The legal bill for defending Quinlan and his senior managers is likely to be enormous – sources say they will be lucky to get change from $500,000. Quinlan has hired QC Paul Davison, and vows to fight police for costs if he is acquitted. The battle lines have been drawn.All the best to SOG CEO Michael Quinlan. I am not his attorney, but my advice is:
Nicked from here
Tony Wall also has a good story on former Police Drug Intelligence head DI Harry Quinn, who calls bullshit on police drug tactics:
Quinn told the Sunday Star-Times cannabis law did not need to be changed – but the way police enforced it did. They should rigorously prosecute anyone caught dealing drugs near schools or to youth, and anyone caught with cannabis in a vehicle, but go easy on adult recreational users, he said.A quick Google search reveals Quinn's stance has been the same for some time, as this Sainsbury clip from 2008 shows. Alas, the current police hierarchy are sticking to their bogus narrative. From the SOG story, here's DS Tricklebank:
"If someone who is 40 years old is sharing a joint with their 42-year-old neighbour, they should simply tell them to put it out. Why we are wasting time prosecuting adults for the use of cannabis? I'm buggered if I know."
Tricklebank says from a police and health point of view, it's all about harm, with cannabis leading to around 2000 hospital admissions a year. And, he says, cannabis is a "stepping stone" into the illicit world. "I hate to use the word `gateway' but I've never met a P-user who hasn't smoked cannabis."Well, I've never met a bourbon and coke drinker who didn't start off by drinking Coca Cola. But you don't see me declaring war on that gateway drug, even if Coca Cola Amatil are the owners of Jim Beam bourbon. I've never met a Baileys Irish Creme user who hasn't tried that dastardly gateway narcotic, milk, either.
It's not all about harm, my dear disingenuous DS Tricklebank. It's about patch protection. Until serving cops can dismount their high horse and look to the common good, we're going to be stuck in this civil war for a while yet.
