I've had enough of all the bollocks.

[Jessiedog]

Over the last 12 months, there's been a growing "moral panic" in Hong Kong due to a few school kids lolling around on park benches hammered on Ketamine and a couple of drivers crashing their cars on the same drug.

Drug use is relatively low in HK, even among young peeps (only 4.3% of all secondary school kids have ever tried a controlled drug vs. 34.1% in the US [Grade 10, 2008] and 23% [male] and 17% [female] across 35 European countries [aged 15 and 16, 2007].

The problem is that attitudes seem to be stuck about 30 years behind the UK and the govt. promulgates a "just say no", "zero tolerance" approach.

Drug testing is being introduced in secondary schools and now the govt. is proposing new "drug driving" laws specifically targetted at six substances (Ketamine, Cocaine, Heroin, Cannabis, Ecstacy and Amphetamines).

The laws will allow cops to take anyone they suspect of "drug driving" immediately to a hospital to check for the presence of these six drugs in the system (needless to say OTC medicines and prescription drugs are NOT being included).

The proposal is that NO IMPAIRMENT to driving will need to be shown and a simple "positive" test result for any of the six drugs will result in conviction for "drug driving". There are calls for lifetime licence bans and jail terms of five years (brilliant if you've had a spliff a couple of days ago, eh?).

Our general drug laws are similar to the UK's, except there is only one "Class" of drug rather than three and they are all in that one "Class" which is know as the Schedule of "Dangerous Drugs".

Inevitably, the Letters To The Editor in the South China Morning Post from our ill-informed and government-propagandised public have been calling for blood and the govt. is whipping peeps up into a frenzy with mis-information to prepare the way for crackdowns right, left and centre.

The latest govt. bollocks was a half page article in the SCMP from the undersecretary for security banging on about how "psychotropic" drug use has overtaken Heroin use for the first time, a good thing I'd have thought, heroin use is falling, but no, he waxed lyrical as to how "marijuana", Ecstasy, Ketamine, etc. were ALL just like herion - dangerous, highly addictive and seriously harmful, causing serious, irreversible mental disease and organ damage. (SCMP is subscription on-line so I can't post it here, sorry.)

Well.

Enough is enough.

I've decided to really begin to fight back.

I've managed to get the SCMP to agree to publish the following letter in response. It will be appearing within the next few days as the "lead-letter", under my own name and that of a new "group" (of one :wink: ) that I've (just) "founded".

This is war.

A War on the War on Drugs.

Amid the current moral panic surrounding youth drug use, our government officials seem woefully ill-informed regarding so-called "dangerous drugs". In particular, the article by the undersecretary for security, Lai Tung-kwok, ("On the mark", July 13) is riddled with inaccuracies.

Mr. Lai repeatedly conflates a variety of different substances with the drug heroin - including what he calls "marijuana" (actually cannabis) and ecstasy (MDMA) - and labels them all as "addictive and seriously harmful".

Heroin is indeed a highly addictive drug that needs to be treated with great caution. Cannabis on the other hand is not addictive in any medically recognised sense of the word.

Human use of cannabis, in China and elsewhere, has a documented history stretching back over 5,000 years and, throughout this time, to date there has not been a single death attributed to its use. Not one. It is impossible to overdose on cannabis; it is remarkably safe.

Characterising cannabis as a "dangerous drug" is wrong. In its natural form it is one of the least toxic and safest therapeutically-active substances ever discovered - safer than any modern medicine. Indeed, it is one of the 50 "fundamental" herbs, long-used in traditional Chinese medicine.

In comparison, Panadol, freely available to children over the counter, is highly toxic. Ingesting a single pack (20X500mg tablets) can cause liver failure and even death.

Mr. Lai's suggestion that ecstasy (MDMA) is addictive and seriously harmful is also incorrect. MDMA is non-addictive and moderate use carries very low risk of harm.

Further, defining drug abuse as "taking illicit substances" is disingenuous. Not all drug use is abuse and while we should all be concerned about problematic drug use (use causing problems for the user or others,) the vast majority of drug use is non-problematic and carries little risk to users or anyone else.

Cannabis and MDMA are proven to be less harmful than most drugs (legal or illicit,) and both are far less harmful than the toxic, addictive and dangerous drug known as alcohol; a drug that may be purchased legally by children, in lethal quantities, 24 hours a day from ubiquitous 7-Eleven stores. Alcohol can and does kill people - young and old alike - and causes serious harm both to users and society as a whole.

No drug is entirely risk-free; all have the potential for harm. It is crucial, therefore, to provide young people with accurate, reliable and honest information about the relative risks carried by different substances.

Young people are not stupid; they recognise moralistic scaremongering when they hear it. Far from "sending a clear message", Mr. Lai's emotive and misleading article merely muddies the water - and in lumping-together all drugs, he is himself heading down a very dangerous path.

Once they discover they've been misled by the authorities regarding the relative risks of substances such as cannabis and MDMA, will young people then believe anything they are told regarding genuinely dangerous substances such as heroin and alcohol?

"Jessiedog's name" - Hong Kong Alliance for a Sensible Drug Policy

Fuck 'em!

Bring it on!

Woof

Edited July 21, 2010 by Jessiedog

[Bhang Buddie]

[SinfulHedgehog]

Good work there, though I think you've got your work cut out in China with their government dictatorship. Still, it all helps!

[Father McPot]

JD: How much (if at all) does Hong Kong's drug policy differ from that of the rest of China?

[Jessiedog]

JD: How much (if at all) does Hong Kong's drug policy differ from that of the rest of China?

Due to the status of the HK Special Administrative Region, operating under the principle of "One Country Two Systems", HK retains the system of English Common Law inherited from the Brits until the year 2047, so it's (thankfully,) totally different to the mainland system and is an entirely separated jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, we really are stuck in time, about where the UK was 30 years ago and particularly with respect to attitudes. Further, our drug laws are far less elegant than the MDA 1971. There is only one "Class" called "dangerous drugs", no AMCD type body - the Secretary for Security just decides what goes on the list and penalties are harsh. We recently jailed an 18 year old local "mule" for 19 years for bringing in under a kilo of heroin - sentences for older people (inevitably poor, uneducated foriegn women mules,) for importing usually vary from 22 - 25 years.

Cultivation of cannabis = 15 years. Possession of small amounts up to seven years.

It's a harsh regime, but at least the system is transparent and "fair" compared to the mainland, but it really is like living in a time warp as far as public, govt., police and judicial attitudes are concerned.

In the mainland, drug policy is harsher and the system is totally fucked; inconsistent, unfair and lacking in any transparency.

Our policy is harsh, but at least consistent and based on the rule of law (based upon English Common Law).

The problem is the overall "environment" in HK - attitudes are antiquated.

Woof

[compostverte]

Fingers crossed for you mate.

I hope you don't start getting hassled by the law over it or get in trouble with your employers ...

[Jessiedog]

Fingers crossed for you mate.

I hope you don't start getting hassled by the law over it or get in trouble with your employers ...

I fully expect the authorities to take a very dim view of my letter (I'm directly challenging the undersecretary for security - accusing him of misleading the public and especially young people) and am expecting repercussions. Hopefully, at least initially, this will entail merely an escalating exchange of views in the media. That said, I wouldn't put it past them to instigate a police raid on my home having secured my details from the press.

Currently desperately trying to find work (very close to the edge here, might lose everything soon, home and all,) but I have both a Chinese and an English name and am using my Chinese name for this initiative whereas my English name is used in business/work environments. It's the only little buffer I've allowed myself in order to (hopefully,) provide some kind of cover.

It had to be done though. The dis-information is appalling, the moral panic escalating and real people are going to be hurt. Someone needs to do something in resistance and, apparently, I'm the only one either aware enough or who cares enough (or, more likely, is stupid enough,) to make some kind of stand. The govt. has the populace whipped up into a frenzy through its lies and, if nothing else, it will at least allow an alternative view to be aired, although I'm sure I will be pilloried by ignorant (in the sense of ill-informed rather than malicious,) members of the public over the coming weeks/months.

The good news is that at least the SCMP is publishing my initial letter and hence permitting the debate to ensue. Hopefully, in defending myself against the coming onslaught I can at least build upon the theme and build a reasoned case for a more liberal approach - and maybe even pick up an ally or two along the way.

My anger has been rising for some time now. We are SO far behind the UK and Europe (and the US,) in the debate. There simply isn't any dissenting view here - virtually everyone simply believes that "drugs are bad" and when I saw the undersecretary pumping out his bullshit deliberately equating cannabis and heroin, I think something popped in my brain.

Anyhow, if I disappear for a couple of years, ye'll all understand why.

Fuck 'em.

Bring it on!

Woof

[gen131]

god bless ya jd. strength and continued courage to you.

gen

[FAI]

You've got big balls for sure Jessie....taking on the Chinese (Un)Demoratic Republic.

Just be careful you don't vanish.

Good luck

[Guest Logik]

good luck mate

[bartman]

best of luck JD

[Dodgee]

Good luck to you mate yours is a worthy cause.I cant say im not a little worried for you tho the chinese goverment is notoriously harsh on anybody opposed to there views.I usually sign off post with takecare, and today i truly mean it takecare of yourself buddy and before you get carried away think of the repurcussions that may get visited not only on you but on your family and others that you love.....

sincerely dodgee.

[mrrichiet]

Nice one JD

I think you're being very brave and I hope the consequences aren't too grave. I might start another group now in anticipation - Free Jessiedog! If you let us know how you're doing then we can all get onto the Home Office for you if things go quiet

[Jessiedog]

Nice one JD

I think you're being very brave and I hope the consequences aren't too grave. I might start another group now in anticipation - Free Jessiedog! If you let us know how you're doing then we can all get onto the Home Office for you if things go quiet

I appreciate that.

Oh. Hold on. Someone's at the door. Strange for 2:00am.

I'll be right back........

Nah!

Won't be published until Friday or Saturday probably.

Then the shit's gonna hit the fan.

Anyway, I've made up my mind.

What's done is done (and I'm gonna do more).

There's no going back now.

Woof

[Guest davedee420]

You'd be better off moving bro.............