Gone to pot: New Zealand cools on legalising cannabis
With a crowded election cycle, non-committal politicians and a pandemic to worry about, public support for a yes vote in the referendum is eroding
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Thursday, October 1, 2020
It is believed to be the first country in the world to put the legalisation of recreational cannabis to a national public vote. But amid a pandemic, an election concentrated almost entirely on the Covid-19 crisis, and a simultaneous vote on euthanasia, New Zealand’s upcoming marijuana referendum has not captivated the mainstream public attention that it might have in an ordinary year. New Zealand would join Canada and Uruguay on the list of countries legalising the sale and use of cannabis for adults if more than half of voters approved it – but public backing for the measure has eroded in polling during 2020, reversing growing support in recent years. (See also: Jacinda Ardern admits past cannabis use. New Zealanders shrug: ‘Us, too.’)
tags:
