Santa gets jolly over right to go up in smoke

Santa Claus made a rare July visit to Darwin yesterday to lend his support to the Network Against Prohibition.

A slightly trimmer Santa held up the network's 1.4m joint at Raintree Park in defiance of the Government's zero tolerance approach to drug users.

"We've got a Christmas in July theme in the park so I thought I would drop in and help them out," he said.

"It's a slow time of the year for me and NAP relies on donations and volunteers so I thought I would volunteer to help the cause along."

NAP co-ordinator Gary Meyerhoff said the network had more than 600 signatures on a petition protesting the Government's drug house legislation which was recently passed in parliament.

Mr Meyerhoff reminded Territorians that yesterday's "Smoke-up for Human Rights" was not about using drugs but a demonstration against the new laws.

"The only way we're actually going to change the drug laws is by getting out on the streets and doing events like this because we failed al all other attempts like writing to government," he said.

"Things are getting worse for drug users and the war on drugs is raging all over the world. It's not about us smoking dope.

"When we're talking human rights it's not the right to smoke dope, but it's the right not to have your house searched by police all the time and cavity searches and people look in your bank accounts.

"The effects that will happen because of these laws, like searching without a warrant and declaring it a drug house and mandatory sentences for people caught in there, is only going to target specific communities."

Mr Meyerhoff said young and indigenous Territorians were already targeted by police and the Government's new laws would make it easier for this to happen.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: 14th July 2002
Source: Sunday Territorian (Northern Territory, Australia)