[420 Girl]

It’s heavy-handed, driving tourists away and doesn’t target hard drugs, violence or alcohol-related crime – that’s the verdict on the latest policing tactics in Nimbin from the Hemp Embassy and the Nimbin Justice Action Group.

Last Saturday around 200 people gathered outside the Nimbin cop shop for a ‘Nimbin is not in Afghanistan’ protest against the latest increase in police activity in the town.

Business owners talked about very unfriendly police interactions and said their current financial difficulties were largely attributable to the overbearing policing.

“Why have we got hordes of cops wearing bullet proof vests and taser guns patrolling a small country town in rural NSW? It’s ludicrous! This is NSW, not Afghanistan,” Jim Moylan from the Nimbin Justice Action Group said. Richmond Local Area Command Superintendent Bruce Lyons said sniffer dogs were used all over the region in Alstonville, Lismore, Ballina, and Casino.

“I believe the police at Nimbin enjoy the support of the broader community. I believe there’s a silent majority in Nimbin who find it difficult to speak out because there has been a vocal minority in Nimbin for many years,” he said. “It is a difficult challenge policing Nimbin and I do not believe they are being heavy handed. It is obvious to everybody that there continues to be blatant drug dealing in Nimbin and we have a responsibility to the community to enforce the laws relating to the possession and distribution of drugs.”

Protestors presented a letter calling on the Richmond Local Area Command to review its level of policing in the village and its effectiveness as well as asking for a trial of regulated sales of cannabis in the village to curb dealing.

“Common sense says it’s time to trial a legal market place for cannabis in Nimbin. A marketplace, or cafes like in Amsterdam perhaps,” Hemp Embassy president Michael Balderstone said. “The huge amount of money being thrown away in this eternal, ongoing policing of Nimbin is making little difference to the cannabis trade. However, it does mean many locals are in jail, many local youth have criminal records for life, and police are regularly unavailable for important moments when they are truly needed to protect the safety of the village.”

Superintendent Lyons said any trials were a matter for the NSW Government.

“I think one of the positives from the increased police presence at Nimbin is there has been a significant decrease in violent crime that used to occur there,” he said. “In the enforcement of cannabis laws, particularly with those people who possess small quantities, police enforce with a balanced approach. Quite often cannabis cautions are issued and people are also given notices to attend court without having to be marched to the police station to have the matter processed.”


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