Cannabis club for Blenheim?
BY JO GILBERT
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The next few years could see Blenheim become home to a cannabis club, where users flout the law by meeting to smoke and buy the class C drug.
But not if the police can stop it.
Next month, founding members of New Zealand's first cannabis connoisseurs' club, Auckland's The Daktory, plan to start a tour to meet cannabis users throughout the country and help set up venues in other cities.
Although club founder Dakta Green said the tour would stop in Blenheim in the second half of this year, the focus for establishing venues was first in major cities.
But he expected Blenheim would have its own Daktory "in the next few years".
"When we get inquiries from Blenheim people we'll look into it.
"Every community with a light industrial area should have a Daktory established there."
The last national tour stopped in Blenheim in April 2008, said Mr Green.
"We met some wonderful people there who were average, normal citizens with respectable jobs who happened to be part of the culture."
Police officer in charge of Blenheim's criminal investigation branch, Detective Sergeant John Hamilton, was not impressed by the Daktory idea.
"If there was to be such a place in Blenheim, clearly we would be looking to shut it down.
"It's highly illegal to provide premises to smoke or sell cannabis."
Mr Green said Daktories were expected to be set up in every major New Zealand city over the next 12 months.
Auckland's Daktory opened in November 2008 and boasts more than 2000 members who each pay a monthly fee to smoke (mainly their own cannabis) within the club's spacious New Lynn warehouse.
Cannabis is also sold there, as it would be at all venues the club plans to establish. Members must be at least 18 years old and sign up for a year.
Mr Green, 59, said the oldest member was "in their late 70s", and that doctors, lawyers, court officials and business people were among the membership. Schoolteachers were most highly represented, he said. Many people supported The Daktory's push to legalise cannabis, he said, but were unable to "come out" as it jeopardised their jobs and/or relationships with family and friends.
Cannabis laws meant ordinary people were being locked up for using a substance "scientifically proven to be less dangerous than alcohol and cigarettes".
Legalising the drug would take the cannabis industry "out of the hands of what are criminals by definition, and put in the hands of the community where it can be properly controlled".
"This year is the year the laws will change as we the people demand it of our Parliament. A legal, regulated market is the only way to protect our families."
The club's plans follow 14 months of hassle-free law-breaking by members.
There had not been a single police raid on their venue until police carried out a search at the club on Saturday.
Mr Green, who changed his name from Ken Morgan by deed poll, said he was arrested, charged with possession and released on bail to appear in Auckland District Court today.
-With Fairfax
- The Marlborough Express
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My choice is what I choose to do, And if I'm causing no harm it shouldn't bother you, Your choice is who you choose to be, And if your causing no harm then you're alright with me
If you don't like my fire then don't come around, Cos I'm gonna burn one down.
People that smoke weed or need to take drugs are seriously missing something in their lives.
I grew up in an area where alot of weed was grown and smoked. I had friends at school who were smart, intelligent people, they started smoking weed and are now little more then vegetables.
Poorer people are drawn to drugs and alcohol as an escape from the lives that they lead, which are no doubt very tough. This does not help things one bit.
How many times do you see people who are obviously poor and hard up smoking?? All the time. They drink and smoke and yet have children who are hungry and poorly clothed.
We have enough problems with smoking and alcohol, why add this?
#Jake.. Dude, I think you missing the point of my sarcastic comment. You obviously as you say are not from a low income family so how would you know the type of effect of legalising weed would have on your average lower wage maker?
Interesting to read the comments along the lines of 'it calms me', 'to unwind', 'helps me think'... sounds very much like the work of an addictive substance which contradicts the claim it's not. I can only speak anecdotally (mostly because I don't care enough to read up on this) - I smoked cannabis as a teenager - I spent 4 years high and miserable. I smoked cigarettes because it's only a small jump between the two. I got into a fight over cannabis at the tender age of 15. I now have permanent brain injuries, resulting in short term memory loss and difficulty with recall. No professional has been able to determine whether this is because of the blows to my head, or the cannabis smoking. I'm now in my 30s and still know people that smoke dope (though I no longer do). Some have been smoking since their teens. All of them also smoke tobacco. Most of them have mental health issues. Most of them have mid level jobs, low self esteem and over time have fooled themselves that the cannabis has nothing to do with it. Fact is, it's not called dope for nothing.
Given that you don't actually have to smoke dope, but you can also add it to your baking and eat it, all the comments comparing it to smoking cigarettes are somewhat defective. This is not about inhaling smoke of any sort, but about the legality of cannabis.
seth #24
Well no thats simply not true, maybe triple the ammount of people drink than smoke pot but I wouldnt be surprised if the gap was even smaller than that. youre the one throwing a completely ridiculous figure out there, 1000 times more people? If you really believe that you live a very sheltered life.
SA #26 Haha, typically stupid comment from someone who doesnt know any better. I am well off and was brought up to know that drugs are bad, hence I am intelligent and well off and dont need some stupid weed to make myself feel better.
@Jake #21: Too true. Every time I meet a lower-income person, I think to myself: "Poor guy. If only he'd gone to university and worked harder, he wouldn't be an alcoholic today!"
@Jake #10
i think it is funny how you say "Fine, legalise cannabis, but make it law that anyone that smokes it is not entitled to any health care or benefits at all."
if you think that then why should cigarette smokers be entitled to health care??
I think it should be legalised so it is more safer. i do not smoke it myself or tobacco but i stil support the idea for the people who do like to use it occasionally
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I love the stuff but boy it is bad for you. I really enjoy the sensation of being high its unlike anything else. If it dissapeared tomorrow I would get over it. But as long as its around I cant help myself at least once a week, which is why legalising it and making it more accessible is a bad idea because it will unleash peoples addictive tendencies.
we are all better off with it being relatively hard to get. I am glad I dont have unlimited access..