Molenaar Inquest buries crucial evidence

Recommendations from the coroner’s inquiry into last year’s Napier
siege incident have ignored the fact that this – and other recent police
shootings – were generated by a draconian prohibition of cannabis.

Instead of recognising that the prohibition does not work, and is creating
potentially volatile situations every time police knock at the door, the
coroner is recommending a review of the Arms Act, and establishment of an
arms register to identify potentially dangerous citizens.

It appears evidence presented to the coroner’s court was incomplete, and
coming only from highly subjective perspectives.

“Attacks on police such as this one, are a drug policy issue, not arms
policy”, says the ALCP. People deeply involved in the black market arm
themselves against home invasion, including increasingly heavy-handed home
invasion by Police. In Jan Molenaar’s case, a ‘prohibition rage’
incident appears to have been triggered by the highly unwelcome police
search.

The NZ Law Commission is currently reviewing the 1975 Misuse of Drugs Act.
However it seems that Police, Courts, coroners and media are unable to join
the dots and make a logical analysis of the problem.

With as many as 20,000 convictions a year in NZ, prohibition enforcement
has degraded respect for rule of law. Strong international evidence shows
prohibition has made NZ number one for cannabis use in the world, with
higher usage than nations with liberal policies and controlled availability
(NZ has at least 400,000 estimated marijuana consumers).

‘The law protects no one and causes all-too-frequent violent incidents,
while discriminating against a vast sector of the community at great cost
to the beleaguered NZ taxpayer. The coroner’s narrow recommendations
guarantee that such incidents of disrespect and violence towards police
will happen again.