Andrew Bolt ‘s comments “ABC standards up in smoke”, are misplaced, ill-informed, and just plain wro

Andrew Bolt ‘s comments “ABC standards up in smoke ” are misplaced, ill-informed, and just plain wrong.

Justifiable criticism can of course be levied at the ABC. It is obvious to any reasonable person that at times they are guilty of a lack of balance and disregarding their charter, with a particular propensity to lean towards the left. However make no mistake, this is not the case here.

Despite what some people claim, the topic of legalising marijuana is not an ideological left or right issue. It is an issue of individual choice that has little or no impact on a disaffected third party. It is a legitimate topic for debate, and it is legitimate content for the ABC in any format. The elephant in the room regarding Bolt’s comments, is that he seeks to assign blame to the ABC regarding a video made in the USA, for which the ABC did not fund, nor did it produce. The objection seems to be that an occasional and popular ABC presenter, engaged in a lawful activity with humorous banter. Allow me to provide some context;

Will Anderson has a severe degenerative condition called osteoarthritis, where for example his hips constantly dislocate and I believe he has said that there is a possibility of him being unable to walk in a few short years. Will Anderson is an advocate of medical marijuana as are many >> Alan Jones & David Leyonhjelm among a few, and I include myself as an advocate.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Will Anderson's belief is most effectively voiced through a comedic format, and that is entirely legitimate. Some may be unaware that Will is legally entitled to purchase and use medical cannabis in some states of the USA, but in this context that is not important. What is important is that his very quality of life may depend on this issue, an issue that he has every right to promote.

So Bolt’s criticism of the ABC in this context is misplaced (in this instance anyway). The rushing to judgment over Will Anderson’s activities before taking into account his unique circumstances is ill-informed, and incorrectly assigning this issue which is worthy of discussion & debate as left/right or along party lines is just plain wrong.

#willanderson #marijuana