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Newsbrief:
Marijuana
Reform
Stalled
in
New
Zealand
8/8/03
The New Zealand Labor government
is blocking any consideration of marijuana law reform, according to New
Zealand Wire. Although the long awaited parliamentary health committee
report on marijuana's effects came out Wednesday, Justice Minister Phil
Goff didn't bother to wait for the report before assuring the United Future
Party, Labor's partner in the coalition government, that marijuana reform
was not on the agenda.
While the New Zealand Green
Party, with Member of Parliament Nandor Tanczos leading the charge, had
hoped to move toward marijuana decriminalization, Labor's post-election
alliance with the conservative United Future has most likely dealt those
hopes a death blow. "We need to treat personal use of cannabis as
a health issue, not a crime," Tanczos told the Wire. "We need to
control cannabis in an effective way. When you look at the evidence
it is clear that the current prohibition does not reduce cannabis abuse,
does not limit underage use, and by criminalising moderate adult users
it creates significant problems of its own."
But Justice Minister Goff
was having none of that. "I can categorically rule out any change
to the status of cannabis," Goff replied in response to a parliamentary
inquiry. The government would carefully consider the commission's
report he said, but would not entertain the possibility of decriminalization.
A Labor member of parliament
could break ranks and introduce a decrim bill, said Goff, but the government
would not support it.
Visit http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/258/nandortanczos.shtml
to read DRCNet's interview with Nandor Tanczos, October 2002.
-- END --
|
Issue #299, 8/8/03
Note to Readers: Issue #300 and Name Change Coming Up, New Format |
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Newsbrief: Argentina Leads Latin America in Jailed Drug Offenders |
Newsbrief: Marijuana Reform Stalled in New Zealand |
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