A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Deane Smart’s letter in The Gisborne Herald of June 6 denigrating the NZ Drug Foundation demonstrates to us a complete lack of understanding of the problems that have been caused as a direct result of prohibition.
The one thing we would agree on is that there does not need to
be a referendum, as we believe we should not be waiting for the re-legalisation of cannabis. With children having 100-plus fits a day, adults suffering from glaucoma which leads eventually to blindness for some, others suffering from cancer and the side-effects of chemotherapy, others with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s unable to lead normal lives, yet others suffering from addictions to legal pharmaceutical drugs as well as illegal drugs such as P, all of which have been listed in the US patent as either being curable or the symptoms able to be alleviated with cannabis, we believe suffering New Zealanders should be able to access this wonderful plant.
There is evidence that not just CBD but the whole organic raw plant, including THCA, with its 500-plus components, may be helpful for so many conditions, and we have the human right to try to regain a quality of life.
We all know our bodies react differently to different foods, and cannabis is, by definition, a food. However, nobody has died from cannabis, whereas modern medications have their casualties – refer to the warning labels.
Deane needs to get over his hysteria from decades of propaganda and read the studies. Suggested reading is “Drugs are not the devil’s tools” by Dr David Bearman and “Chasing the Scream” by Johann Hari.
