| Photo: David Large, Otago University Student Magazine |
| Otago University students protest New Zealand’s cannabis laws |
Phil Saxby, president of NORML New Zealand, on Monday welcomed the New Zealand Medical Association’s stance on cannabis for medicinal use, and called upon the government to adopt the same sensible position.
“The NZMA has said that it supports a Law Commission proposal which allows patients to use cannabis under medical supervision,” Saxby said, reports Voxy. “NORML has supported medicinal use for a long time.”
The Law Commission has also proposed that medical cannabis growers should be licensed in the same way as other legitimate producers of controlled drugs, Saxby pointed out.
| Photo: Cannabis Culture |
| Phil Saxby, NORML NZ: “Unfortunately, for the many thousands of New Zealanders who currently find relief from pain and other conditions in their use of cannabis, the Justice Minister seems content to have them branded as criminals” |
”Unfortunately, for the many thousands of New Zealanders who currently find relief from pain and other conditions in their use of cannabis, the Justice Minister seems content to have them branded as criminals,” Saxby said.
Cannabis has already been legalized for medical purposes in Canada, Spain, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and in 14 states in the U.S.
Medical marijuana has been legal in California for 14 years. This November, Californians will vote on the legalization (and taxation) of cannabis for recreational use by adults, as well.
“It seems bizarre that when more and more places overseas are moving towards evidence-based drug policies and reversing their positions on medical cannabis, Simon Power seems to think New Zealand has the best drug policy in the world,” Saxby said.
“Yet, New Zealand has the highest rate of teenage cannabis use in the world,” Saxby added.
“The Minister has said that not a single suggestion from the Law Commission would be an improvement — one must draw the conclusion that the Misuse of Drugs Act must be, in his view, nearly perfect,” Saxby said. “Please explain, Minister!”