Cannabis prohibition doesn't work anywhere. It's New Zealand's turn to legalise it
A ‘yes’ in the referendum is a vote to regulate rather than criminalise a drug that’s widely used and less problematic than alcohol
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
In New Zealand, cannabis is classified as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. Its possession, use and supply are subject variously to penalties ranging in severity from fines to many years of imprisonment. The Helen Clark Foundation released a report which sets out the case for legalising and regulating cannabis. New Zealanders have the opportunity to vote for that in a referendum next year. Evidence from longitudinal studies carried out in New Zealand indicates that by the age of 25, 80% of New Zealanders will have tried cannabis at least once. The time has come to face up to the widespread use and supply of cannabis in the country and to legalise it and regulate it accordingly, writes Helen Clark, a former prime minister of New Zealand and member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy.
