Weeds sprout in the grounds of the New Zealand Parliament weeks after the occupation

An unidentified protester sowed cannabis seeds in the rose gardens of the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington, most likely as an act of defiance. The guerrilla breeder may have split from a violent anti-vaccination occupation that took place weeks earlier.

The New Zealand Herald reports that half a dozen of the weeds were immediately destroyed by Parliament Grounds staff while they continued to search the wreckage of the crew.

According to New Zealand’s 1 News, an unnamed protester returned to Parliament grounds on Thursday and claimed the seeds were sown during the chaos, along with a number of other crops that are always there, such as coriander, cabbage and marigolds.

Many of the cannabis seeds were scattered in Parliament’s rose gardens, the protester told 1 News anonymously, and “many more are likely to germinate in the years to come”. It’s not immediately clear if the protester was involved in or responsible for any of the violence that took place weeks earlier.

With a few weeks’ lead, nature takes over and can spread like weeds. A Parliament groundskeeper agreed more seeds will inevitably sprout. “There were some cannabis seedlings,” said the groundskeeper. “A lot of seeds had been scattered, including by the protesters.”

Speaker of the Houses of Parliament Trevor Mallard told 1 News: “I asked for the weeds to be pulled.”

This comes after a 23-day occupation of New Zealand’s Parliament Grounds and surrounding streets by protesters against the country’s vaccination mandate – eerily similar to the riot at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC In some cases, attempts were made to use cars to break into law enforcement.

The occupation began as a “convoy” that began in Wellington on February 8 and was very similar to the Canadian convoy that took place in Ottawa, Canada. The convoy first camped in front of the Parliament building before heading south and they began blocking most of the roads.

According to John Pratt of Victoria University of Wellington, police did nothing to prevent the occupation, nor did they pursue a complaint against the protesters from nearby Victoria University. So with a bit of imagination, the weeds strewn all over Parliament could have been prevented if they had chosen to do so. Demonstrators attempted to burn down the university’s law school building.

Opposition National Party leader Christopher Luxon has repeatedly expressed his condolences to the demonstrators. Other issues are also at play among the vaccine mandate protesters.

Is it linked to random roadside drug testing?

Random roadside drug testing will begin in New Zealand in 2023 as part of efforts to prevent drug-impaired driving after the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Act was passed on March 29. The Māori Party is the only party to have voted against the bill.

“In July 2020, the government introduced legislation that would establish a mandatory random roadside drug testing program in New Zealand,” the Department for Transport wrote in an announcement. “As part of the proposed drug driving regime, oral fluid testing will detect the most prevalent impairing illicit and prescription roadside drugs. The proposed change will allow police to test drivers anywhere, anytime for the presence of drugs, just like they do for alcohol.”

There are blood limits for 25 different street drugs, including THC. The problem with this is the fact that THC lingers in the bloodstream much longer than most street drugs.

Drivers who test positive for drugs will be fined and banned from driving for at least 12 hours. On a positive note, drivers are not prosecuted for being simply high and not in possession of controlled substances.

A spate of medical organizations in New Zealand slammed the roadside drug testing schedule. The framework for oral fluid and blood tests “is not supported by reliable scientific evidence,” said the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists said “the presence of drugs… is not directly related to impairment.” The NZ Medical Association also said the science was “not quite adequately adequate”.