OK, your thoughts on this

[kenj]

A Christchurch academic says it's be fine for New Zealand to become the cannabis capital of the Pacific.

Kiwis vote next month on the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill.
Canterbury University's Jarrod Gilbert says holidaymakers coming here to smoke legalised weed would inject money into tourism. He says the idea of us becoming the Amsterdam of the Pacific doesn't put him off.

I don't agree with him.

Ken

[Paul.Cov]

It is a bit of a mixed bag, whichever way the vote goes.
I'm erring on the side of decriminalising it. Making it illegal certainly hasn't achieved anything in preventing it's widespread use.
Rules should remain to prohibit public consumption, so we don't get the towns littered with giggling stoners (although the initial knee-jerk response if it passes will be stories of the towns being swamped by stoners deliberately ignoring the rule initially).
I'd rather have the cops time directed more towards stamping out meth, and if the kids only learn the way to the dope store instead of the gang related tinnie house, then maybe it'll distance them a bit more from the suppliers of the nastier stuff, and maybe stop a few from going down that path.

What's worse? Having your kids get weed of a known standard, unadulterated, from a trusted source, or getting some mystery pill or powder from some dodgy bugger who has zero concern for their welfare?

[Beav]

What could possibly go wrong. Tourists get high and smash into someone in their camper van.

[piroska]

[B]

Canterbury University's Jarrod Gilbert says holidaymakers coming here to smoke legalised weed would inject money into tourism.

maybe. Don't really care.
But I will vote yes for this. It does less harm than alcohol, for sure.

And those panickers who think it's all hippies and loonies.....I know an anaesthetic tech who works at both a public and private hospital who has used for years.

And a few cops...

None use other drugs either, the myth that it leads to other stuff is just that, a myth.

Some may have...but they probably would have anyway.....

Plenty of losers scarfing alcohol and driving around causing havoc. Ban that too?

[kenj]

...I know an anaesthetic tech who works at both a public and private hospital who has used for years.

Funny that . I woke up twice when they were putting a new hip in back in 2012.

First time was when they were hammering the new ball into my thigh bone.
Second time was when they were screwing in the socket.
I can remember the first time when someone said....."f**k, he's awake." Second time was "....not again"

Ken

[gary67]

The options are not clear enough, there should be a third option apart from yes/no and that would be yes for medical reasons. I'm conflicted as it would help my wifes health but I have seen far too often the rsults which are not pretty of what happens to the majority of long term users who only want it for the high

[allblack]

The options are not clear enough, there should be a third option apart from yes/no and that would be yes for medical reasons. I'm conflicted as it would help my wifes health but I have seen far too often the results which are not pretty of what happens to the majority of long term users who only want it for the high

Second time I've agreed with you.
Time's are a changing

[B.M.]

Fooooooooook, I thought we were silly enough now.

[Paul.Cov]

The options are not clear enough, there should be a third option apart from yes/no and that would be yes for medical reasons.

Allegedly there's a green light for medical use regardless of which way the referendum goes. It's just got some inertia as the docs need to get upskilled and an attitude shift with respect to prescribing the stuff, understanding what is available, the side effects, dosages, administration routes, metabolic elimination profiles, interactions with other drugs... it's a big chunk of added schooling needed for the docs, and they can't all go to training at once - it needs to be staggered over time so that the clinics remain staffed during the process.

[piroska]

Funny that . I woke up twice when they were putting a new hip in back in 2012.

I don't think she's dumb enough to while working...and in any case she lives in a large city elsewhere.

I only ever had one surgery, minor, and woke up before they pulled all the tubes out of my mouth, I heard them say that too...s*** she's awake already...LOL.