Is the tide turning in NZ and globally on drug laws? Alison Mau hosts an expert panel discussion with Russell Brown, Kevin Hague, Hirini Kaa and Chris Wilkins.
Drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs. Marijuana, marijuana.
The timeless musings of MC OJ and the Rhythm Slave might well describe the array of news headlines in recent times.
From the changing public mood on medical cannabis, as propelled by Helen Kelly’s powerful and personal campaign, to the long anticipated special session on the drug problem at the UN, widely touted as marking the end of the global war on drugs, the suitability of drug policies driven by criminalisation have come under unprecedented scrutiny.
Before a full house at Tuesday evening’s Table Talk, presented by Ika Seafood Bar and Grill in association with the Spinoff, a high-calibre panel gathered to tackle the subject, and the realities of political change.
The event was chaired by broadcaster Alison Mau of RadioLive, and featured Public Address editor Russell Brown, freshly returned from the UN special session in New York, along with Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague, University of Auckland historian Dr Hirini Kaa, and Dr Chris Wilkins, senior researcher and leader of the illegal drug research team at SHORE, Massey University.
Below, the highlights package, and then the full caboodle.
Produced for the Spinoff by José Barbosa, Louis Olsen, and Don Rowe.