tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:46:15 +0000http://www.napnt.org/lte.htmlNAP web teamBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-6431975263780297900Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:25:00 +00002008-01-21T21:16:15.469+09:30WHERE is this "incontrovertible proof" linking "heavy cannabis smoking" with psychosis (Editorial, NT News, January 17, 2008)? My understanding is that pot smoking can trigger an existing predisposition to psychosis. But that's not proof, solid or otherwise, that pot causes the breakdown. This type of comment is inflammatory. Also wrong is that pot is stronger than it used to be. Where's the http://www.napnt.org/2008/01/where-is-proof-of-pot-harm.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-8712039232155360211Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:37:00 +00002007-12-08T17:10:52.208+09:30Soft on crime? Now where have I heard that line before. Oh, that's right, only at every single Territory election ever held. The Martin-led Labor Government has been quite diligent in using the Northern Territory "Misuse Of Drugs Act" against the Aboriginal population of the Northern Territory in order to produce incarceration rate figures to prove how tough they are. At a time when there's http://www.napnt.org/2007/12/tough-on-crime-soft-stance.htmlRob.Fyffetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-7067828357065422294Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:11:00 +00002007-12-04T16:58:47.862+09:30Dear editor, I would like to call your attention to a letter I wrote (and you published) on 30th March 2007. A letter you entitled "Darwin heading for POT drought". In this letter I pointed out that everywhere in Australia where the police have picked the easy target cannabis to provide them with photo opportunities, for the propaganda/misinformation campaign, which are supposed to have us all http://www.napnt.org/2007/11/its-time-for-change.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-7922975256916456483Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:24:00 +00002007-10-10T16:02:01.641+09:30SURPRISE, surprise. Channel Nine News reports that public displays of violence and violent crime have increased 72 per cent in the last 12 months. Is it simply a coincidence that this sharp rise has coincided with the police efforts to remove cannabis from the market here in Darwin? Now the party goers in Darwin are travelling on a mix of alcohol and amphetamines. I challenge anyh, or all, of http://www.napnt.org/2007/08/drug-mix-fuels-more-violence.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-4516213474892227901Sat, 07 Jul 2007 13:31:00 +00002007-08-08T12:48:52.371+09:30prohibitionNT drug lawsWELL, the stage has been set. Little Johnnie's off on a crusade with Mal as his first Lieutenant to save the Aboriginal kids from being thrown overboard by their people. A situation they have been orchestrating for 11 years now. Clare, you could jump on the bandwagon here and go on a campaign to save our children from death by ignorance. As long as drugs are illegal our children have far http://www.napnt.org/2007/07/progession-sic-for-sake-of-children.htmlfitag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-2307744126069983931Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:19:00 +00002007-05-02T16:53:16.799+09:30Having just completed a stint in Darwin's Berrimah jail, I feel it is time for Australia's prisons to account for their water and power usage. I was appalled at the waste – especially of water – literally going down the drain at Berrimah. It wasn't just in the hundreds of litres daily, but thousands. Power seems also to be in unlimited supply, with spotlight towers left on 24 hours a http://www.napnt.org/2007/04/inders-to-nt-news.htmlfitag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-6279823964712942732Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:35:00 +00002007-03-30T10:12:34.312+09:30The question has to be asked. Just what is the current agenda of the NT police? Ther lastest campaign to remove cannabis from the market has been remarkably effective. Darwin is facing its first drought in the twelve years I've been here. Fortunately for me, I'm just a pot smoker (of thirty years) and not an addict. So I don't feel the need to turn to an alternative. I'm not happy about the http://www.napnt.org/2007/03/darwin-heading-for-pot-drought.htmlRob.Fyffetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-3209779142348754231Wed, 07 Mar 2007 05:29:00 +00002007-03-07T15:01:18.241+09:30REGARDING the story (Northern Territory News, March 1) “Mum desperate for sniffer son help”. This is a prime example of the inadequacy of the NT Health Department, and the “service” it provides. According to the “authorities”, those who work in the field of addiction through Alcoholics Anon, Narcotics Anon and Gamblers Anon, addiction is a mental health issue. By demonizing all involved,http://www.napnt.org/2007/03/persecution-of-drug-users.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-3636884618031361745Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:22:00 +00002007-03-05T16:53:29.133+09:30REGARDING the front page story of Northern Territory News March 1: “Police seize $3 million cannabis haul”. Where do you get your pricing from? Is this a figure you just plucked out of thin air for the sensational value? Or was this the figure provided by the NT Police? Either way, it is so far exaggerated as to be pure propaganda. Three million dollars for 30kg breaks down to $100 per gram, http://www.napnt.org/2007/03/drug-price-questionable.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-115647400123699883Fri, 25 Aug 2006 02:43:00 +00002006-08-29T06:17:42.740+09:30WHEN I heard Police Minister Paul Henderson rebutting the CLP idea to expel MPs who disrupt the Legislative Assembly because they get “punished enough” in the media, I almost collapsed in hysterics. When we step out of line, we hit the front page of the newspapers, he said adding their punishment for disrupting the chamber is they get hammered in the media. I remind Mr Henderson the Network http://www.napnt.org/2006/08/police-ministers-gibber-slays-me.htmlfitag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-115112721613180239Sat, 24 Jun 2006 05:31:00 +00002006-08-03T00:47:53.586+09:30I HEARD on the radio that native people’s communities in Canada have asked that their menfolk not be imprisoned so much. They found that prison has a brutalising and alienating effect, and it was the women and children who bore the brunt of the increased violence when the men were released from prison and returned to their communities. I suspect it’s the same here in Aboriginal communities.http://www.napnt.org/2006/06/high-cost-of-prison.htmlfitag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-114759019346694447Tue, 09 May 2006 06:59:00 +00002006-05-19T14:53:23.380+09:30PRISON WORK’s Soapbox of May 3 misses the point. Chain gangs and forced labour are not the answer. Sure, there’s work to be done, and prisoners can do it. It’s done in many prisons. However, the writer fails to address the issue of who is in prison and why. In the NT they are: 1. indigenous Territorians, for the most part; and 2. poverty, and dispossession of land, culture and way of lifehttp://www.napnt.org/2006/05/chain-gang-not-only-answer.htmlfitag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-114606398298053566Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:02:00 +00002006-04-27T17:30:34.686+09:30The scandalous revelations around the treatment of our elderly community members demonstrate the low worth our society places on those we deem 'past it'. The abuse and neglect of our elders is a national shame. Alcohol abuse/misuse is having a devastating impact on many of our elders but our politicians do nothing. According to figures released in December 2005 by the National Drug Research http://www.napnt.org/2006/04/should-money-spent-on-prohibition-of.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-114844765927490988Thu, 20 Apr 2006 05:10:00 +00002006-05-24T14:44:19.293+09:30ISSUE 103, April 20, 2006: There has been much debate of late around the issue of licit and illicit substances in remote Indigenous communities. Petrol sniffing and cannabis are going neck-and-neck for the title of causing the most havoc, followed by alcohol and kava. Over the past few years, Australians have had to face a relentless anti-cannabis propaganda campaign, part of the ‘reefer http://www.napnt.org/2006/04/reefer-madness-its-time-to-end-lies.htmlGary Meyerhofftag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-114557484746370943Wed, 19 Apr 2006 23:09:00 +00002006-04-21T08:44:07.473+09:30I am the person named in last Saturday’s Northern Territory News, “Hearing Dismissed,” April 15. The facts are: Last September, I was about to be searched by two security guards in the NT Supreme Court. Before going about their work, they intimidatingly snapped on their white rubber gloves. Believing I was about to be cavity searched, I dropped my trousers and took off my shirt. I then http://www.napnt.org/2006/04/non-story-didnt-need-exposure.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-114168837611277192Mon, 06 Mar 2006 23:32:00 +00002006-03-07T09:09:36.136+09:30IN response to Ian Baume's letter "Freedom to make the move" (Letters, February 25). I begin with your analogy "roads go in two directions, not one". Anyone who knows Stuart Highway knows him as a nice person. Why was he jailed for 91 days? What was his crime? Standing up for his mates being assaulted in Raintree Park in the city. He went to the aid of a friend and a car window was broken. Forhttp://www.napnt.org/2006/03/is-mateship-crime.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113981949300686220Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:29:00 +00002006-02-13T18:01:33.023+09:30Alarm bells should be ringing over the suggestion by Christopher Pyne, the parliamentary secretary to the federal minister for health, that mental health funding under a Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement should be tied to tougher marijuana laws. There is simply not enough evidence linking marijuana consumption to mental illness. Pyne is mistaken when he states that the link is “http://www.napnt.org/2006/02/marijuana.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113982240222689640Sun, 12 Feb 2006 09:17:00 +00002006-02-13T18:50:02.236+09:30Alarm bells should be ringing over the suggestion by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, Christopher Pyne, that mental health funding under a Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement should be tied to tougher marijuana laws. There is simply not enough evidence linking marijuana consumption to mental illness. Mr Pyne is mistaken when he states that the link is 'http://www.napnt.org/2006/02/not-more-criminalisation.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113979923311821746Fri, 10 Feb 2006 02:50:00 +00002006-02-13T12:23:53.120+09:30Alarm bells should be ringing over the suggestion by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, Christopher Pyne, that mental health funding under a Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement should be tied to tougher marijuana laws. There is simply not enough evidence linking marijuana consumption to mental illness. Mr Pyne is mistaken when he states that the link is "http://www.napnt.org/2006/02/alarm-bells.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113979897949541649Fri, 10 Feb 2006 01:56:00 +00002006-02-13T12:19:41.266+09:30As a person who smokes pot on a regular basis, and has done for around 30 years now. As a person who has spent most of that time working, paying tax, and generally contributing to my community. I have sat, and smoked, with people from all sectors of society, (not just the junkies the government would have us believe are the only face of drug use). I have shared smoke with judges/magistrates, http://www.napnt.org/2006/02/addicted-to-insanity.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113946569048153809Thu, 09 Feb 2006 05:58:00 +00002006-02-09T15:44:50.500+09:30I'M A person who smokes pot on a regular basis and has done so for about 30 years. I've also spent most of that time working, paying tax and contributing to my town. I smoked with people from all sectors of society - not just the junkies the government would have us believe are the only face of drug use. I have shared smokes with judges/magistrates, police officers, members of the legal http://www.napnt.org/2006/02/drug-policy-simply-potty.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113933426728855512Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:37:00 +00002006-02-08T03:14:27.303+09:30THE article "Drugs and drink bring out the worst" (Northern Territory News, February 6), quotes Michael Torres as saying he "attributes alcohol and cannabis for much of the violence". Mr Torres does not give any examples or facts to back up this statement regarding cannabis - there is no evidence it makes people violent. He does, however, elaborate on the well-known fact that grog is http://www.napnt.org/2006/02/fuel-for-war-on-drugs.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113659000028017063Fri, 06 Jan 2006 23:14:00 +00002006-01-08T14:35:37.616+09:30The article "Too much herb spoils drug chooks" (Northern Territory News, December 22) is a perfect example of the mass paranoid delusion that grips Australian society when it comes to illicit drugs. Maningrida officer-in-charge Ray Musgrave told the Northern Territory News that cannabis use was rife in some communities and police were keen to crack down on dealers. He said: "Our long-term goal http://www.napnt.org/2006/01/keep-pot-boiling.htmlfitag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113504412358083563Mon, 19 Dec 2005 02:01:00 +00002005-12-22T15:11:44.660+09:30YES,I can conceive how much damage and how many deaths 25,000 hits of heroin would probably have caused (The Parap Observer, Letters December 9). None. As a former injecting heroin user I know heroin causes very little, if any, physical damage. Heroin has resulted in only very isolated deaths, unlike tobacco and alcohol, which also are directly attributable to disease and injuries, government http://www.napnt.org/2005/12/make-heroin-legal-drug.htmlNAP web teamtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14172189.post-113168906665336584Thu, 10 Nov 2005 05:57:00 +00002005-11-11T15:34:26.663+09:30The death of SAS soldier David Nary in the Middle East is tragic. It is tragic because he died in another country training to kill people from another land. The war on terror he died for is a war to secure the remaining oil reserves in that region. He was a pawn, used and duped. I feel sorry for his children. When they are old enough to understand they will feel betrayed by the Australian http://www.napnt.org/2005/11/soldier-died-in-oil-war.htmlNAP web team