Reader JANINE HASKINS, of Cook, says the use of cannabis makes a person feel mellow, relaxed and often extremely happy and wonders what the fuss around its use is all about.

There is a campaign to legalise cannabis by the Legalise Cannabis Party, who are running in the federal election.

Fiona Patten, one-time Canberran, later member of Victoria’s Parliament, is taking the lead.

Whether you are an illicit substance user or hold strong anti-illicit substance views, take a moment to consider what follows.

Permitted or not, many people are going to use illicit substances, either on a recreational or a dependency basis. For these people, the potential consequences are worth the risk.

Cannabis, unlike some illicit substances, does not incite violence. Rather, the use of cannabis makes a person feel mellow, relaxed, and often extremely happy. It can be a totally different story with alcohol use, a legal substance, which often promotes aggression and violence, with at times, catastrophic outcomes.

As a qualified horticulturist, I studied cannabis sativa for one of my botany assignments. The plant is fascinating, particularly being a hermaphrodite (everyone wants a female plant!), and having numerous valuable medicinal qualities.

Cannabis is known to treat illnesses and disorders including, but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and seizures, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and muscle spasms, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, serious nausea or vomiting caused by cancer treatment, and inflammation.

And before the anti-cannabis folk screech with rebuke, please do not forget that cannabis is now medically prescribed for people requiring it to treat such conditions as mentioned above.

So why all the fuss when what is portrayed as negative is really a positive?

Janine Haskins, Cook

The Queensland flatfoot is swinging wildly

Albanese is no Muhammad Ali but in the current bout the man in the blue trunks, Doge-y-Dodgy-Dopey-Dutton (aka the Queensland flatfoot) is a wildly swinging lightweight.

Using the Trump playbook Doge-y-Dutton emerged proclaiming he would slash 41,000 Canberra-based public servants to save $7 billion a year; questioned the need for a Federal Department of Education; suggested federal funding could be restricted to schools teaching a “woke agenda”, advocated stopping working from home and foreshadowed cuts to the ABC.

Dodgy-Dutton promoted nuclear power, not just as a solution to long-term energy needs but to the increased cost of living. As its deficiencies were exposed he shifted to a gas reservation policy but was unable to provide the details of how it would work. His energy thought-bubbles are consistent with his past climate change denial. 

His housing policies are dopey. The use of superannuation for housing and the lowering of the savings ratio will increase prices by stimulating demand, as they are proposed in a time of extreme supply shortage.

Dutton’s unconvincing tactics have been influenced by right-wing fringe dwellers in the Murdoch media. Most of the damage has been self-inflicted. A loss on points is likely as Albanese lacks a knockout punch. 

Mike Quirk, Garran

Backflips and bellyflops, Dutton is training hard 

In plain weird or just sloppy Trump fashion, 10 per cent tariffs have been applied to remote, uninhabited, and non-trade islands near Antarctica.

It’s just as well that penguin guano from these Australian external territories can’t be bundled up and dumped outside the White House as a fitting response to this latest inexplicable US idiocy.

Historically guano was used in gunpowder production. 

No material help whatsoever should be available to an increasingly befuddled yet still vengeful Trump when he rallies his fawning defence and national security appointees to protect him from demonstrating crowds in times of US economic downturn and despair.

Especially since such peaceful protest events might easily surpass the “biggest” and “most beautiful” gatherings that Donald Trump has encouraged and bragged about attracting in the past. 

In the meantime, back on the Australian mainland, Peter Dutton is training hard to win gold cups for both backflips and bellyflops.

The Coalition parties have also made it clear that their dangerous plan to remove 41 000 APS positions is still in place. This unwavering commitment is now underpinned by a more tortuous and muddled approach for ensuring that job losses and departmental gaps will occur year after year, in a haphazard way in every state and territory, not just the ACT.

Sue Dyer, Downer

It’s simple, don’t vote for Peter Dutton

Sue Dyer (Letters, CN April 10) astutely points out the reckless commitment by the Morrison government to spend $500 million of taxpayers’ money destroying Anzac Hall, which was given an architectural award, and replacing it with a museum for the display of the weapons of war, complete with the identities of sponsors, and, possibly, financial backers.

Ms Dyer also points out the proposed slashing of more than 41,000 Canberra-based public service positions by the Peter Dutton-led Opposition. If this were allowed to happen after the May 3 election, it would have a devastating effect on the economy of the ACT.

The solution? Don’t vote for Peter Dutton and his team of economic amateurs and illiterates.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Engineers do not attempt the impossible

Scientist Dr Douglas Mackenzie (CN April 3) has taken umbrage at the use of the term “climate catastrophists” by Anthony Hordern (CN March 27).

Judging by the context of Hordern’s remark, he meant any party who responds to emissions-generated climate change with a politically constrained response, inconsistent with engineering sense and possibly having a catastrophic outcome.

Engineers do not attempt the impossible nor do they rely on immature and unproven technology. They shy away from building complex systems when simpler designs would work.

John L Smith, Farrer

Manoeuvred into hellhole of unaffordability

Suburban land developers, in particular, appear to have manoeuvred Australians into a hellhole of housing unaffordability. 

Developers charge $700,000 (verifiable) for a new, tiny, narrow, no-backyard, block of land, manipulate supply, and dictate absurd development/design conditions. There is no free market there, only heartless profiteering, a misguided sense of property values, and cartel-like behaviour. 

Getting developers to put up more flats, with loosened development conditions, will not solve the problems – prices (and profits) will not come down to any significant extent. Government grants, subsidies, shared equity schemes, etcetera are exploited by developers.

It’s time for governments to take back new suburban and satellite-town land planning and development, on a large scale, more sensibly and responsibly, price-wise, socially, and environmentally; to make single-dwelling blocks say, a minimum 600 square metres (achievable without increasing estate footprints); to always maintain supply, especially directly to bona-fide owner-occupiers; and to make the blocks available for say, the publicly ascertainable cost to produce plus a small reasonable margin reflecting the block’s location and characteristics – all saving hundreds of thousands per block. 

That will have improved affordability, and quality flow-on effects across all housing typologies. The federal government and the banks would need to jointly manage any genuinely debilitating market-correction impacts on recent borrowers. Land-value rates could increase, as they can, marginally, to reflect the new affordable land values, and maintain local government revenues.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

So sad, Mike, after such good work

It is so sad to see Mike Quirk (Letters, CN April 3) publicly nailing his Labor/Greens colours to the mast, when he has done such good work against the light rail disaster and in city planning.

To actually support the Greens is particularly galling when one realises that the Greens left their laudable environmental objectives behind long ago in favour of a far-Left agenda, as headed federally by Mr Bandt, whose actions and statements against our long-standing ally, Israel, are quite despicable. 

How many more billions of dollars would people like Mr Quirk see a Labor government waste just to win the votes of the gullible who do not know or care about economics, and who do they think is going to pay for it? 

But Mr Quirk is preaching to the ACT converted. No one outside the ACT could give a hoot what any Canberran, in his/her Truman’s world, might say politically.

Max Flint, Greenway

Kangaroo calling out for its mother?

I quivered at the reporting of finding a kangaroo injured and left to die, detailed in Rebecca Marks’ letter (CN April 3). 

Rebecca said she found a badly injured male kangaroo on the side of the road, it had been left to die in agony. When reached, she says, it was calling out for its mother.

How exactly does she know that? I’d contend it was probably screaming: “Will someone get the number plate of that useless P-plater who nailed me!”

John Lawrence via email

Vice-chancellor should resign

I agree with Senator David Pocock’s exasperation with Vice-Chancellor Prof Genevieve Bell as mentioned by columnist Michael Mooore (CN April 10).

As an ANU alumni, I take exception to her arrogant and Trump-like style, and I am determined not to support ANU fund-raising efforts in the future while she is vice-chancellor.

That position was reinforced when she took the woke decision to reinstate Beatrice Tucker who said on ABC Radio that Hamas deserved our “unconditional support”.

As far as I am concerned, the university’s understanding of what is acceptable as “free speech” needs to be reconsidered and Genevieve Bell should resign.

Ric Hingee, Duffy