tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87331212011-04-22T05:45:30.409+09:30A collection of published writings by the aquarian and activist Gary William Meyerhoff. Born in Grimsby, England in 1975, Gary went to school in Perth, Western Australia and currently resides in Darwin in Australia's Top End.Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comBlogger771100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1146064236610714072006-04-25T07:23:00.000+09:302006-04-27T00:40:36.630+09:30

The scandalous revelations around the treatment of our elderly community members demonstrate the low worth our society places on those we deem 'past it'. The abuse and neglect of our elders is a national shame.Alcohol abuse/misuse is having a devastating impact on many of our elders but our politicians do nothing.According to figures released in December 2005 by the National Drug Research

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1148447836180980642006-04-20T07:23:00.000+09:302006-05-24T14:47:16.193+09:30

ISSUE 103, April 20, 2006: There has been much debate of late around the issue of licit and illicit substances in remote Indigenous communities.Petrol sniffing and cannabis are going neck-and-neck for the title of causing the most havoc, followed by alcohol and kava.Over the past few years, Australians have had to face a relentless anti-cannabis propaganda campaign, part of the ‘reefer madness’

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1139819686603971902006-02-15T07:23:00.000+09:302006-02-13T18:04:46.613+09:30

Alarm bells should be ringing over the suggestion by Christopher Pyne, the parliamentary secretary to the federal minister for health, that mental health funding under a Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement should be tied to tougher marijuana laws.There is simply not enough evidence linking marijuana consumption to mental illness. Pyne is mistaken when he states that the link is “

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1139799510698978862006-02-10T07:23:00.000+09:302006-02-13T12:29:43.410+09:30

Alarm bells should be ringing over the suggestion by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, Christopher Pyne, that mental health funding under a Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement should be tied to tougher marijuana laws.There is simply not enough evidence linking marijuana consumption to mental illness. Mr Pyne is mistaken when he states that the link is "clearly

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1136694663913904252006-01-07T07:23:00.000+09:302006-01-08T14:07:30.226+09:30

The article "Too much herb spoils drug chooks" (Northern Territory News, December 22) is a perfect example of the mass paranoid delusion that grips Australian society when it comes to illicit drugs.Maningrida officer-in-charge Ray Musgrave told the Northern Territory News that cannabis use was rife in some communities and police were keen to crack down on dealers.He said: "Our long-term goal is

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1130334212526993932005-10-24T19:23:00.000+09:302005-10-26T23:15:15.700+09:30

It's not all smooth sailing for Prime Minister John Howard and his $6 million "Tough on Drugs" campaign.Recent allegations that his own air crew used illicit drugs demonstrate just how silly his 'war on drugs' is.Until recently, military personnel with drug and alcohol problems had the option of attending the tri-service rehabilitation centre at the Richmond RAAF base.Now, defence force policy is

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1128491532399113852005-09-30T15:21:00.000+09:302005-10-05T15:24:23.210+09:30

Dear Sir,It's not all smooth sailing for Prime Minister John Howard and his $6 million "Tough on Drugs" campaign.Recent allegations that his own air crew used illicit drugs demonstrate just how silly his 'war on drugs' is. Until recently, military personnel with drug and alcohol problems had the option of attending the tri-service rehabilitation centre at the Richmond RAAF base. Now, defence

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1128164269712165732005-09-29T07:23:00.000+09:302005-10-01T20:27:50.643+09:30

I am one of the growing numbers of Australians who struggles to maintain sanity in the midst of a world that’s gone mad.One way to maintain that sanity is to ingest various substances -licit and illicit - to take the edge off things and help us get through each week.I smoke pot every day (unless of course I am in a place like the USA or Brunei), and I regularly use other illicit drugs.Living in

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1127784158898637372005-09-27T07:23:00.000+09:302005-09-27T12:20:18.890+09:30

IT'S not all smooth sailing for Prime Minister John Howard and his $6 million "Tough on Drugs" campaign.Recent allegations that his own air crew used illicit drugs demonstrate just how silly his "war on drugs" is.Until recently, military personnel with drug and alcohol problems had the option of attending the tri-service rehabilitation centre at the Richmond RAAF base.Now, defence force policy is

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1126808661734521122005-09-16T07:23:00.000+09:302005-09-16T16:29:04.626+09:30

Northern Territory Justice Minister Peter Toyne should resign.Prison is not a solution to crime and neither does it rehabilitate offenders, genuine or otherwise.Berrimah Prison has been overcrowded for months.But all that Mr Toyne and the NT Government have done in response, is to ensure that it stays that way by jailing more and more people.A war on illicit drug users; targeting of the longgrass

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1126964999068441222005-09-14T07:23:00.000+09:302005-09-18T22:57:32.853+09:30

I am one of the growing numbers of Australians who struggles to maintain sanity in the midst of a world that's gone mad. One way to maintain that sanity is to ingest various substances — licit and illicit — to take the edge off things and help us get through each week.I smoke pot every day (unless of course I am in a place like the USA or Brunei), and I regularly use other illicit drugs. Living

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1126217665408045722005-09-09T07:23:00.000+09:302005-09-09T07:44:25.416+09:30

WHY won't you leave David Mills alone (Northern Territory News, September 7)?I don't know the details of David's case and I don't want to.What I do know is that David spent time in prison as a result.He did the crime and he has done the time.I'm sure that a day doesn't go by on which David doesn't think about what he did wrong.He is entitled to the same quality of life as the rest of us.The human

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1123303280268730812005-08-06T14:09:00.000+09:302005-08-06T14:11:20.276+09:30

ABOUT NT Police and dissent. Members of the NT Police Association worry they may have to “quell resistance to unpopular, unnecessary, and socially divisive legislative changes” (Northern Territory News, August 4).Someone should remind them that this is their job.Police are not workers, they are officers of the law.As our society moves further towards complete corporatism, dissent will increase

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1123213526276443402005-07-29T07:23:00.000+09:302005-08-05T13:15:26.283+09:30

ILLICIT drug users in NSW won't be sorry to see the back of Bob Carr. This is the man that escalated the domestic war on drugs with the introduction of the "drug house" legislation, sniffer-dogs on the streets of Sydney and the militarisation of the NSW police.Hopefully the next premier will be someone who realises that their drug war does more harm than it is supposed to prevent; or maybe that's

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1122300245279491592005-07-20T07:23:00.000+09:302005-07-25T23:34:05.286+09:30

I am writing regarding the Australian Federal Government anti-drug advertisements on television.The truth about drugs – according to the $6 million War on Drugs campaign – is 'If you do drugs, you die'.The reality is that there are tens of thousands of Australians from all walks of life who use drugs and do not die.They take drugs and they have a good time.The bad stuff doesn't happen to everyone

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1121298024732761992005-07-14T07:23:00.000+09:302005-07-14T09:10:24.740+09:30

The NT Police Association has hit out at plans to lock up prisoners at the Darwin watch house (Northern Territory News, July 12).A prison source told the newspaper about the problem over a month ago (Prisons overcrowded, June 4).The NT has the dubious distinction of having an imprisonment rate almost as high as the US.In fact, the NT imprisonment rate (more than 500 per 100,000) is five times

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1120528494545878042005-07-05T07:23:00.000+09:302005-07-05T17:29:24.866+09:30

It is obvious members of the NT judiciary need to be educated with regards to the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act.I am referring to “Butter is better” (Northern Territory News, NT and Beyond, July 2). A person facing a charge of possessing 50g of cannabis butter had that charge dropped after a confusing exchange between Magistrate John Lowndes and the prosecutor.Mr Lowndes said he did not

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1120228817376133172005-06-24T07:23:00.000+09:302005-07-02T00:10:17.386+09:30

Dear EditorI note with interest the recent outcry over barking dogs.Perhaps Clare Martin should implement a zero-tolerance policy on this issue.Although the vast majority of dog owners are responsible, loving, law-abiding citizens and provide a more than adequate level of care for their pets, it seems there will always be a small anti-social minority who abuse dogs.The Government and the police

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1119467087968765532005-06-23T07:23:00.000+09:302005-06-23T04:34:47.976+09:30

I note with interest the outcry over barking dogs.Perhaps Clare Martin should implement a zero-tolerance policy on this issue.Although most dog owners are responsible, loving, law-abiding citizens and provide more than adequate care for their pets, it seems there will always be an anti-social minority who abuse dogs.The Government and police are always crowing about the success of their war on

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1119067107527000122005-06-17T07:23:00.000+09:302005-06-19T17:49:59.933+09:30

Dear EditorFor me the saddest thing about elections is that they remind me that the vast majority of Australians still believe that their vote counts.It really doesn't matter who is elected on June 18, the same Corporations will still be running the Territory, and the world for that matter.But how have our 'leaders' managed to fool the masses for so long?Mussolini told The London Sunday Express

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1117969248310840102005-06-01T07:23:00.000+09:302005-06-05T20:30:48.316+09:30

Corby’s supporters should direct their anger at the Australian government’s continued support for the US-led policy of global drug prohibition. If she had been convicted for the same thing in the US, the sentence could have been worse; there are untold thousands in jail in the land of the free for cannabis offences. Drug prohibition is the real culprit in this case.Gary Meyerhoff, Nightcliff, NT

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1114036154791741302005-04-21T07:33:00.000+09:302005-04-21T07:59:14.790+09:30

Dear SirThe Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister For Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne, said: "drug use cost Australia about $6 billion a year," (Northern Territory News, April 18).There is only one reason Australians pay so much for drugs: prohibition.Drug prohibition keeps the price of drugs artificially high, resulting in a multibillion-dollar windfall for the dealers.If Mr Pyne is really

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1114028608715936192005-04-21T07:23:00.000+09:302005-04-21T06:04:16.140+09:30

My name is Gary William Meyerhoff and I am a queer (it’s the only label that I think suits me), junkie, writer, shit-stirrer and activist currently based in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. I was born in 1975 in England and grew up in a town called Grimsby. In 1984, my family immigrated to Perth in Western Australia, where I did my secondary schooling.Politics in Perth…Whilst at

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1112411592104776572005-03-31T07:23:00.000+09:302005-04-02T12:56:57.163+09:30

Hello and welcome to a special combined issue of Junkmail which has a special focus on hepatitis C (HCV) and a great lift-out poster on looking after your liver. Nearly everyone who knows someone who injects drugs knows someone who is living with HCV.Hepatitis C has swept through the Australian community like wildfire over the past decade or so and is continuing unabated. People who inject drugs

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1109905131795743882005-03-04T07:23:00.000+09:302005-03-04T12:28:51.796+09:30

RE ICE not a nice vice - name and address withheld (Northern Territory News, Feb 28) is sadly mistaken that Amphetamines are the most destructive drug in our society causing misery, destruction and crime. Tell that to the tens of thousands of Australians who use the drug on a regular basis for work, rest or play. They certainly don’t suffer misery or destruction. In the unlikely event that they

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1109330106253028182005-02-25T07:23:00.000+09:302005-09-21T21:35:54.563+09:30

Days to execution: UnknownAs far as I know, 24-year-old Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van is still in a cell at Singapore’s Changi Prison facing execution. He will be given less than 24 hours notice of his hanging; and we won’t be told until it is done. The Australian Government and our media are failing him miserably. After ten months on death row, Nguyen Tuong Van should be a household name. I

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1108965162017968802005-02-21T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T20:52:51.463+09:30

Regarding drug prohibition. So Col Newman thinks the NT Police are doing a good job “working to eliminate the many problems associated with drugs and their dealers from our society” (Northern Territory News, 16th February).Does Col realise that the amount of drugs seized by the police since the start of the drug house legislation is only a tiny fraction of the amount of drugs consumed by ordinary

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1097965717041754872004-10-13T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T20:54:37.160+09:30

When PM John Howard promised a $30 million trial of retractable syringes in November 2001, the harm reduction sector saw it as another attack on the human rights of people who use illicit drugs. Three years later, the trial has commenced and we are still framing our response on the basis that the trial is part of Howard’s war on drugs. Little did we that know that the trial of retractable

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098190500408862082004-10-03T07:23:00.000+09:302005-03-01T23:24:13.736+09:30

Don't VoteIntroductionThe Network Against Prohibition (NAP) is a network of drug users and other community members who are angry about the harmful impact of the war on drugs in all of its manifestations, on a local, national and international level.NAP engage in a range of activities including harm reduction activities with people who use illicit drugs, direct action and protest activities and an

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098190795205706032004-09-21T19:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T20:49:13.670+09:30

In the lead up to the 2001 federal election, Prime Minister John Howard said “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.” John Howard promised to do everything in his power to stop asylum seekers from reaching ‘our’ shores. Howard had just one problem, the courts. Today, in Darwin, we have found out exactly how Howard is getting around that problem.This

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1097966054415248472004-09-20T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:02:55.630+09:30

NT residents have been reminded that Facism is alive and well in Australia's outback after a visit to Darwin by two senior figures within the Australian Nazi movement. Leading NAZIs John Howard and his junior Mark Latham have been in town over the past two days shoring up support within NAZI party ranks in the Northern Territory. More than a dozen people from the NT Greens, the Socialist Alliance

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098194462238796452004-08-16T07:23:00.001+09:302005-02-25T21:38:02.236+09:30

Cashing in on the HIV pandemicIntroduction“Retractable Syringes represent one of the most serious threats to our health and human rights we have seen in years.” Annie Madden, Executive Officer, Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League(1)When Australian Prime Minister John Howard promised a $30 million trial of retractable syringes in November 2001 the harm reduction sector saw it as

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098195817808934532004-07-12T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:39:00.316+09:30

The 18th Community Smoke-In for Human Rights, a drug law-reform protest staged by the Network Against Prohibition, proceeded as planned on July 10, 2004, without any hitches.NAP had feared police violence because of Darwin City Council's refusal to issue a permit for the event. After receiving "advice" from the Northern Territory Police, DCC's Community Safety Committee recommended that council

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1106804425840651862004-07-09T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:40:21.920+09:30

So "name and address withheld" doesn't understand why people are treated like criminals when they pass through Customs at Darwin airport. The answer is simple: Customs officers are becoming increasingly frustrated as the realisation they have lost the war on drugs sets in.The Customs officers who appear to be standing around doing nothing are keeping an eye on passengers to see if anyone is

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098196277687501482004-05-24T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:41:06.056+09:30

Accused of murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio, 45-year-old Bradley John Murdoch was arrested outside the South Australian Supreme Court in November last year. He has been held in Berrimah prison since. The Adelaide arrest followed his release from an Adelaide prison after his acquittal for unrelated charges.Bradley’s committal hearing commenced last week in a specially equipped court

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099218373193332212004-05-21T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:43:10.176+09:30

I feel compelled to write in defence of Col Friel (Northern Territory News, April 27) after numerous letters to the editor have attacked him for his stance on Iraq. I am one of the silent majority who agree fully with Col on this issue. If Col’s critics took off their rose-coloured glasses and looked at the real reasons for Australia’s occupation of Timor Lestre and more recently of Iraq, there

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1097966461129928922004-05-08T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:44:42.950+09:30

The Network Against Prohibition (NAP) are using the City of Darwin local government elections as part of our ongoing campaign against human rights abuses in the Northern Territory. NAP formed in March 2002 as a response to the NT Governments drug house legislation and the increasing attacks on the human rights of drug users. The formation occurred as an end result of two campaigns for human

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1097968079317499282004-04-05T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:54:44.286+09:30

Northern Territory News police reporter Edith Bevin, author of such classics as “Girl, 5, makes bong in class”, has admitted paying for development of photographs supposedly depicting a 5 year old girl smoking Cannabis. The photographs were placed on page one of the Northern Territory News on Thursday the 1st of April as part of the classic anti-gunja beat-up “Girl, 5, smokes dope”. In the

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098770112118183842004-04-03T07:23:00.001+09:302005-03-23T04:54:22.243+09:30

Australian governments always blame some demon for causing the devastation in remote indigenous communities. This week it is petrol sniffing, last week it was cannabis. A month ago it was alcohol.The shifting of blame from cannabis to petrol has occurred after 5 youth suicides, and 8 attempts in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands in South Australia in the space of 3 weeks. The deaths have sparked

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098778741293597192004-04-03T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T21:57:41.683+09:30

Members of the Liberal/Labor coalition want to prohibit petrol sniffing.Independent MLA Lorraine Braham believes that prohibiting petrol sniffing will not work. Health Minister Peter Toyne agrees, adding that a ban would be "counter productive".Dr Toyne argued "the core of the work to address this problem is not enforcement, it's working with the kids and their families,".Ms Braham expressed

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099631579672026252003-10-08T07:23:00.001+09:302005-02-25T22:10:45.560+09:30

Regarding to the recent jailing of Luke Masters. Luke's crime was to enter the chamber of the NT Legislative Assembly holding a banner calling for drug law reform. He was in the chamber for less than ten seconds and now he's serving 15 days.Luke was just one of a group of people who felt that the NT Government's "drug house" legislation would be a retro-grade step.Most of the group have seen

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1109663008837579952003-10-07T07:23:00.001+09:302005-03-01T17:13:28.846+09:30

I left Darwin in early 2003 with many emotions. Fear, guilt, excitement, stressed out about problems at home and was brought back to reality watching the customs sniffer dog in action as I waited to board my flight. I was going to the 14th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm, in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, organised by the International Harm Reduction

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098794410157300122003-10-07T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T22:12:49.560+09:30

Dear SirI write to you with regards to the recent incarceration of Luke Masters. Luke’s crime was to enter the chamber of the NT Legislative Assembly holding a banner calling for drug law reform, he remained in the chamber for less than ten seconds. He is serving 15 days.It is shocking that Luke has been incarcerated for this minor offence, particularly when he played such a minor role in the

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098779230850726212003-07-08T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:37:29.333+09:30

Well surprise, surprise, drug use is rife in our defence force. Obviously things are no different to when I served in the RAN in the early nineties. It is ludicrous to believe that the members of our defence force are immune to illicit drug use. Like thousands of young Australians, our servicemen and women discovered the benefits of illicit drug use long ago.How can we expect our soldiers to

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1115985802037094622003-05-31T21:31:00.000+09:302005-05-13T21:38:56.076+09:30

Dear SirI was extremely disappointed to read the article "Shorten jail term pleads HIV man", Saturday May 24. Not only did the article sensationalise my medical condition, it provided a totally misleading account of what occurred on the last day of the "parliament invasion" hearing.At no stage on the 23rd of May did I refer to my medical condition in the Magistrate's Court. Magistrate Dick

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099265523880099242003-01-03T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T22:23:48.996+09:30

Your front-page report "Doctor's terror in surgery attack" (December 20) highlighted the failure of the Labor Government to implement its election promise to provide a full range of pharmacotherapies to dependent opiate users.Why are GPs still unable or unwilling to provide services to opiate-dependent people?Opiate users in the Territory are in dire straits.Since the election of the Labor

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1110023050732559922002-11-07T07:23:00.000+09:302005-03-05T21:14:10.736+09:30

The recently formed Network Against Prohibition (NAP) based in Darwin in the Northern Territory has, through their high profile activities and protests, managed to capture a great deal of attention and media interest over the past few months. Their independent and highly politicised direct action approach has also generated equal amounts of eager support and strong criticism from many different

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098794886440727462002-10-19T19:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T22:28:55.966+09:30

Dear SirI feel compelled to respond to the distorted view that your newspaper and various letters to the editor have shown in relation to the Network Against Prohibition.I challenge any assertion that the NAP campaign is simply so that NAP members can “use drugs whenever they want to.” The NAP campaign is based on principles of human rights and fairness. NAP has many members from all walks of

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099264134302547322002-09-21T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T01:12:37.990+09:30

The recent release of the Ministerial Taskforce on illicit drugs is a step in the right direction by the NT Labor Government but falls well short in terms of adequately addressing the needs of dependent opiate users in the NT.The Network Against Prohibition strongly supports the establishment of a methadone maintenance program in the Northern Territory, however, a range of options need to be

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098795459110895222002-08-14T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:39:22.640+09:30

NAP, the Network Against Prohibition was formed in March 2002 as a result of community concern around the nature of policing in the NT. NAP is particularly concerned with the state of new drug laws, zero tolerance policing which is rampant in the NT and the level of control in governance of the NT by the police service.Some examples that suggest that the NT is now a Police State?* NT Police have

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099224275248226422002-08-08T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T22:52:48.646+09:30

I find it extraordinary that Minister Aagaard was reported to have told ABC radio on August 1 "that Dr Pang has the responsibility of referring patients on".All of Dr Pang's 40 S8 patients have been actively preparing for his known humanitarian mission.They have tried to gain acceptance by many GPs.One S8 patient has a list of 10 GPs who have all refused to see her. There are no public drug

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099223562993637682002-08-02T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T22:56:53.016+09:30

I am writing with regards to the draconian and nazi-like "drug house" legislation that has come into effect in the Territory this week.It appears that the legislation is already causing changes to occur in the way people obtain illicit drugs.Yesterday, while on my way to a popular "drug house", I was able to score on the No. 10 bus from Darwin to Casuarina.It just shows the "drug house"

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098796953990501192002-06-13T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:02:51.480+09:30

The human rights of "young" (and vulnerable) people in the Territory have always been a target for politicians using the “race card”. Ex- NT Chief Minister, Shane Stone’s Mandatory Sentencing for property offences is a prime example.Attacks on "young" people have been carried out nationally, to a backdrop of ongoing derision and sensationalism, by the Murdoch/Packer media. Big Business has

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098197202152098912002-05-27T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:04:38.826+09:30

Darwin, Australia:The Announcement in May by the Northern Territories Martin Government that the Orwellian Public Order and Anti-Social Conduct Act (2001) would soon be repealed didn’t come as a surprise to human rights activists in the NT. Territory Labor voted against the legislation when it was rushed through the Legislative Assembly by Denis Burke’s CLP in 2001. Why did Labor vote against the

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099676003564668582002-05-07T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T01:16:38.233+09:30

Sir,The current debate is a perfect opportunity for the government and the community to look at the prohibition approach. Drugs have been used since the birth of humanity cross culturally. Unlike prohibition, which is less than a century old,and a complete failure as a response to combatting illicit drug use. It is time tomove away from a zero tolerance approach to accepting that drug use cannot

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098197478462534892002-05-05T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:06:56.823+09:30

Another lazy Sunday in tropical Darwin. Another beautiful day in the dry season. Another day in the life... ..I am woken by fellow NAP activist Scott White. We head off to the Nightcliff markets to promote an action planned for the 8th of May outside NT Parliament House. The NAP campaign has received overwhelming support from market goers. Wider community support is also evidenced by a recent

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098235231946173532002-05-01T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T01:21:29.136+09:30

DARWIN — The Northern Territory Labor government has announced that “a legislative package on illicit drugs” will be introduced into the NT parliament this month. Justice minister Peter Toyne has also announced that Labor will launch an offensive against “drug taking” and “drug dealing”.The Public Order and Anti-Social Conduct Act will be repealed at the same time. While the repeal of this

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098235832874608392002-04-24T07:23:00.001+09:302005-02-25T23:15:31.406+09:30

DARWIN — Four drug law reform advocates handed themselves into the Darwin Local Police Office on April 12 to raise awareness of the Northern Territory Labor government's proposed “drug house” legislation.The four activists, members of the Network Against Prohibition (NAP), presented NT police superintendent Bob Rennie with signed declarations stating that they had “self administered a dangerous

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098237425733813302002-04-24T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:13:46.966+09:30

The current debate around the use of currently illicit drugs in the Northern Territory provides a perfect opportunity for government and the community to look at alternatives to the current approach of prohibition.Psychedelics, hallucinogens, opiate based substances, solvents and a variety of plants have been used since the birth of humanity and in many cultures around the world. This is unlike

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099675919359554512002-04-07T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:54:05.543+09:30

Dear Mr Peter Toyne, regarding the prohibition of illicit drugs.With your strident view that flouting the law is irresponsible behaviour,you ignore the possibility, no, the certainty, that not all laws made by mere humans are good ones, and according to basic principles of free societies, bad laws are to be resisted as a public duty, especcially when lawmakers cannot be persuaded to change them

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098235680565378142002-03-20T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:22:29.723+09:30

DARWIN — “No votes for ratbags” was the headline of the editorial in the March 7 Northern Territory News. The News was referring to the Socialist Alliance and its candidate for Lord Mayor of Darwin, Ruth Ratcliffe.The same edition carried a major article on the Socialist Alliance's support for a safe injecting room in the city, the legalisation of all illicit substances and opposition to the NT

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098798242834950392002-03-14T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T22:00:51.363+09:30

Drug users and civil liberties campaigners in the NT are nervously awaiting the introduction of “drug house” laws by the Territory Labor Government. A 21 February 2002 Justice Department media release confirmed “the NT Government is aiming to introduce a legislative package on illicit drugs in May. The Public Order and Anti-Social Conduct Act (2001) will be repealed at the same time.” Justice

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098236116074093332002-03-06T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:30:47.500+09:30

DARWIN — The NT Labor government's zero tolerance policies towards illicit drug users look set to be harsher than those of the former Country Liberal Party (CLP) government.On February 21, the government announced its intention to introduce in May new laws dealing with illicit drugs. The Public Order and Anti-Social Conduct Act, which presently contains draconian provisions used against illicit

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099296980093473262002-02-20T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:39:22.366+09:30

THERE is still no access to methadone for any new people who wish to access the program, making the NT the only jurisdiction in Australia that does not have an operational methadone program.Although government policy hasn’t changed, there is no doctor to manage the program and no efforts are being made to locate one.However, I sent out a nationwide advertisement calling for methadone prescribers

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098236416630202872002-02-13T07:23:00.001+09:302005-02-25T23:44:16.670+09:30

DARWIN — “It is time both parties stopped playing the game — who can be tougher on refugees?”, ALP Senator Trish Crossin told a public meeting on February 5, becoming the latest ALP politician to speak out against inhumane treatment of refugees.More than 70 people packed the museum theatrette to attend the forum, discussing the safety of children in detention centres.Refugee solidarity activists

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098237746589814512002-02-13T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:43:23.246+09:30

DARWIN — Socialists, youth workers and human rights activists are alarmed at proposals by Northern Territory police and businesspeople for curfews to be placed on young people aged under 16 in Darwin. Proponents of “zero tolerance” policing have called for a curfew between midnight and 5am.The special crime unit's detective sergeant Fred Huysse told the NT News: “I think the time has come for

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099296875051664472002-01-29T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:57:48.350+09:30

US DRUG war policy in Bolivia has driven that nation into a deepening civil conflict between the government and its poverty stricken peasant population.Forced coca eradication policies, which Bolivia’s government has adopted under pressure by the US government, have drawn protests, strikes and roadblocks by coca growers and other labourers in the Chapare region.The coca growers aren’t criminals;

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098236693516011812002-01-23T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-25T23:48:55.520+09:30

DARWIN — The Northern Territory's illicit drug users are in for a stormy year. The methadone reduction program remains closed, the Public Order and Anti-Social Conduct Act remains in place and the Labor government is to introduce a raft of “zero-tolerance” measures.Under the previous Country Liberal Party government, opiate users had access to a three-month methadone reduction program. This

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098793845541971232002-01-07T19:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:06:27.873+09:30

Discrimination means treating someone unfairly or unequally because they belong to a particular group of people.Most of us have prejudices or negative opinions about people we don’t like or we think are different. This can often lead us to discriminate against these people. Much of the discrimination people living with Hepatitis C (HCV) experience is based on the assumption that they have or

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098197833394996672001-12-05T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:02:29.466+09:30

Drug user advocate groups have long argued that the Northern Territory should replace its methadone reduction program, which only gives opiate users access to the drug for three months, with a long-term methadone maintenance program, such as exists in every other jurisdiction in Australia.Such attempts by the Top End Users Forum, the Northern Territory's drug user organisation, were unsuccessful

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098198157616557082001-10-31T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:08:04.680+09:30

DARWIN — There have been mixed reactions to the October 24 apology made to indigenous people by the Northern Territory Labor government before a gallery packed with members of the stolen generations: some see it as the dawning of a new era for the territory, while others in the Aboriginal community believe it should have gone a lot further.The apology means that the Australian Capital Territory

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098232737231399362001-10-24T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:09:44.173+09:30

DARWIN — Mandatory sentencing has been a hot topic in the Northern Territory since it was implemented by the Country Liberal Party government four years ago. The new Labor government, elected in August, repealed the legislation that imposed mandatory sentencing for property offences on October 19.The mandatory sentencing for property offences law was introduced in the NT by then CLP chief

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098237058206410272001-09-12T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:14:18.343+09:30

DARWIN — The Northern Territory Labor Party said very little about mandatory sentencing during its successful August election campaign, and what it did say was highly confused. The only people who seemed to be saying that Labor would repeal mandatory sentencing were those from the Country Liberal Party, the party which introduced the notoriously punitive law in 1997.When pushed, Labor finally

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098232314093436152001-08-29T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:17:44.376+09:30

DARWIN — With counting completed in the August 18 Northern Territory elections, the Socialist Alliance's Peter Johnston, a veteran anti-racism campaigner, led the charge with 4.5% of the vote in Fannie Bay, an excellent result, followed closely by Gary Meyerhoff with 4.2% in Nightcliff.Meredith De Landelles polled surprisingly well in Wanguri with 3% of the vote, despite the fact that no campaign

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1098235514674377302001-07-18T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-26T00:21:12.373+09:30

There's an election brewing in the Northern Territory: the ruling Country Liberal Party has passed an act to extend police powers, the Anti-Social Conduct and Public Order Act, and suddenly illicit drug use has become a hot topic.According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Northern Territory has the highest rates of illicit drug use in Australia, and one of the highest rates

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1107924638214013572001-06-27T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-09T14:20:38.216+09:30

DARWIN — The Top End Users' Forum has voiced concerns at the Northern Territory government's efforts to pass new laws expanding police powers, calling them “vote-grabbing”. The Country Liberal Party has introduced draft legislation which will allow staff at juvenile detention centres to use handcuffs and other restraints on young people, allow police to listen in on phone calls and search

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733121.post-1099675764949529901995-11-07T07:23:00.000+09:302005-02-20T00:56:17.903+09:30

Nearly eleven months ago I was diagnosed with HIV. A virus I really knew nothing about. The only knowledge I had was that which I had gained from the media.This made things hard. You'd all understand the stress that I would have been going through and being ill informed didn't help.It wasn't until I got in contact with the WA AIDS Council and PLWHA (the SIDA Centre) that I actually understood

Gary Meyerhoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10432867461186702291noreply@blogger.com