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Source: ONE News -
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A high powered legal team is calling for cannabis laws to be
softened, with the penalties reduced for those caught with a small
amount of the illegal drug.
The
Law Commission also wants
sick New Zealanders to be able to use marijuana for medicinal
purposes.
The commission says large scale commercial drug dealing wreaks havoc in New Zealand's communities and the law should continue to impose heavy penalties in these cases.
But President Sir Geoffrey Palmer says the Misuse of Drugs Act is over 30-years-old and patterns of drug use have changed markedly over this time.
Palmer says New Zealand's international obligations require most of the commonly used drugs to be prohibited except for medical and scientific purposes but he says there is scope for different approaches within the framework.
The commission's Issues Paper on Controlling and Regulating Drugs canvasses a range of options for dealing with offences including a formal cautioning scheme, an infringement notice regime and a greater use of diversion into education and treatment.
"These more flexible approaches are likely to be much more effective at reducing drug harm than simply punishing drug users," says Palmer.
"They ensure law enforcement resources are directed at the most harmful drug activities while addressing drug users' needs for education and treatment."
Up to 15% of Kiwis say they have used cannabis in the past year.
Nearly half of all New Zealanders say they have used it some time in their lives.
The commission says those caught with a small amount of cannabis should be given a ticket, or a warning, rather than a jail term.
But the ideas have been quickly shut down by Justice Minister Simon Power.
"There is not a single solitary chance that as long as I am the Minister of Justice, we'll be relaxing drug laws in New Zealand."
But the NZ Drug Foundation says the law needs updating.
Drug Foundation spokesman Ross Bell says New Zealand's drug law was written up when Robert Muldoon was still Prime Minister.
"That's how out of touch our drug law is, we need to modernise our drug law, drugs have changed," says Bell.
The commission's report also looks at possible approaches to new drugs, such as party pills, that are not covered by the drug conventions and regularly come on the market.
"Currently these substances can be imported, manufactured and sold without any controls. This creates a real risk of harm to the public," says Palmer.
The commission wants a requirement for manufacturers and importers to seek approval for a substance before it can be released onto the market, so they meet safety standards and they also want an age limit on all party pills.
But Power told ONE News that the government had no intention of changing the current arrangements concerning party pills.
You can see a summary of the Law Commission's proposals
here
Do you agree with the call to take a more flexible approach to
minor drug offences? Let us know on the messageboard
below:
Add a Comment:
Post new commentweightgain4000 said on 2010-02-12 @ 13:16 NZDT: Report abusive post
Once again another government body has highlighted folly of our current system, unfortunately those still stuck in 1936 reefer madness have yet to even open their eyes (presumably for there own short term political gain) Despite the mountain of scientific evidence stating that Cannabis is in fact one of the safest and psychoactive substances known to man I only hope future governments take note
openyoureyes said on 2010-02-12 @ 02:44 NZDT: Report abusive post
It is widely known that cannabis use is not only less harmful than legal substances such as alcohol,but that most of the detrimental effects associated with it stem from it being illegal.By keeping it illegal not only are we giving gangs a source of easy money but we are also causing many innocent kiwis undue duress in purchasing cannabis through gang channels and then punishing them. It's already easier for a kid to buy a tin than a box of box of beer, lets change that.Peace and Love
atango said on 2010-02-11 @ 23:13 NZDT: Report abusive post
As a foreigner, but have been living in NZ since 1973. im disturbed to see how far NZ has degenerated. Legalisation of many seemingly immoral practises really causing problems in our society. We talk about youth problems that get out of hands, look what we are feeding their minds with? i am not a total supporter of the National government, but i admire their firm stand for this one. i truly hope and pray that NZ will wake up eventually.
james2d2 said on 2010-02-11 @ 21:21 NZDT: Report abusive post
For justice Justice Minister Simon Power to say "There is not a single solitary chance that as long as I am the Minister of Justice, we'll be relaxing drug laws in New Zealand" quite frankly shows that he's completely ignorant and out of touch with common New Zealand where a huge amount of people use it though it were legal anyway. Why would the government not want to regulate and tax the sale of marijuana and save police time AND money. Prohibition doesn't work!
BourbonCola said on 2010-02-11 @ 19:49 NZDT: Report abusive post
It's good to see that TVNZ has made up for the terribly one sided article on Dakta Green and The Daktory on Close Up the other night. Cannabis should be legal, and regulated like alcohol. There doesn't need to be a discussion, the proof is already there. Take a look at Portugal, where all drugs are legal, the statistics will amaze.