Billy McKee is in the Palmerston North District Court today.

Outside, supporters are holding a peaceful protest and an all-night vigil.

PEACEFUL PROTEST AND ALL NIGHT VIGIL.

We are traveling from around the country to support the court case of GreenCross director Billy McKee, who is a medical cannabis user and amputee.

Supporters from Invercargill to Auckland will be converging in Palmerston North on September 3, outside the court to stage a peaceful protest and all night vigil to support Mckee.

Billy lost a leg below the knee when a drunk driver deliberately rammed his motorbike over 30 years ago. The incident resulted in him being confined to a wheelchair and in constant pain from nerve damage to the stump as well as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

The pain medications he was prescribed by doctors caused intolerable side effects where even driving was considered unsafe. He found that the only thing that controlled his pain, depression, irritability and other symptoms, while still allowing him to function, was cannabis.

This led him to study the medical benefits of cannabis, become a counsellor and form GreenCross, an organisation devoted to helping sick people obtain relief through the medicinal use of cannabis.

McKee now faces jail time for running GreenCross and helping sick patients obtain their medicine.

He was entrapped by an undercover police officer posing as someone suffering from severe migraines. McKee said that migraines can indicate in the early stages of brain tumors and many people have found that cannabis relieves the symptoms of migraines and allows them to function normally.

McKee accepted the young man as being a genuine sufferer. The undercover cop appealed to his compassion in asking Billy to supply him with cannabis. Billy says, “I was really worried about him.”

As a result of trying to help someone, Billy is now facing charges that could see him sent to prison for up to eight years. Prison terms have also been imposed on other medical cannabis users due to a law that lacks compassion.

McKee, who is going to a jury trial, is calling for jury nullification of the charges of the grounds they breach his human rights.

Even if he has broken the law, the Jury has the moral authority to return a not-guilty verdict, sending a message to politicians that medical cannabis users should not be targeted for arrest.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. I know you’ll stand tall, Billy. I hope and pray that you walk free.

A few weeks ago, the Associate Minister of Health issued a press release.

Dunne: drug law reversing onus of proof on way

Cabinet has agreed key details of new psychoactive substances drug legislation that will require distributors and producers of party pills and other legal highs to prove they are safe before they can sell them, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne announced today.

“As promised, we are reversing the onus of proof. If they cannot prove that a product is safe, then it is not going anywhere near the marketplace,” Mr Dunne said.

“The legislation will be introduced to Parliament later this year and be in force by around the middle of next year.

‘In the meantime, the Temporary Class Drug Notices – the holding measure we have successfully put in place – will be rolled over as required so there is no window of opportunity for any banned substances to come back on the market before the permanent law comes in,” he said.

“The new law means the game of ‘catch up’ with the legal highs industry will be over once and for all.

“I have been driving this for a considerable time. …

The proposed legislation has been hailed as “revolutionary” and a “world first” in certain quarters.

‘Revolutionary’ legal high law means state regulated drug market

Kronic-style drugs are expected back on the shelves under the new legal high law being crafted by Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne.

Experts say the law will create one of the world’s first open and regulated recreational drug markets with synthetic cannabis making a return.

The first legal highs will be offered for sale in 2014, based on estimates in papers released by health officials.

Some even tout it as “a back-door way for prohibition to end,” ejaculating “The war on drugs ends here!” Even Peter Dunne says as much.

His office acknowledged it would create a legal drug market.

“That is the absolute intention behind this regime. The problem in the past has been that we had a totally unregulated market with who knows what substances in these products.

“I am quite unapologetic about leading changes that will make things safer for young New Zealanders.”

So Peter Dunne, the arch-Prohibitionist, is going to legalise drugs? If you’re thinking, “Yeah right,” you’re right. Something’s not quite right here. Can you smell a baboon’s backside?

I’m going to take a closer look at what Dunne’s up to soon. In this post, though, I’m going to take a look at Dunne’s track record over the past year or so.

Since August last year, Peter Dunne has banned 26 synthetic cannabinoids by issuing Temporary Class Drug Notices. These are published in the New Zealand Gazette, “the official newspaper of the Government of New Zealand.” Here’s an example.

Pursuant to section 4C of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, I give notice that the following substances are classified as temporary class drugs:
CB-13
1-naphthalen-1-yl-(4-pentyloxynaphthalen-1-yl)methanone
MAM-2201
(1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl)(4-methyl-1-naphthalenyl)-methanone
AKB48
N-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide
XLR11
(1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl)(2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone
This notice will take effect on 13 July 2012 and will expire on 13 July 2013, unless cancelled or renewed as specified in section 4E of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
Dated at Wellington this 2nd day of July 2012.
HON PETER DUNNE, Associate Minister of Health.

The legislation enabling the issuance of Temporary Class Drug Notices was the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act (No 2) 2011, which became law on 9 August 2011. Let’s take a look at what it says.

4C Temporary class drug notice
(1) The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, specify any substance, preparation, mixture, or article as a temporary class drug.
(2) The Minister must not give notice under subsection (1) if the substance, preparation, mixture, or article is a Class A controlled drug, a Class B controlled drug, a Class C controlled drug, a precursor substance, or a restricted substance (as defined in section 31 of the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2005).
(3) The Minister must not give notice under subsection (1) unless he or she is satisfied that the substance, preparation, mixture, or article that is to be specified in the notice poses, or may pose, a risk of harm to individuals, or to society.
(4) A notice under subsection (1) may describe the substance, preparation, mixture, or article by any 1 or more of the following:
(a) its chemical name, or 1 of its chemical names:
(b) its product name:
(c) a description of the substance, preparation, mixture, or article, in the form that the Minister considers appropriate for the purposes of the notice.
(5) A notice under subsection (1) must state the date on which the notice comes into force.
(6) The date specified under subsection (5) must not be earlier than 7 days after the date of the publication of the notice in the Gazette.

Oops! … Section 4C of the MODA says that the Minister may specify a substance as a temporary class drug. Not the Associate Minister. Just to make sure, let’s take a look at Section 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.

Minister means the Minister of Health

So there you have it. Peter Dunne is NOT the Minister of Health, he’s the Associate Minister of Health. Section 4C does NOT authorise Peter Dunne to ban synthetic cannabinoids! Tony Ryall is the Minister of Health, and he’s banned ONLY one synthetic cannabinoid, viz. AM-2233.

ALL the other synthetic cannabinoids listed here are still legal!

EPIC FAIL!

[Cross-posted to SOLO.]