Deborah Coddington: Smoking gun on drug policy

Nanny state is rearing her ugly head in certain new National Party MPs.

We've been hit with calls for new laws to ban, toughen up, or further restrict things of which they highly disapprove.

One only has to look at the bookcases groaning under the weight of legislation and wonder if there might already be a law that could deal with the problem.

One example is the new National MP for Otago, Jacqui Dean, who announced right on Christmas that she was launching a campaign to have party pills reclassified and their sale restricted.

If changes aren't made "in this area", said the former Playschool presenter, "buying party pills at a local dairy" will become as acceptable as "buying an icecream".

That's poppycock, of course, and Ms Dean is far too astute to believe that line.

But there's nothing like the topic of drug and alcohol abuse linked with youth-of-today - as in wasted-youth-of-today - to get the conservative tongues clacking. And there's nothing like releasing news in the quiet Christmas break to get headlines for struggling-to-be-seen, new backbenchers.

I do concede there is a drug problem in New Zealand, but only with a small number of people. It's not an epidemic and it doesn't affect every citizen, except perhaps in an indirect way.

But you only have to look at scientific evidence which shows the enormous damage cannabis can do to certain individuals at specific times of their lives, especially young people whose brains are still developing and who have a predisposition to mental disorder, to agree that cannabis is not the harmless, recreational drug many claim it to be.

However, it's also a fact that even though the sale of cannabis is banned, that doesn't stop it being used by those who shouldn't be anywhere near drugs - cannabis, P, Fantasy, LSD - anything that can tip them over the edge of sanity into a world of psychological pain, despair, and - all too often - suicide.

So I doubt new laws on party pills will suddenly fix Ms Dean's problem. Instead, she and her fellow Opposition MPs could confront the Labour Government for its shallow and gutless policy on drugs.

As far as drug policy goes, Labour expediently kowtows to Captain Sensible Peter Dunne and refuses to put the topic of cannabis legislation on the table for discussion.

On the health side of drug policy, however, Labour continues with its fatuous "minimisation of harm".

This attitude is basically a cop-out - even though certain drugs are illegal, hey, people take them anyway so we're better off telling them how to take them safely.

So while cigarette smoking is legal (only just), this Government happily passes laws banning smoking in pubs, cafes, bars, all in the name of improving the nation's health. On the Health Ministry website, there's no "minimise harm" message when it comes to tobacco. Other than advice on how to quit, the ministry quotes fatalities, illnesses and ways to "confront the tobacco epidemic".

But with illegal drugs like cocaine and cannabis, a much softer approach is taken, and District Health Boards, through their drug and alcohol counselling services, implement the Government's policy.

Last month I was shown a Waitemata District Health Board pamphlet on nitrous oxide, or NOS - "hippy crack, laughing gas".

Community Alcohol and Drug Services publishes these brochures - both on the internet and in hard copy - and while they do state "no use is the safest option", they're full of lessons for drug users on how they can "reduce harm" to themselves.

Take, for instance, this advice: "Inhaling the gas using balloons reduces the risk of potentially fatal lung damage from NOS pressure". That's followed by instructions on how to get the gas from a canister into a balloon. "Because you can fall over when using NOS, it is best to sit or lie down. Make sure you have plenty of fresh air."

If cocaine's your poison, you're advised to "use lube during sex" and warned that the drug causes shrinkage and makes ejaculation more difficult. Putting coke on genitals is discouraged and readers are told to "avoid using the same injection site when having several blasts in the same night, to reduce vein damage".

But if you prefer cannabis: "Try a small quantity of any new smoke first. Although uncommon, cannabis can trigger psychosis in some individuals. Replace bong water each time to avoid bugs and bacteria."

Can you imagine something like this from the Government on cigarettes? "Different brands differ in strength so try mild, menthol or filter first, before moving on to full strength. Clean out ashtrays to avoid bugs and bacteria."

The Labour Government - and some National MPs - should read some coroners' findings into youth suicides and think about why some drugs are being officially promoted if they're illegal and dangerous.

They could talk to some addicts and see why minimising harm doesn't work.

Then if they're really serious about protecting people from themselves, talk to Trevor Grice at Life Education Trust about harm prevention.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY