Jailed
New Zealand dope grower vows to sell again
By Mike Dinsdale
10:32 AM Monday Aug 6,
2012
Photo / Thinkstock |
A man who walked into
Whangarei police station with a number of cannabis seedlings he had been
cultivating has vowed to continue defying the country's drug laws when he is
released from prison.
But police said they
will continue to take action against anybody growing drugs and the man can
expect to be arrested if caught.
Brian Borland, 56, has
been sentenced to six months' jail after pleading guilty to one charge of
cultivating cannabis and one of breaching special release conditions after he
went into Whangarei Police Station with up to 39 cannabis seedlings on June 1.
It was initially
reported that Borland went to the police station to hand himself in on
outstanding warrants and as he had nowhere to live took the plants with him,
asking police if they could look after them for him. The plants were destroyed
and he was charged with their cultivation.
He appeared in Kaikohe
District Court on July 17 where he pleaded guilty to the charges and was sent
to Ngawha Prison for six months. He will be released before the end of this
month due to the time he had already spent in custody.
But an unrepentant Borland
said he would continue to defy the country's marijuana laws when he was
released.
"When I experienced
the joys of cannabis for the first time in 1973 it wasn't illegal ... it was
banned the following year in 1974," he said.
"I could not see
any reason why it should be banned, 38 years later I still feel the same
way."
Borland said dope
prohibition had only made many thousands of ordinary Kiwis criminals, and
claimed there were up to 700,000 people in the country who smoked the drug
regularly.
However, relieving
Whangarei police area commander Inspector Tracy Phillips said officers had a
responsibility to enforce the law, and that includes illicit drug cultivation,
dealing and manufacturing.
"Cannabis is
prolific in Northland and has negative impacts on our communities, particularly
our young people," Mr Phillips said.
"It is also
associated with other criminal activities such as burglary and violence. If
anyone is caught growing or dealing in this or other drugs then we will take
action."
Northland is the cannabis
capital of the country, with a third of the marijuana plants seized and
destroyed by police in six-month long, nationwide operations targeting drug
growers and dealers grown in the region.
Peter’s Comment
Borland, who police must regard as a bit of a bore, may have
a point about whether or not the law should change.
But breaking the law is not the way to seek change. Borland
should think about becoming the local Member of Parliament, but then some would
say that Parliament already has an over-supply of bores.
So perhaps the best course of action for Mr Borland will be
to demonstrate that he can behave rationally while partaking of the weed. From
all accounts, he hasn’t done that yet.
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