Greens no dopes on publicity front

By KEVIN TAYLOR

Memo to political parties: How to get media attention during a quiet parliamentary recess.

Message: Follow Green Party example and launch a souped-up version of an existing policy at Parliament's bar, and offer food and (non-alcoholic) drink afterwards.

So the media obliged by trooping along yesterday to the Beehive's bar - Pickwicks, or 3.2 as it's called.

"It's good to have you in this notorious smoke-free environment," party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons told journalists.

In the background the air-conditioning hummed, ensuring the atmosphere wasn't stale from events the night before.

With her were drug policy spokesman Nandor Tanczos and health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley to launch a "framework" covering all drugs - including the legal ones.

"We are here in Pickwicks to underscore the importance of an integrated approach to different drugs," explained Mr Tanczos.

The Greens want to revamp "messy" existing laws, and their drug policy aims to reduce abuse of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other drugs.

Measures include banning broadcast alcohol advertising, requiring health warnings on alcohol and tobacco, higher tobacco and alcohol taxes and halting pharmaceutical advertising.

The Greens also want sentences for illegal drugs established by a committee of experts, not by politicians.

The MPs also repeated the Green policy of legalising cannabis use and cultivation for personal use by those over 18, saying it would help kill the illegal market.

Mr Tanczos saw no contradiction between fighting drug abuse and making cannabis legal.

"We will regulate them according to what the evidence says is the best way of reducing the harm," he said. "But they are all to be discouraged."

Asked whether allowing parents to use cannabis encouraged their children to do the same, Ms Fitzsimons replied: "The whisky bottle in the cupboard is no different from the dope plant in the backyard in terms of children. It's illegal in both cases for the children to use it - and the parental control that's needed is the same in both cases."

United Future leader Peter Dunne - ever prepared to slam the Greens - was ready with another salvo after the policy's release.

"Imagine the job of being a parent if cannabis is decriminalised," he spluttered in a statement. "Have the Greens stopped to think for a minute what message this permissive approach sends to our young people?"

But the Greens are undeterred. As consistent as ever, their policy would align smokefree legislation with their cannabis policy. That means smoking cannabis would be covered by the Smokefree Environments Act.

So if dope is ever legalised, forget about lighting up a joint inside Pickwicks - or any other bar - because from December smoking in bars is banned.


The Greens' three-tier approach to drug laws


How the Greens' drug framework could look.

Class A - High level of restriction Possession and sale illegal with criminal sanctions:

A1 - No accepted medical value and ministerial approval needed for use in research, eg methamphetamine.

B2 - Recognised medical use, available on prescription from registered practitioners, eg morphine.

Class B - Medium level of restriction Sale illegal with criminal sanctions, except for approved therapeutic use. Possession of substances (including growing a limited amount of cannabis) would be legal.

B1 - Ministerial approval needed (no accepted medical value). No example given by Greens

B2 - Available on prescription from general practitioners, eg cannabis.

Class C - Low level of restriction Restricted sale and possession permitted:

C1 - Restricted to age 18 and over, licensed sales only, promotion only at point of sale, warnings on containers, eg alcohol.

C2 - Restricted to age 18 and over, no licence required, restrictions on promotion, warnings on containers, eg tobacco and legal highs such as BZP.

C3 - No age limit, restricted promotions, warnings on containers, eg highly caffeinated drinks

The Greens' policy statements says the substances in each category are indicative and would depend on a public review.