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Yes. Brad Norris
Orewa health teacher Brad Norris says the health and wellbeing of young people, and wider society, is at the centre of his decision on whether cannabis should be legalised.
My perception has continued to evolve over the last 10 years and my viewpoint on cannabis has done a complete 180 degree turn, due to researching experts in a range of fields. As a non-user, but avid learner, I continue to pull the thread. Learning the history of the plant is fascinating enough, let alone what laws are best to govern. Unlearning and re-learning is difficult to do and ideas that challenge our perceived truths and prod at our beliefs are hard to digest after all these years of a certain narrative.
The current model of cannabis regulation here in NZ follows the Nixonian era of drug control and after all these years, with plenty of statistical data, we are left with the current very high rates of consumption among teens and adults. Despite millions of dollars spent to try to reduce rates and eradicate use, prohibition clearly doesn’t work. We give control to the black market, gangs and dealers who may not value age and health quite like a regulated system would. Evidence strongly suggests prohibition causes more harm than good.
Countries overseas provide us with great data and information on how cannabis law change has impacted society. Regulating and controlling cannabis overseas has shown that teenage and adult rates of use drop, health services and funding increases, and better education and preventative measures occur.
Our decreasing tobacco rates of recent years show us what regulation, control, tax and good education can do. We also get to address the injustices that occur in our system, which disproportionately impact Maori, as well as our alcohol misuse and methamphetamine rates, which can be addressed by cannabis law change.
Statistics show cannabis use is currently very normal among adolescents, which is concerning with its proven negative impacts on youth. However, as shown overseas, with the right regulation and control, adolescent use drops. This is partly due to it being harder to get than when prohibited, and it being “less cool” when it’s legal. It’s highlighted that penalties for supplying under-20s with cannabis need to be very strict with strong consequences.
New Zealand has the opportunity to pick apart overseas models and take what is best for New Zealand. The Government has mentioned it will be extremely regulated and has highlighted what we will and will not include to best fit our health approach. The New Zealand medical and recreational cannabis industry, and justice system savings could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, aiding the economic recovery from Covid-19.
A ‘yes’ vote does not mean you like cannabis or its introduction to society, but rather that you are in favour of real regulation and control of a recreational drug that has always been around and will always be around. New Zealand finally has its chance to try an alternative method, which has worked overseas, called control.
No. Bede Haughey
Point Wells resident Bede Haughey is a former sergeant at Warkworth police station. Since retiring, he has devoted his energies to discouraging drug use among young people. His anti-meth film, Not Even Once, premiered last month at Mahurangi College.
Cannabis use causes harm to individuals, whanau and communities and the argument is that legalising its sale to persons over 20 will reduce that harm. I suggest it will have the opposite effect. If NZ votes to legalise cannabis, that should come after making an informed decision based on facts. Let’s consider some pro-cannabis law reform arguments.
Gangs will be disempowered and no longer control the cannabis market. Wrong. Gangs have existed in NZ for over 50 years and will continue to flourish where there is poverty, unemployment, discontent and the opportunity for them to make “an easy earn”. Gangs don’t pay taxes or compliance costs and can supply the product cheaper and with a higher THC content. And gangs don’t ask for proof of age when they sell their gear. Cannabis is just another commodity – if gangs are not making a good margin on dope, they will push something else, like meth.
Prisons will no longer be filled with cannabis users. Wrong. They never were. The only criminals who get banged up for cannabis are those who cultivate and sell it on a commercial scale. Dope smokers are seldom put before the courts. It’s fair that people who enjoy a joint at home should not be considered criminals, but they will never see the inside of a cell for doing so and to say otherwise is a fallacy.
Money spent on enforcement can now be directed to health. Wrong. The people and premises that are licensed to sell cannabis will still need to be policed. As will those who continue to sell it without a licence, e.g. gangs. The proposal is that it will be legal to grow four plants per household and again this will need to be policed. Adolescent mental health is a significant issue and making cannabis more available to troubled under 25 year olds will increase harm, not reduce it.
It won’t be available to young people. Yeah, right. Hands up who waited until they were 18 before they got drunk? The proposed legal amount is 14 grams a day – the equivalent of 28 joints.
Smoking cannabis should not be a crime. Maybe. Most cops consider it a very low priority. Their focus is on high-risk areas such as family violence and road safety. Ironically, a growing concern in road safety is the increase in drug-impaired driving, which will surely grow if cannabis is legalised.
Decriminalising cannabis has some merit. It sends the message that it’s not okay, but is no longer a crime. Much like carrying passengers on a restricted licence or not wearing a seatbelt – get caught and you will get a ticket. The aim of reducing cannabis related harm is something I fully support, but legalising cannabis won’t achieve that. Let’s not send the message to youth that it’s okay to smoke dope, because that is what they’ll hear if NZ votes to legalise it.
