We support the recent new provision in law (2019) for cannabis-based medicine to be available on prescription. We also support the general move towards decriminalising cannabis users, and instead concentrating on a non-punitive health-based approach of helping those being harmed by cannabis use and addiction. We note that police are generally no longer prosecuting recreational Read more
The six New Zealand Catholic bishops are reminding people that voting does not start with entering the polling booth: “Our participation in elections is about listening to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the poor, studying carefully the proposals of political parties, praying about them, and voting with our conscience. They make Read more
Two drug policy experts have identified gaps and challenges in New Zealand’s proposal for legalizing recreational cannabis. Associate Professor Chris Wilkins and Dr Marta Rychert of Massey University argue in Addiction that New Zealand’s Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill (CLCB) needs to be strengthened in two critical areas: Set a formal minimum price for cannabis Read more
A common argument in favour of legalising cannabis is that alcohol is legal and is more harmful to people and society than cannabis, and therefore cannabis should be legal too. This is a somewhat spurious argument along the lines of “Would you rather be eaten by a lion or a bear” or “Would you rather Read more
A digital sign displayed on a school board outside St Paul’s College in Ponsonby in Auckland reads: “To legalise is to normalise. Say no.” “Isn’t it illegal for a high school to push political opinions on students?” a Reddit user posted in the forum. According to Education Ministry guidance, boards of trustees as a state Read more
Legalising cannabis has the potential to counter systemic racism, see more treatment services and lift poor communities that have become embroiled in the black market, the chief science adviser to the Prime Minister says. But Dr Juliet Gerrard says whether that would come to pass if the country voted to legalise recreational cannabis is unknown. Read more
A Catholic secondary school principal is among community leaders who have signed up to a new alliance of people who will work to oppose any attempt to legalise cannabis in New Zealand. Patrick Walsh, principal of John Paul College in Rotorua, is among those in Smart Approaches to Marijuana NZ (SAM-NZ), the formation of which Read more
Mother Suzanne Aubert somewhat surprisingly featured in Wednesday’s Jesse Mulligan interview with James Borrowdale about his new book, Weed: A New Zealand Story; a book about cannabis. The book once again raises the conjecture that Aubert was New Zealand’s first commercial cannabis grower. Mulligan asked the author to expand a bit on what he had Read more
The Nathaniel Centre has posted a report by Dr Lynne Bowyer and Dr Deborah Stevens co-directors of The New Zealand Centre for Science and Citizenship Trust. They conclude there is no evidence to suggest that legalising cannabis will provide a solution to the drug-related issues that disproportionately affect marginalised/minority groups. “These issues include negative impacts Read more
Justice Minister Andrew Little, responsible for the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, said discussion of people consuming 14 grams in a day was “fantastical”. “I know people are saying, ‘Look, 14 grams means 21, or 42, or even more kind of joints a day’. “It’s a bit like saying, ‘somebody who goes off to buy Read more