A protest rally against New Zealand's cannabis laws will be staged outside the Tauranga Police Station this afternoon.
The Stop The Arrests rally is one of 26 protests taking place around the country from 4pm to 5pm today, and aims to highlight the issue of cannabis law reform, especially for medicinal uses.
The Tauranga Stop The Arrests Rally will be taking place outside the Tauranga Police Station this afternoon. Photo: Glenn Grayston/Facebook
Local organiser Glenn Grayston says as part of the protest people will be invited to share their experiences of using cannabis medicinally. A petition calling for the Government to make cannabis-based medications available in New Zealand will also be shared around.
Glenn is appealing to people wanting to take part in today's rally to remember the number one rule: 'Respect for police”.
'Officer are faced with a difficult task when it comes to cannabis laws and many will use their own discretion when it comes to minor offences,” Glenn explains.
'We're basically calling for a moratorium on all cannabis arrests until our politicians can get their act together and create a law that's equitable, especially for people who use it medicinally.”
Glenn wants to see cannabis laws reformed, especially for medicinal use, after seeing 'first hand the good it can do”.
He says for several years he was a carer for his father who suffered from severe arthritis pain. His father passed away last month.
'I was doing some research into pain management and there was quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that cannabis oil can help arthritis pain. So I imported some from the United States and it was much more effective than what the doctor was prescribing,” he explains.
'After that I thought ‘this is stupid that it's illegal because it clearly helps people'.”
As part of today's protest some participants will be ‘lighting-up' at 4.20pm.
Glenn says he's had several conversations with senior Tauranga police officers who have made it very clear they will arrest anyone they see consuming cannabis outside the station.
'This will be explained to everyone who attends today it will be their personal choice whether they do or not,” says Glenn.
A police spokesperson confirms they are aware of today's planned protest action, and that they've been in communication with the protest organisers.
'Police as an organisation is well practised in dealing with these events, and our staff will work to ensure an effective response is provided based on the circumstances of each matter at the time,” the spokesperson says.
'Police respects people's right to lawful protest, and our focus will be around peaceful protest and responding appropriately to any issues regarding disorder or public safety.”
The spokesperson says police will not be offering comment on the case being advocated by the protestors. The role of police is to enforce the law and their approach to cannabis 'has not changed”.
'Police officers do however have discretion on how they deal with a range of matters, including cannabis offences, on a case by case basis. That is the approach which will be taken with today's protest activity,” the spokesperson says.
National Stop The Arrests coordinator Rose Renton says today's rallies will be peaceful and they're calling on the Government to change the law 'to protect our people”.
She says cannabis is a medicine used by many, not just in smoking form but also in edibles, tinctures, balms and oils, and is a lifeline for many people facing critical health issues.
'Increasing awareness of cannabis as medicine has resulted in 80 per cent of New Zealanders supporting a change to current cannabis laws, according to recent polls. The majority of New Zealanders also now support cannabis being legalised or decriminalised for all people,” says Rose.
'We are requesting the support of the NZ Police in our rally. Police are under-resourced and understaffed. By removing cannabis arrests from their workload, hundreds of millions of dollars would be saved every year, and time would be freed up for police to address serious crime and more dangerous drugs.”
Protestors will be gathering at Red Square in the Tauranga CBD at 3.30pm before departing for the police station at 3.45pm.
9 comments
canabis
Posted on 17-09-2016 14:51 | By dumbkof2
where are the anti smoking do gooders
You said..
Posted on 17-09-2016 15:10 | By GlennSmith
you wand protesters to haveRespect for police? Where is the respect for the police then when you lot are planing on "lighting up" at 4.20pm outside the police station???? Come on! Do it right or move along!
Typical
Posted on 17-09-2016 15:43 | By R1Squid
Locals want legalisation of the use of Cannabis. What they really want is the legalisation of unemployment. Business's are not going to employ anyone that cannot pass a drug test.
Hmmmm
Posted on 17-09-2016 19:07 | By How about this view!
Getting sick and tired of the brain-dead stoners spouting off about the "medicinal" benefits....... I have NO major issue with using this community destroying plant for medical reasons IF and only IF, the medically trained and registered scientific community raise the subject with a scientifically supported call to government for a change. As soon as this subject is raised by chemically-challenged dopeheads, any and all genuine support for this case flies out the window. We don't NEED this garbage in our communities or, more importantly, in our workforce.
@HATV
Posted on 18-09-2016 16:51 | By GreertonCynic
Getting sick and tired of ill informed people expounding their views on someone elses habit.I have so many issues with your argument. Garbage?? What about prescription drugs? Synthetic heroine is FAR more damaging than pot, and completely legal. And Prof. Sir Peter Gluckman might have an alternate view to yours. Care to argue with him? Not all potheads are stoners.
@R1Squid
Posted on 18-09-2016 16:56 | By GreertonCynic
legalisation of unemployment? What a crock! Test for impairment, not detectable traces of a recreational drug that can be in your system for about a month after consumption.
Medicinal
Posted on 19-09-2016 06:21 | By flyingtoaster
I suffer from chronic pain. My prescription medication has several sideaffects, including severe constipation, acid reflux, loss of appetite and addiction. My prescription meds take 40-60mins to start working. I can tell you, waiting the 40 mins at 2 in the morning, in pain, feels like an eternity. I use pot medicinally. The 'getting high' is the unwanted sideaffect. When I am in pain, smoking pot gives me some relief within 5 mins, it helps with the constipation and loss of appetite and is not addicive. Although it may not give me as much pain relief as the prescription meds, the sideaffects are much more tollerable. I am not saying it is right for everyone, and I have contempt for those who are hiding behind the medicinal movement, simply to flout the law.
@How about this view!
Posted on 19-09-2016 06:36 | By flyingtoaster
The medically trained and registered scientific community are supported by big pharmaceutical companies. These companies make money from the medications they produce. They don't make anything from cannabis. They don't fund trials with cannabis. They don't fund research into cannabis. Nobody will fund the type of research and trials that are necessary to meet the governments requirements. There are more registered medical professionals out there, that support medicinal cannabis, than medical professionals that do not.
@flyingtoaster
Posted on 19-09-2016 17:04 | By GreertonCynic
My sympathies, mate. And you're bang on the money regarding big pharma.
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