DIARY: Christmas 2009 - The Verbose Thank You List

Merry Christmas and A Happy New year.

Thank you everyone, including you, the anti-drug zealot and prohibitionist. Yeah, even you [as “you” is looking around slightly confused].

Why am I being thanked, you’re thinking? Why would Terry Wright be thanking me and wishing me a merry Christmas?

I’m the dumb ignorant git who demands we be “Tough on Drugs” . I create ridiculous laws that ruin families and people’s lives, send non violent citizens to prison and cause so much carnage on society. I can’t be reasoned with or educated - even when confronted with scientific evidence or medical facts. Why thank me?

Isn’t it obvious why you’re being thanked?

The other day, I got home after finally finishing Christmas shopping for the year, poured a glass of fresh orange juice and prepared a shot of China White premium heroin from Burma. After cooling off, I sat down and administered 0.6 grams of heaven into my blood stream. What a great way to unwind and relax. So what the devil has this got to do with thanking anti-drug zealots, moral crusaders and brain dead politicians? Well, it is because of these nice folks that I am able to indulge in a session of opiate induced bliss. Without them, my heroin heaven would probably not be so easy or even possible. For connivence sake, let’s drop the “Christ” from Christmas and call it Xmas. Ah, that feels better says my agnostic sensibility. Back to Xmas and those who I am thanking. As I said, Thank You Very Much [in my best Rex Hunt impersonation] to the foolish lawmakers for allowing me to get heroin so easily.

More importantly, thanks to my loyal readers who are reading this now. Thanks to both of you (there were 3 readers last year). I hope you had a great Xmas, have a good break and an absolutely unbafishcalledwandalievable new year. Every blogger says they only keep writing because they enjoy it but having people actually read your website is the real reason. Not many blogs get past a year without a few readers ... or they get paid. The truth is that money and ego comes first. For me, it’s a mixture of all the factors - I enjoy it but nowhere near as much as I first did, bugger all people read my site and I don’t get paid. How’s that! I know, I know ... you’re thinking this guy must be on drugs. Why do all that work for nothing? The answer is because I have some readers who are prepared to read what I write and I must say, they are very special readers at that. So loyal reader, put your hand on your heart, take a knee and lower your head. Have someone then speak the following important gratitude from me.

Thanks

There we go, I feel much better. I hope you do too.

Don’t go yet, there’s more. I really owe some big thanks to those who answered my Q and A. Kerry Wolf, Dr. James Rowe, Gino Vumbaca, The Hon. Sandra Kanck and Tony Trimingham. These guys are really busy and have extremely important roles which leaves very little time to spend on a hack website like this. I am still amazed at how willing they were to participate. Not because The Australian Heroin Diaries is important but how dedicated they are to helping others. And that’s what they really do. Forget the fancy titles and the huge role they play in society. They simply help others. The opposite of the anti-drug nutters who spend their time trying to incarcerate, penalise, deprive, alienate, convert, brainwash, belittle, marginalise and shame drug users. So Kerry, James, Gino, Sandra and Tony ... Thank you.

Oi, not yet. If you’re that restless, grab a cup of tea. There are some readers who I want to thank individually. Firesnake (Paul G), Gledwood, Editor(Michael G), Bron, KatD, THR, Roguevert etc. Also those who have listed The Australian Heroin Diaries on their website - Australian Drug Blog, Mina, Sails of Oblivion, Methadone Pretty, The Partisan, Marginalutility, Ben Pobjie's Wonderful World Of Objects, Blues Therapy, Civil Tongues, From The Gingerbread House, Good, Bad, and Bogus, Inner City Trendy, A Fresh Start, Jack Dorfs World of Adventure, The Irish Needle Exchange Forum, Kings Cross Times, OzPolitik, Partisan Revue, Smelly Tongues, Tha Bastard Son, The Red Pill Survival Guide, Canadian Spades, JUNKe Life, With Just A Hint Of Mayhem etc. (Sorry if I missed you) - Thanks. Also I want to thank Zenith from A.T. Watchdog for showing us that compassion and honesty wins out over bigotry and misguided fear. Paul Gallagher from DFA Watch/Firesnake for his zest and ideas. Michael Gormly of Kings Cross Times for his passion of the truth (and his exposure of NCPIC as just another bunch of anti-drug twats). The guys and gals from the Bluelight forums for keeping the information flowing. Free Schapelle for keeping the fight up against the ridiculous jail sentence given to Schapelle Corby. And to others in a similar situation as myself; Gledwood, Noah, Sick Girl, Caty, Donna, Broken, Mina etc.

One of the biggest thrills is to have an article published or referred to. Thanks to Methadone Anonymous Forums, Canna Zine News, Bluelight, A.T. Watchdog, Addiction News, Free Schapelle, Canadian Spades, Kings Cross Times, Ask.com, JUNKe Life, Injecting Advice, New Zealand Drug Foundation, RMIT, Why We Protest, Canna Nation etc.

Not yet, just a few more. Then there’s the members of the ANCD DrugTalk and Update forums especially the administrator, Jane Shelling; Thanks to Paul Dessauer (WASUA) for the most comprehensive and factual responses you will ever read, Mike Ashton, Richard Lake, Leah McLeod - Personal Project Assistant to Dr Alex Wodak, Brian & Marion McConnell - Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform (FFDLR), Sue Miers - NOFASARD, Paul Harvey - Hepatitis C Council of NSW, Paul Gallagher, Michael Gormly - Kings Cross Times, Gary Gahan - South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, Steve Robinson, Jan Steele, Annie Madden - AIVL, Brian Francis - ACON, Jon Markus - AOD Student, Andy Sinclair - Western Region Health Centre, Philip Clarke, Rowdy Yates - University of Stirling, Scotland, Rob(Inn @ Six), Steve Robinson - AIVL, Piergiorgio Moro - Hepatitis C Victoria, Greg Iverson - YSAS, Peter Watney, David Helliwell, James - The Drug Blog, KAOS and of course Gino Vumbaca - Executive Director of the Australian National Council on Drugs. Also a big thank you to those who provide so much looney entertainment - Gary Christian, Herschel Baker, Jo Baxter etc from DFA and our old mate Harry Clarke.

A general thank you to some people I have not mentioned yet - Bill Bush, Dr David Caldicott, Philip Adams, Network Against Prohibition(NAP), LEAP, Dr Mal Washer, Dr. Andrew Byrne, Greg Barns, Ann Symonds, Penny Sharpe and other drug law reformists for their conviction in science and evidence based policy. Drug Free Australia (DFA) for reminding me why I write this blog. Politicians (especially The Liberal Party) for providing endless material to write about and why a “Tough on Drugs” strategy doesn't work.

And finally to anyone else I have not mentioned ... Thanks.