There are just 8 weeks to run until the cannabis referendum on 19 September. While I’m cautiously optimistic that New Zealanders will vote ‘Yes’ to legal control of cannabis, it’s going to be a tough race and I’m in no way complacent — the polls show that we can’t afford to be. Voting preferences are split firmly by age, so it’s super important that students educate themselves on this issue and get out and vote. Recent polls show 63% of those aged 18-29 plan to vote yes to legal cannabis, whereas only 34% of those over 60 do. Older generations are far more likely to be enrolled and to turn up on voting day than young people. So unless you want to leave your grandparents to decide this one for you (I hope you don’t), you need to enrol and vote — and make sure your friends do, too. Cannabis is illegal in Aotearoa, yet anyone can buy it easily. This is not about creating a new market, or encouraging people to use - people are already using. And the biggest group of users? 15-24 yearolds, nearly a third of whom used cannabis last year, despite it being illegal. Young people under thirty are lumbered with nearly half of the several thousand cannabis convictions that are still handed out every year -and they are also the ones who have the most to lose in terms of lives and careers from those convictions. Māori also suffer under our current laws. They are 3 times more likely to get a cannabis conviction than non-Māori with the same level of cannabis use. That is simply shocking to me. Legalisation will mean fewer Māori coming into contact with the criminal justice system and fewer trapped in endless cycles of reconviction.
A Positive Look at the Cannabis Referendum. [Kali Mercier. Policy and Advocacy Manager, New Zealand Drug Foundation] 24
If New Zealanders vote ‘yes’, Police will instead be freed up to focus on serious crime. Each year, we spend almost $200 million on cannabis enforcement and convictions — I’m sure you will agree that this could be put to better use. Then there are the people who use cannabis therapeutically. The evidence is clear that cannabis can be an effective medicine for a range of conditions, including epilepsy, chronic pain and nausea from some cancer treatments.
