| | Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" | |
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arawajo
Number of posts : 11 Location : Queensland Registration date : 2011-03-19
| Subject: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sat Mar 19, 2011 2:30 pm | |
| From: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/steps-to-ban-drug-plants-alarm-hobby-gardeners-20110318-1c0lh.html
A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to ban many familiar backyard plants and trees, including angel's trumpet and a large number of wattles, has outraged gardeners and nursery owners.
The federal government says the plants should be prohibited because they could be used to make illegal drugs.
Among the species on the blacklist are many common cactuses containing tiny amounts of mescaline, leading some hobbyists to fear they could be charged under drug laws.
Advertisement: Story continues below "In our cactus clubs probably 50 per cent of our members are 50 or 60 years of age," said April Hamilton, the secretary of the Cactus and Succulent Society of NSW. "We grow these plants because we love them, not because there is some mystical meaning in them. Some of our members are worried that they are going to end up going to jail over this."
The dramatically widened list of controlled plants, contained in a discussion paper issued by the Attorney-General's department, would put widespread species such as the leopard tree and the gossamer wattle in the same category as cannabis and magic mushrooms.
"This is a stupid, broad-brush, knee-jerk piece of legislation made by people who have absolutely no idea of botany and who have done no research into the incredible spectrum of plants that would be affected by it," said Robyn Francis, a permaculture expert and author.
Many of the critics argue the schedule is framed too widely, particularly where it seeks to ban any plant containing Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a psychedelic drug used in rituals by some South American tribes.
DMT occurs in small quantities in a vast number of plants, particularly wattles, but it is far from clear which individual species are affected.
"There is not a lot of scientific evidence out there on what plants contain nasties such as DMT," said Anthony Kachenko, the national environmental and technical policy manager at Nursery and Garden Industry Australia.
"If they are wanting us to pinpoint what plants to remove from sale or from gardens or cultivation, we wouldn't know where to start.''
"This is a blanket ban that captures a whole swag of plants commonly grown in nurseries across Australia and also sold in retail outlets. They have gone about it the wrong way without any thought for the ramifications."
A spokeswoman for the Justice Minister, Brendan O'Connor, said claims that plants could be banned or growers prosecuted were "ridiculous".
"However, the Commonwealth's drug laws target people who are involved in the illicit drug trade and that will continue to be the case," she said.
What do you think about this?
Last edited by arawajo on Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:21 pm; edited 1 time in total | |
| | | blowng Calm and Collected
Number of posts : 256 Location : Mellville Registration date : 2008-10-28
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sat Mar 19, 2011 4:04 pm | |
| rules were meant to be broken | |
| | | arawajo
Number of posts : 11 Location : Queensland Registration date : 2011-03-19
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:29 pm | |
| I have a number of columnar cactus growing for their fruit. Only started out last year but got 4 beaut fruit! I know them as "Koubo". I have different cacti and am not sure of their proper names. I'm hoping something fertilizes them again this year - all the ones I tried to hand fertilize didn't fruit, I got fruit from others after heavy rain.
I'm just hoping these silly proposed rules about "drug plants" don't impact on my plans to have yummy koubo to eat each year. Columnar cactus are easier to grow than dragon fruit, or Pitaya, and the fruit is the same.
Is there anyone else on this forum growing Koubo? | |
| | | Hellonasty Admin
Number of posts : 1824 Location : NSW Registration date : 2008-04-04
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:25 pm | |
| Nice article but in the wrong place I will move it for you. | |
| | | arawajo
Number of posts : 11 Location : Queensland Registration date : 2011-03-19
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:36 pm | |
| Thank you | |
| | | shortly
Number of posts : 127 Location : SEQ Registration date : 2008-06-28
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:24 am | |
| I grow a few pitahaya's including a Koubo, pitayas and chilitos for their fruit.
And yes quite a few fruit bearing columnar cacti contain traces of drugz, not that there is a plant on the planet that doesn't contain a drug or precursors to a drug of one kind or another. There seems to be a lot of conflicting info about as to whether or not Cereus spp actually contain mescaline, and no easy or cheap way of testing for it. | |
| | | arawajo
Number of posts : 11 Location : Queensland Registration date : 2011-03-19
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:16 am | |
| Have you had much success with the Koubo shortly? I saved seeds from my fruit and they have grown! So exciting! I have six little baby cactus that are about 6cms tall. I'm not sure what to do next - what potting mix should I use to pot them up etc.
My partner has had fruit from some of his - we found 300 large cuttings dumped at the local tip and he planted them. They have been quite successful. He also has seedlings from his.
We were thinking maybe they could eventually be a commercial thing, but this proposed ban on cactus would nip that in the bud wouldn't it?
Koubo are easy to grow, tasty to eat and store and travel quite well. I think the government should support growing them in arid areas of Australia. | |
| | | shortly
Number of posts : 127 Location : SEQ Registration date : 2008-06-28
| Subject: Re: Re - News article "Steps to ban 'drug' plants" Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:43 am | |
| Mediocre success with Koubo, the C pereuvianus clone i have is self sterile so i usually have to use stored pollen of other species to pollinate the flowers. I had intended to buy in some seed but i'm holding off until i see what comes of this law?
I have my doubts about Cereus fruit becoming much of a commercial thing or storing and travelling quite well. Only one in 50 new fruit crops will "make it" and since the fruit doesn't ripen well once picked it has to be left on the "tree" until fully ripen at which time most clones split open, allowing spoilage. Or picking it partly ripe & the taste is somewhat lacking. Not that it cant be done, just that a niche market or value adding approach would probably be more be more successful. Unless some of the new Israeli varieties that are better suited to 21st century food supply chains become available here. Personally I think the columnar cacti have far more potential as backyard fruit trees than as commercial crops, but then i have frequently been wrong about these things.
Our Government is only interested in what benefits them in the short term and since most cactus orchards are likely to be cottage industries rather than big business they couldn’t give a stuff. Hell most of the columnar cacti that have traditionally been used as fruit trees by indigenous people are prohibited imports now, so we won’t be getting to try any that aren’t already here.
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