The Bill.
New Zealand has a unique opportunity to change the way we think about enforcing cannabis laws. The US-led war on drugs launched by the Nixon government in 1971 has been a failure of colossal proportions and New Zealand’s part in this has been equally harmful to our communities, in particular for our tangata whenua who are disproportionately convicted of cannabis-related offenses. The idea of regulation and control goes against the grain in many ways as people have been told for so long “just say no”, but the bullet points below highlight the fact that harm reduction is the main focus of the Bill and that there is room for a successful control methodology.
Aotearoa is currently one of the world leaders when it comes to cannabis use amongst the population, this is under our current illegal status.
As Albert Einstein famously said, ‘’The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results”.
Queue, the referendum…
So, what is the purpose of The Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill?
There is a keyword in the title of this bill that is being widely ignored (or perhaps intentionally omitted) by those who are anti-cannabis or against a health-based approach to drug law reform. That is the word “control”. Those that wish to keep the whole business in the shadows and refuse to acknowledge the many studies that have been performed which discredit their “reefer madness” theories continue to disregard the use of the word ‘control’.
It is a very important word in this discussion and one that previously has had no place in our archaic approach to drug law reform.
The Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill has been put together with the sole purpose of creating a rational and science-based approach to implement control around a currently uncontrolled substance. The public will be given the opportunity to vote on a simple question at this year’s election, “do you support the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill?”
“The proposed Bill sets out a way for the Government to control and regulate cannabis. This regulatory model covers how people can produce, supply, or consume cannabis. The Bill's main purpose is to reduce cannabis-related harm to individuals, families/whānau, and communities.”
Should more than 50% of voters vote yes to the above question then cannabis does not immediately become legal but must pass through the usual standards applied to any new set of laws in Aotearoa. This will include the opportunity for the public to share their thoughts on how any new laws should work. The proposed bill is simply the basic framework to begin the regulation and control process. It is NOT the final set of laws that will be implemented should we have a successful yes vote but the starting point for our lawmakers to begin the process.
So, what is included in the Bill?
The main points laid out in the bill are frameworks for people to be able to purchase cannabis from regulated authorities (i.e. government vetted licence holders), laws about how much cannabis individuals can grow in their homes, guidelines for how we can improve education on the subject and provide healthcare services for those negatively affected by cannabis use.
How will this be achieved?
Well according to our government’s referendum website reducing harm will happen by:
- Providing access to legal cannabis that meets quality and potency requirements
- Eliminating the illegal supply of cannabis
- Raising awareness of the health risks associated with cannabis use
- Restricting young people’s access to cannabis
- Limiting the public visibility of cannabis
- Requiring health warnings on packaging and at the time of purchase
- Improving access to health and social services, and other kinds of support for families/whānau
- Making sure the response to any breach of the law is fair, encourages compliance, and reduces overall harm.
Controlling access to cannabis will be restricted for people aged 20 plus only.
A person aged 20 or over would be able to:
- Buy cannabis, but only from businesses with a licence to sell cannabis
- Enter licensed premises where cannabis is sold or consumed
- Consume cannabis at a home or at licensed premises
- Purchase up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) per day
- Share up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) with another person aged 20 or over.
Perhaps now you can see the vision that many of us hold dear. The vision of a country where adults with all the relevant information at their fingertips can make their own, informed, decisions without the fear of convictions or stigmatisation.
Looking for more info?
Sources to support this article for further reading include a summary of the referendum outlined by the New Zealand Government.