Greens call for clear heads on cannabis

Relevant offers

Politics

Shake-up heading in EQC's direction Will bill make food safer or be a form of control? Brownlee turns up heat on council over rebuild Agency mulled to run emergency 111 system MPs' travel bills leap during election Remedial work for navy's problem ship Wait for new oil law before awarding permits, Govt urged TVNZ included in police Electoral Act investigation Sea law 'an environmental risk' Govt defends 50c an hour minimum wage lift

The Green Party says clear heads are needed in the debate over cannabis law reform.

Green MP Metiria Turei today welcomed the Drug Foundation calling for a "national conversation" on cannabis.

Ms Turei said the foundation was the ideal organisation to run such a debate because it was respected for its evidence-based, non-partisan approach to drug policy.

"The drug debate in New Zealand very quickly becomes dominated by fear and anxiety," Ms Turei said.

"Developing a sensible approach to drug uses becomes very difficult in that kind of climate."

The Greens recognised that the healthiest lifestyle was drug free, but current policies tended to create problems rather than reduce harm.

The party policy is to include cannabis inside a regulatory regime that also covers tobacco and alcohol.

The foundation's chief executive Ross Bell said it was time to take cannabis out of the "too hard basket" and talk about it openly and honestly.

"Politicians are happy to spend a lot of time on party pills and P because they know they have the public on their side. They don't want to talk about cannabis, because it is not seen as a vote-winning issue," Mr Bell said.

There was a lot of misinformation about cannabis use and its effects both negative and positive which needed to be discussed openly without fear, he said.

- NZPA