youth alcohol and drugs service, says it is "farcical" that the substances cannot be banned. May I humbly suggest to David the farcical fact is alcohol is a legal high and the damage it does is where our councils and policy-makers need to provide good leadership.
Legal highs are a problem that has been created directly from the environment of illegal cannabis.
Are we going to solve the centuries-old desire to get high by banning mind-altering substances? I think not.
If you have a penchant for a glass of chardonnay or a single malt every night after work then spare a thought for those who have a different drug of choice which achieves the same goal - to relax.
Until we openly and honestly look at all mind-altering substances that are ingested, inhaled or injected as harmful we will continue to see an increase in the moral panic.
Let's start taking some ownership in our own choices of legal highs - which have to include nicotine and alcohol and the big elephant in the room - prescription drugs.
tommy@ttw.org.nz
