Indeed Baron  -

the vested  interests  control the political agenda - in ALL spheres, that is v clear!

and it seems -  the Law.  
Which is much more problematical. Sadly few with the influence and political access are interested in this today. Too many other probs.!!.. even if they aren't homegrown issues. !!!

I do hope our justice system can one day overcome the political pressure to uphold the status quo..

I am heartened by the HIGH COURT finding yesterday - AGAINST 'the Malaysian Solution!
There is still hope for an objective and impartial High Court ---
WHATEVER the Polls, or the fool troll pollies say.!!  BUT THAT hot potato I don't want to introduce here.

Just - it is a pity.........
A pity the High Court of Australia isn't presented with a humanitarian case against the current prohibition laws. It's been tried before, but perhaps - as govts - and their appointees change - so will the make-up of the High Court.

Because ..fatally...without 'the Separation of Powers' -
as required in the Constitution, and  which has been largely abrogated and ignored, or not understood,  by all manner of Oz Pollies over the years -  we are all at the mercy of the Merchant Venturers!!  Be they legal or illegal.

So much for the independence of the Judiciary!
Shame!!!!!!!!!

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It amazes me why anybody should need to refer to them as "M'lord",
They're not frikin' lords. They are simple people adjudicating on very simple issues.
There's nothing complicated about it. Either it is written or it is not.
A schoolkid could come to a rational decision just as easily.

The only complication is in what the rules actually state.
I think we've been well and truly duped in that department for many a year.
Jeez, where did value in separation of powers go?

Emma wrote on Aug 8^th, 2011 at 11:58pm:


Obviously it was meant to be. We have to stop being selfish when we choose to have children and think of their needs and wants before ours.

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If you'd bother to read an earlier post - I said my son found out about it at 11 from an adult. Is that young enough?

I've always been open with my children and never kept anything from them - but a parent has to set an example. You can't tell a child that something is bad for his/her health then proceed to use it yourself or expose them to it continuously.

On the other hand when they do find out about it at a very young  age - do you condone its use by telling them how great it is and smoke the stuff yourself as an example of its excellence?

Kids need boundaries and parents are the only ones who can set them.

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My children saw plenty of potheads while they were growing up including many of the dregs at school who remain dregs today making pot a priority in their life. I didn't have to spout propaganda to them.

They have no distrust of the law or mainstream society - nor should they. Your statement makes no sense whatsoever. It's only the pot smoker with a bad habit who has fear of the law and societal norms.

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I didn't bring up a couple of smothered weaklings with no mind of their own. Perhaps if you had children you would know that they learn to determine right from wrong at an early age, but parents have a responsibility to try to lead their children down the most positive path.

I know they indulged in pot socially when they were younger. They told me quite happily and of course I had no power to stop them - but it was only short lived thank goodness as they found their pleasure, health and control wasn't enhanced by this drug - just the opposite.

I'm glad that some of my maternal "propaganda" wasn't in vain and they've learnt that pot just isn't their thing.  

Wesley is right mantra, I appreciate that you are defending yourself on a personal level, regarding how you raised your own kids, and it would be better if the debate hadn't gone that personal route, but the fact remains that you are making numerous false assumptions, without any basis other than it is how you feel about it.
That's fine, but not reason to determine society adopt the same opinions, or reflect the same standards.

As far as kids go, we just have to try and give them the best chance to make good decisions, by teaching them to think for themselves, and whether they choose to smoke pot or not is certainly not an issue that would ever bother me, in fact I find the media driven hysteria about pot to be quite farcical.

If they ever got into speed, then I would have real concerns, because that stuff is a definite bad news drug in my opinion.
I have always considered it the most harmful of the commonly used drugs, and I also think that cocaine is pretty bad for the cognitive processes as well.
I think all people just deserve to be shown the facts, without adding our own hysterical reactions to what we think the consequences may be, because we saw something on a current affair of sixty minutes.

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A very common scenario.  As I've said here before, regular use WILL harm your motivation, leading to 'wasted ability'.  But, it is their ability to waste, and unfulfilled potential is hardly the sole domain of pot smokers.  Who among us can say they haven't wasted some ability to som extent?

I'd prefer my kids didn't use anything at all, but if they did dabble with weed, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.  At least I know they're more likely to be slumped on a couch playing video games at a friends place than roaming the streets looking for trouble.  But we've all got to learn our own lessons - I can tell them straight up based on my own experience, but I don't honestly expect them to believe me without testing it for themselves.

Good comments once again people.

Mantra-I did read your post re one of your kids finding out about it at 11 yrs -   from another adult, in another person's home.
At 11 yrs of age he probably shouldn't have been unadvised by you about Pot. From what I read, you indicate YOU had not discussed it with him before then.
Which - if so - reinforces my comments.

But - I don't blame you in any sense - it must be very difficult to hold the lives of your children in your hands.   So many people fail - we see it everyday.
It seems despite your personal antipathy to Pot, and it would seem, Alcohol, you have nonetheless been honest with your children, as you view these issues ...  no fools they, ..and you have earned their respect.  
Good for you.

Re SPEED and it's offsprings - totally agree.  Coke the same.
Dangerous, to user and passer-by, ....not a good drug. No dispute there.

Which really only adds - crucially - to the proposition that Pot, ...and by extension,.... all other illegal drugs, should be managed and controlled by regulation - for the betterment of individual health, .........rather than criminal law codes being applied.

It has really never ever made sense to me that a govt would out-source such important community issues to be dealt with by drug cartels and criminals.
A TOTAL abrogation of responsibility.!!

Emma wrote on Aug 9^th, 2011 at 7:56pm:


I don't know about you, but in my singular opinion, the law is not perfect, but I still think it should be respected. It's all we have.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I was brought up with the axiom "Just because you can doesn’t mean you should." Now I honestly think that we've lost something pretty fundamental in the last 40 years or so.

Without law there can be no civilization. In fact it was law that brought civilization, even from pre-Roman days, and it was the evolution of that law that drove the development of civilisation itself.

For me, the fact that something is illegal is a pretty important reason not to do it. It's not the only reason, but it's a valid reason in itself. In fact, that alone is not enough. We need to take affirmative action.

I think that we need to get back to a situation where the majority of people respect the law, or we'll all continue to go down the slippery slope towards total barbarity.  

I realise that I'm going to be howled down at this stage. It's a difficult thing to go against the trend of something as large as society, but I'm used to being the Don Quixote around here.

mantra wrote on Aug 9^th, 2011 at 1:42pm:


And THAT is exactly what makes you so comprehensively wrong about this issue Mantra.

You may be one of very few people in the world who does not acknowledge the massive harm done to society, and the world, directly stemming from the prohibition of alcohol in the USA.

Prohibition is a fundamentally flawed way to approach social issues of consumption.
Two reasons.
1: It does NOT work.
2: It creates far more problems than it is presuming to solve.