Nimbin takes fight to Obama

Pain-killer: Advocates of the medicinal use of cannabis will head to Canberra to lobby the Prime Minister and the US President. Hemp Embassy

Poll

Should Obama come to Nimbin?

This poll ended on 26 March 2010.

Yes

75%

No

23%

Undecided

1%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

IF PRESIDENT Obama can’t come to Nimbin, then Nimbin will fire up the Kombis and head to him.

Nimbin Hemp Embassy has admitted defeat in its nearly-brilliant off-the-cuff campaign to get the United States President to visit the Northern Rivers hemp haven, despite gaining plenty of media attention culminating with a segment on last week’s Good News Week.

Organisers are packing their banners, rolling up their ‘big joint’ and heading to Canberra by car, caravan or Kombi to push for cannabis law reform like that in the US.

Hemp Embassy representative Max Stone said, unlike many of their campaigns, this protest wasn’t about the right of people to smoke pot, but the right of sick people to access the documented pain-relief available from medicinal cannabis.

Advocates argue the treatment is free from many of the side effects of prescription pain-killers.

Mr Stone explained that Mr Obama had directed federal US agencies to leave the issue of medical cannabis to individual states where many had laws in place allowing access to the drug for medical reasons.

Meanwhile, Hemp Embassy president Michael Balderstone has written to both the Prime Minister and the US President ahead of his visit later this month.

He has asked Mr Rudd to raise the issue of medical cannabis with President Obama, and Mr Obama to ‘enlighten our PM on the issue’.

“We will be travelling to Canberra with our Big Joint and Polite Force, hoping to get medical cannabis on the political agenda, and we are asking cannabis consumers and friends to write to the Prime Minister and urge him to talk to the President about what is happening in America,” he said.

“We know Kevin Rudd is looking for evidence based policies and surely it’s time to introduce cannabis regulations, quality controls and a tax system for Australia’s more than 2 million cannabis users.”

Mr Balderstone said they would also be dropping into the Australian Electoral Commission to check on the revival of their political contender, the Hemp Party.

Related stories:

http://www.northernstar.com.au/.../obama-to-address-australian-parliament/

http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2010/.../nimbin-visit-still-on-obamas-cards/

http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2010/02/10/barracking-for-obama/

http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2010/02/12/obama-drama-over-itinerary/