What is the Government proposing?
Currently the Government has released a draft bill which proposes tight controls and public health measures, such as:
- R20+: No sales to teens, adults only
- Taxes collected will be put towards health and education programmes
- No advertising allowed
- Controls on potency of cannabis products
- Cannabis will not be allowed in public places
- All businesses must be licensed
The final bill is due to be released in April 2020, but we expect very little to change.
The Facts
Under prohibition:
- Over $100 million is spent annually to enforce cannabis prohibition.
- One in seven New Zealanders uses cannabis (with the highest users being 15-24 y/o at 28.6%, up from 14.9%, I mean think about it, how old were you when you first had to)
- Lifetime cannabis use by age is: 15-24 > 44% / 25-34 > 57% / 35-44 > 54% / 45-54 > 51% / 55+ > 21%
- 45,665 New Zealanders were convicted of a cannabis offence in the last decade
With a legally controlled cannabis market we can:
- Run education programs that stop young people using. In Canada the percentage of 15-17-year-old who used cannabis has dropped from 19.8% to 10.7% since legalisation in 2018
- Take control of cannabis and the profits away from organised crime
- Free up Police to focus on serious crime
- An estimated will fund health, prevention, education and treatment initiatives
- Protect people who chose to use cannabis with quality and safety controls
Legalisation works
Here are a few local and international bodies that have backed a Yes Vote.
NZ Mental Health inquiry / New Zealand Drug Foundation / Helen Clarke Foundation / Hapai Te Hauora / Te Rau Ora / Law commission 2011 Review of MoDA / Turuki! Turuki! Transforming our Criminal Justice System / Transform Drug Policy Foundation / Global Commission on Drug Policy / The British Medical Journal / Drug Policy Alliance.
