Policy and Advocacy: Director's Cut

Your search found Results 1 - 10 of 20:

The Director's Cut November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

President Bill Clinton warned, “Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel”. That’s good advice; making an enemy of the media is not wise.

Nevertheless, I do think the media’s treatment of the “Zac Guildford incident” deserves a brickbat, along with a challenge to deal with addiction and problematic alcohol/drug use better.

The Director's Cut August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Alcohol Reform Bill, back from the select committee, will bring the most sweeping changes to hit the hospitality industry in 20 years.

Some pub owners say it goes too far and unfairly punishes responsible operators.

The Director's Cut May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The ink was barely dry on the Law Commission’s Controlling and Regulating Drugs report when critics began the ritual wailing and gnashing of teeth about it being “soft on drugs.”

The Director's Cut

Bolivian President Evo Morales was a class act when he chewed a coca leaf at the 2009 UN High Level Session on drugs.

He was announcing Bolivia's wish to abolish articles in the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs that require countries to eliminate the chewing of coca leaves.

"If this a drug, you should throw me in jail," said Morales. "It has no harmful impact ... at all in its natural state. It causes no mental disturbances... and it does not cause addiction."

The Directors Cut

Monday, November 22, 2010

Legislation that will see the most significant changes to New Zealand’s liquor laws in 20 years was introduced into Parliament this month.

Predictably there have been two extreme reactions to the Government’s bill.

Colleagues from the health sector poured great scorn on the Government’s response to Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s historic liquor review, dismissing the bill as doing nothing to change New Zealand’s heavy drinking culture.

The Director's Cut - vol 20 no 3

Monday, August 30, 2010

This month the Drug Foundation launched two exciting new websites – www.drughelp.org.nz and www.methhelp.org.nz – which are a significant enhancement to our drug information service.

The Director's Cut - vol 20 no 2

Sunday, May 30, 2010

The Government’s rejection of the Law Commission’s proposal to raise alcohol excise tax flies in the face of common sense and incontrovertible scientific evidence.

The research may be complex but it is also irrefutable. Raising the price of alcohol reduces consumption – including among heavy drinkers and young people – and reduces harms such as car crashes, violence and disease. It also reduces the likelihood of young or moderate drinkers becoming heavy drinkers.

The Director's Cut - vol 20 no 1

Thursday, February 18, 2010

It’s finally here, and it was worth the wait!

Two years of behind-the-scenes work has resulted in a considered, balanced and comprehensive review of a complex bit of law.

The Director's Cut - vol 19 no 4

Friday, November 27, 2009

In politics, it’s often said, if you’re explaining, you’re losing. This was the unnecessary position Prime Minister John Key found himself in following the launch of the government’s new methamphetamine action plan.

The Director's Cut - vol 19 no 3

Monday, September 7, 2009

The stakes are high across the board as a result of the Law Commission’s liquor review. For the producers and sellers of alcohol, there’s the pressing need to protect their bottom line; for society, there’s the urgent need to reverse an increasingly dangerous drinking culture; for politicians, there’s  an important opportunity to step up and show leadership in a contentious and complex debate.