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Newsbrief:
New
Zealand
MP
Tanczos
Cleared
in
Marijuana
Probe
12/27/02
New Zealand police announced
December 19 that their investigation of Green Party Member of Parliament
(MP) Nandor Tanczos was over and that the complaint against him would be
dismissed. Tanczos, a Rastafarian and New Zealand's leading cannabis
reformer, was targeted for police investigation by right-wing New Zealand
First MP Craig McNair, who complained in September that Tanczos continued
to smoke cannabis while an MP. (See our interview with Tanczos at
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/258.html#nandortanczos
for further background.)
In a letter to McNair released
to the public, Wellington Detective Inspector Harry Quinn wrote that there
was not sufficient evidence to prosecute Tanczos. "Inquiries have
been made into your allegations, and a review of that information has been
conducted. As a result, Wellington police have concluded that no
criminal offending can be established to requisite standard on the evidence
presently available."
Quinn told the New Zealand
Herald that Tanczos was interviewed by police about his past statements
about cannabis use. "Mr. Tanczos was cooperative, but asserted his
legal rights not to answer questions relating to his personal cannabis
use," Quinn said. "Publicly stating you plan to use cannabis in the
future is not an offense," he added.
Green Party leaders called
the failed complaint a "pathetic, vindictive little joke," according to
the Herald. They added that the episode highlighted the need to reform
the island nation's cannabis laws. "Already police have wasted too
many hours investigating what was never anything but a frivolous publicity
stunt. The complaint was laid almost three months ago. How
many police hours have been spent on it since September?" asked Green co-leader
Rod Donald.
-- END --
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Issue #269, 12/27/02
Latin American Anti-Prohibition Conference, Feb. 12-15, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico | Cumbre Internacional Sobre Legalización, 15-Dec Febrero, Mérida, México | Newsbrief: New Zealand MP Tanczos Cleared in Marijuana Probe | Newsbrief: Nevada High Court Voids Meth Drug Ingredient Law | Newsbrief: "What About the Children?" -- Colorado Bills Target Home Meth Labs | Newsbrief: Ohio Supreme Court Backs Workers in Workers' Comp Drug Test Ruling | Newsbrief: Brit MP Calls for Drug Testing 10-Year-Olds, Comments Came in Debate Over Criminal Justice Bill | Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cop Story | Newsbrief: US-Trained Thai Drug Unit Pulls Back from Burmese Border | Newsbrief: Columbia, Missouri, Marijuana Petition Has Enough Signatures | Newsbrief: Tampa Ordinance Would Criminalize "Drug Dealer Behavior" | Newsbrief: Drug Checkpoints at West Virginia NORML Rally Draw Lawsuit | Online Petition Launched Supporting MEPs' Call for Ending Prohibition | Media Scan: Montreal Compassion Club, Impact Press on Marijuana Legalization | DC Job Opportunities at DRCNet | The Reformer's Calendar
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