Cop’s drugs tour an eye-opener
The outgoing boss of the New Zealand Police Association says a tour of cannabis-friendly countries was an eye-opener, but hasn’t convinced him that New Zealand should follow suit.
Greg O’Connor visited Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and Colorado, in the US, to see the effects of decriminalisation and legalisation of cannabis.
While O’Connor remains cautious in his approach to the relaxing of cannabis laws in New Zealand, he says the Government has a responsibility to address the issue as a whole.
‘‘If there is going to be a change, a liberalisation, then I believe you need to address the supply side ... as well as the consumer side. For example, if we decriminalise it, there will be a lot more cannabis smoked so that means it’s got to come from somewhere and the only place it can come from is criminal sources.’’
He said Colorado was the ‘‘model’’ for cannabis legalisation, rather than decriminalisation. ‘‘I’m not saying it’s better or worse, but it’s the only place I’ve gone to where it’s legal from seed to weed, as they say.’’
O’Connor finishes as president in late October, a role he says he’ll miss. ‘‘It’s nice to be able to add to the debate and be well informed because there are so many people ... who don’t really know the full story.’’