United Future

Dude, just legalise pot... quit locking people up for a harmless drug!
Peter you admit to smoking pot... should YOU have a criminal record that affects YOUR travel and job opportunities like i do?

And why the hell are you not running medicinal cannabis trials? many other countries have it available... why should kiwis have to risk jail to grow there own medicine?

I will also add, i think it is total bollix that the whole "having to prove drugs are safe" thing before they can be sold and not include tobacco and alcohol or other already illegal drugs that deserve reclassification is plain dumb.

You have been asked many times and not answered this question:
Where will the line be drawn on safe? ... Please answer this for me!

As an occasional user of legal highs myself, I thought I would have my say about the recent ban. I think even if some of the banned synthetics ARE found to be reasonably safe, I doubt Dunne will allow any of them back. Since the ban there’s been practically nothing more written in the press about synthetic cannabis. No safety findings have been released (to my knowledge), no updates on the supposed testing of the different chemicals. Looks like someone’s moral crusade has paid off, and synthetic cannabis has been nicely swept under the carpet. I've written to Dunne twice now, with no response except an automated email. I know he's busy, but seriously, what’s going on? I’m starting to wonder whether the products are being tested at all, much less in a fair, unbiased manner. In my opinion binge drinking is the number one social problem in this country, not cannabis or legal highs. Why such a vicious, moral backlash SOLELY against products that mimic cannabis? Legal highs need to be made as safe as possible, sure. There are safety issues that need to be addressed. But why are they being demonized and banned one by one and yet another drug, namely alcohol, can be freely advertised and pushed on the public and nobody bats an eyelid! Today I saw a billboard for a popular beer here in Dunedin, with the words “drink it in” in big letters. In other words, “DRINK!” Alcohol is sold in the supermarket and advertised as though it were a harmless FOOD item, and yet in reality it is a powerful drug and every day it ruins lives! Why aren’t we hearing more about this in the press? Why aren't alcoholic drinks being withdrawn and tested for safety, Mr. Dunne? Why are there no nasty health-related graphics on the side of whiskey bottles like we see with tobacco? The hypocrisy of all this is just sickening. I wonder if Mr. Dunne even bothers to read my letters.

One further question, Mr. Dunne. I don't think cannabis is 100% safe. I don't think anything is. But how is having it sold by gangs and criminals rather than regulated businesses making our communities safer?