Roderick Aldridge: I am 80 years old. I have never touched cannabis. And I’ve changed my mind about legalization

Originally Posted by The Spinoff

OPINION:

In 1967 I changed my mind in another referendum, around six in the afternoon, writes Roderick Aldridge.

I am an 80 year old Pākehā male who has never smoked or used cannabis in my life. And I will vote to legalize cannabis in the next referendum.

This may seem absurd. My knee-jerk reaction, I hope like most people, is against anything that increases cannabis use and the damage it causes. But then when I did research and thought about it, I completely changed my mind.

This is not the first time that I have changed my mind in this way. In 1967 there was a referendum on whether to end the closing of pubs at six. At the time I was a teetotaler (basically still am) and was against anything that increased alcohol consumption and the damage it caused.

But I could see that the attempt to control alcohol consumption before 6pm backfired: it had led to the infamous “6pm trash.” He established a culture of binge drinking that persists to this day and has resisted all attempts to shift to a culture of moderate drinking. Furthermore, the law was not widely respected. It was more rigidly enforced in the poorest areas. The richest people could belong to private clubs under different rules. Therefore, this abstainer voted in favor of ending the six o’clock closing.

Likewise, our cannabis control measures are not working. They have not worked for more than 40 years. More people than ever use cannabis. Also cannabis has been joined by methamphetamine and other drugs that can cause much bigger problems.
Cannabis use was already a problem and a black market already existed in 1975, but the Drug Abuse Act of 1975 turned the problem into a disaster. This is because the Law turned users into criminals just for trying.

Young and vulnerable people have always been at risk, including experimenting with drugs, so the Act did not stop this. Instead, he put them in the hands of a criminal-controlled market with an incentive to increase their profits by getting vulnerable teens and others hooked on cannabis and other drugs. Many are still hooked on cannabis with the consequences with which we are very familiar.

Inevitably, mutual antagonism and mistrust has developed and intensified between the police and people who use cannabis, and the often marginalized communities where they live.

As long as cannabis use is illegal, most users will not rely on any guarantee that they will receive help rather than be punished. If they are Maori, Pasifika, or other marginalized groups, they probably already know family, friends, or schoolmates who have been arrested, suspended, or expelled.

Turning someone addicted to a drug into a criminal is personal to me because someone close to me became addicted to heroin. She was sexually abused by a trusted friend of the family. Like many others who have been sexually abused, she was trying to escape stigma and feelings of worthlessness. She never sought our help. He died of a heroin overdose, whether deliberate or accidental, we will never know. We do not criminalize alcohol addicts, so why the heck do we criminalize cannabis and other drug addicts? It’s the worst thing you can do to them.

What they need is help to overcome their addiction and probably also to deal with the underlying issues / trauma that led them to become addicted in the first place. Instead, they have to admit they are criminals before asking for help, lest they ask for it or get it, so their addiction continues and deepens.

The only way to solve this problem is to legalize the use of cannabis and cut off the supply from criminals. Nothing less will break the wall of mutual distrust built between the police and communities marginalized by the 45-year “war on drugs.”

Whatever you call it unconscious bias, a legacy of colonialism, or whatever else, it is clear that Maori are disproportionately harmed by our drug laws. Legalizing cannabis use is the only way to prevent the law from being selectively enforced by a biased police and judicial system against already marginalized communities.

Fortunately, the cannabis control bill is designed to treat cannabis use as a health concern and to establish a legal (as secure as possible) supply of cannabis so that anyone using cannabis does not have to turn to criminals or become criminals. Instead, they will be free to seek help if they develop an addiction and for any underlying problems. They will be able to seek help to lead a constructive life instead of being pushed into a criminal life.

Other states and countries have moved away from punitive laws. The Government has used these experiences to design the safest and most efficient system they know of for New Zealand. It prevents the development of a profitable and powerful industry like the alcoholic beverage industry that has prevented better control of alcohol in New Zealand. Maori and others have suggested additional improvements that could be made before the bill is passed after the elections. Even in its current form, it could be part of a program to reverse the growing harm caused by drug abuse.

All of a sudden, voting to legalize cannabis and help addicted people live constructive lives doesn’t seem at all absurd. In fact, it seems absurd to ruin someone’s life by turning them into criminals at great human and financial cost to all of us.

That is why this 80 year old Pākehā male who has never used cannabis will vote yes to improve New Zealand. I urge you to do the same.