Pipe dream: Council

The Maori Council says expecting change to drug prosecutions to have a real impact is a pipe dream. The Misuse of Drugs Amendment bill was passed in August, allowing police to refer drug users to a health provider, rather than prosecuting. New figures show just under 400 people have been referred with no change to the number of drug prosecutions since the law was passed. Executive chairman Matthew Tukaki says the system isn’t serving the people it was meant to help.