Middle NZ ‘key’ to getting cannabis law reforms across the line

A cannabis grower says smokeups outside Parliament are not going to cut it when it comes to convincing Kiwis of the need for cannabis law reform.

There was agreement among a panel at the Cannabis Referendum Conference in Wellington last week that meaningful change could be achieved only by educating voters and changing perceptions. Manu Caddie, the director of Hikurangi Enterprises – the first company in the country to be granted a cultivation licence for medicinal cannabis – said engaging with the large voter base of middle New Zealand was the way forward. ‘‘The key takeaway for me is the importance of getting the most conservative voices you can supporting your cause.

‘‘Activists have their role but should definitely be in the background if you want to win over middle New Zealand.

‘‘It’s not going to happen if it’s big smoke-ups outside Parliament and that kind of stuff. It’s going to be conservative, white, older, middle-class New Zealanders saying that this is the way to go ... they are the ones that vote.’’

The panel included Caddie, Green MP Chlo¨e Swarbrick, medical cannabis awareness charity co-ordinator Shane Le Brun and campaigner Rebecca Reider. The conference was organised by the Cannabis Referendum Coalition and focused on progressing the cannabis law reform debate ahead of a public referendum on personal cannabis use. The referendum was secured by the Greens as part of their confidence and supply negotiations with Labour following the 2017 election. A date for the referendum will be set by the time of the 2020 general election.

No-one from the National and ACT parties attended. The Coalition Government was represented with Swarbrick and Labour MPS Greg O’connor and Ginny Andersen featuring at different stages. Panels and presentations touched on what regulation might look like with parallels being drawn with the regulation of the alcohol industry. Swarbrick said there was no doubt cannabis use could be harmful and she was wary of what commercial distribution could become. Legislators would need to look at rules around advertising, as well as where and who could sell it. It needed to be better regulated than alcohol, which was ‘‘one of the most harmful drugs on the planet’’.

Dr Eric Crampton, chief economist with the NZ Initiative, said regulation would bring quality assurance. People would be able to procure cannabis without fear of potentially toxic additives.

O’connor said his personal view following his experience enforcing drug laws as a police officer was the illegality of drugs did more harm than the potential harm caused by the drugs themselves.