PRESS RELEASE - 4th March 2003

Dopey Carr
Mr Carr really didn't need drugs on the agenda of his 2003 election campaign, and he certainly doesn't need the electorate questioning his NSW Government's stance on drug policy.

Yesterday Mr Carr said cannabis boils your brain. Last year he told all that cannabis has great merit for medical purposes. The year before that he even said he'd take on The Telegraph on the issue.

So what is his policy on cannabis? Well the NSW Government hasn't really got one, all drugs are illegal, remember. "With Mr Carr's approach, all options are null and void. The Premier sat around for 8 years watching NSW sink further into the nightmare of prohibition", said Nimbin Hemp Embassy spokesperson Andrew Kavasilas, visiting Sydney with their 12 metre joint, a feature of the Mardi Gras parade. "Like the Americans, Bob Carr keeps on building more jails".

Internationally, western countries now employ, or are to employ new policies achieving overall reductions in drug use and drug related crime. "Mr Costa and Mr Carr have gone for polishing prohibition, especially on cannabis" said Mr Kavasilas. "Compared to the UK, where police and drug experts recently joined the British Government to reclassify cannabis possession to a non arrestable offence, the rhetoric coming from Macquarie St is straight out of Reefer Madness" he added. Mr Kavasilas said "The NSW Greens are the only party to approach cannabis use in a realistic way, The Greens policy addresses industrial, medicinal and recreational use of cannabis in an internationally recognised manner".

"Mr Carr would prefer to maintain laws that ensure people in NSW get a criminal record or go to jail, just for having a bit of pot" he added.

Andrew Kavasilas
Nimbin Hemp Embassy