Govt Rules Out Moves To Legalise Cannabis
by Claire Guyan

April 01, 1998 - Evening Post - editor@evpost.co.nz

New Zealand -- The Government has ruled out any move to legalise cannabis until more research into its health effects is done.

Associate Health Minister Roger Sowry has dismissed a report from a group of doctors and professionals which has called on the Government to legalise the drug and take control of the market.

The report from the Drug Policy Forum Trust says such a move would protect public health and minimise cannabis abuse.

But Mr Sowry said he was disappointed the report did not address or acknowledge the harmful effects of cannabis use.

"It is well known amongst health professionals that cannabis use can have ill effects on people's mental state, particularly when they are intoxicated or where they have taken another drug in combination with cannabis, yet this report ignores that," he said. "I believe that it would not be in the public interest to decriminalise cannabis while there are real question marks about the safety of its use.

"I have no intention of supporting decriminalisation in any way while such questions remain unanswered," Mr Sowry said.

His views were echoed by a number of MPs from the Wellington region spoken to by The Post.

Only ACT list MP Ken Shirley, who has tried the drug, said the report backed what he already believed. "I still think the current laws are a nonsense and to a large extent counterproductive. The qualifications of the people on the trust are beyond dispute."

Alliance list MP Phillida Bunkle said her personal view was that there were not enough facts to make a final judgment on the drug, but it was an issue governments were going to have to face.

Ms Bunkle has asked the parliamentary select committee on health to investigate the mental health effects of cannabis. It was to decide the terms of reference today.

Mana MP Graham Kelly said while he was against the drug being legalised, he would keep an open mind on the issue.

Ohariu-Belmont MP Peter Dunne, who tried cannabis as a student, said his party did not support decriminalisation, but believed it was time the issue was properly debated.

Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard said more research was needed.

Rimutaka MP Paul Swain, Otaki MP Judy Keall and New Zealand First MP Deborah Morris were opposed to decriminalisation.

Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Holyoake, crime and operations, said he did not agree with the report. "Police do not support the decriminalisation of cannabis and I believe considerably more research and analysis is required before such a step is seriously considered," he said.

Drug Policy Forum Trust head Dr David Hadorn accused Mr Sowry of putting up smokescreens and stalling on the issue of cannabis law reform. He said there was plenty of research, which he had sent to Mr Sowry, which showed the health effects of cannabis were no worse than alcohol or tobacco.

He said legalising cannabis would make it easier to educate and deal with health problems, which he said were being driven underground by current laws.

Forum trustees are Dr Robin Briant, Auckland Hospital senior physician; Dr Peter Crampton, Health Services Research Centre research fellow; Professor Fred Fastier, University of Otago emeritus pharmacology; Amster Reedy, Maori scholar; Professor Norman Sharpe, Auckland Medical School medicine department head; Helen Shaw, educationalist; and Professor Warren Young, Victoria University professor of law.

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