cannabisnews.com: Call to Review Government's Cannabis Policies!





Call to Review Government's Cannabis Policies!
Posted by FoM on June 12, 1999 at 08:49:39 PT
Source: The Press On Line
WELLINGTON The Government's policies on cannabis are not working and should be reviewed, a parliamentary committee says.
The health select committee has also repeated its call for the Government to reconsider the illegality of the drug. Yesterday's report follows last year's inquiry by the committee into the mental health effects of cannabis. It found that moderate use of cannabis did not seem to harm most people, although it did not deny the serious impact cannabis could have on some people, particularly schizophrenics or those with psychotic illnesses. In the report the committee recommended the Government review its policy on cannabis and reconsider the legal status of the drug. In its report released yesterday, chairman Brian Neeson restated that position following consideration of a petition signed by 327 people urging the decriminalisation of the recreational use of cannabis. Mr Neeson said in the report it was clear government policies were not deterring people from using cannabis to "any great extent". If cannabis did cause harm to a small proportion of users, it was better for those people to have good access to treatment "without fear of stigmatisation or criminalisation". The prohibition of cannabis had not reduced the number of cannabis users in New Zealand. "In light of the evidence we have heard on the effects of cannabis and the high rate of cannabis use in New Zealand, the effectiveness of the current policy on cannabis requires examination." Mr Neeson, who does not personally favour liberalisation, said yesterday that while the Government was not planning to review the legal status of cannabis, that did not mean it was not being discussed. "What we've got to have a look at is the use of it, the recreation use of it, the sociological implications of cannabis. . . "We have to understand that there is an epidemic out there as far as the distribution of cannabis is concerned; there are effects that it does have. "The Government itself. . . and the community has to decide on exactly what it wants to do from now on." -- NZPA 
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Comment #2 posted by Ageek on June 14, 1999 at 17:51:52 PT
Politics oldlady
elect some guy that just might take it seriously 
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Comment #1 posted by oldlady#420 on June 12, 1999 at 14:41:02 PT
I wonder if we will see anything from this
I guess we can only hope...Hope that somebody somewhere takes the prison overcrowding seriously, and the mandatory minimum's...shalom.ol#420
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