The other side of the argument
Despite lobbying from procannabis groups, Family First NZ says ‘‘the general public simply isn’t buying it’’.
The organisation’s national director Bob McCroskie said in a press release that liberalising marijuana laws was the wrong path ‘‘if we care about public health, public safety and about our young people’’.
‘‘While Family First welcomes a cautious approach based on extensive research and appropriate safeguards around medicinal marijuana, any hint of decriminalising or legalising marijuana is the wrong path,’’ he said. Simon O’Connor, National Party MP and chair of the health select committee, was also against legalising marijuana.
He had previously said New Zealand should be trying to curb the supply of drugs in society.
‘‘Drugs often interact with each other so even if it is less harmful, say, than alcohol there’s a whole combination effect which we know is far more dangerous so in other words why would we add more drugs into society,’’ he said.
O’Connor also said there was a contradiction at the heart of the pro-reform argument.
‘‘It’s a contradiction to be saying, ‘hey here’s a substance we prefer you not to use but it is going to be acceptable now’, while also trying to stop people from using substances like tobacco and alcohol, or reducing their usage of it. I think it’s instant mixed messages.’’ McCroskie held a similar stance as O’Connor in terms of cigarette smoking.
‘‘It remains highly ironic that at the same time as we tear the labelling off cigarette packets, price them out of existence, and ban them from being smoked within breathing space of any living creature, supporters of marijuana are peddling the same myths that we believed for far too long about tobacco – that marijuana is harmless,’’ he said.
While pro-cannabis groups and a number of political parties said that cannabis was a health issue and not a crime issue, McCroskie said it was both.
‘‘Drug use is both a criminal and a health issue. There is a false dichotomy that criminal sanctions apparently haven’t worked so we should ditch them all together and we should focus only on education and health initiatives. We should maintain both,’’ he said.
Turn to pages 11, 12 and 13 to hear what the election candidates have to say.