 | Cannabis Inquiry: Cannabis Inquiry Report Published |
 The long-awaited Health Select Committee Inquiry report has finally been published. There are some helpful recommendations in the report, although the Committee did not deal with the key issue of the legal status of cannabis. It is encouraging to see some recognition of the problems of prohibition, but the Committee has not gone far enough in its recommendations.
 Read the entire report (443 KB, PDF)
 NORML Report Analysis
Green Party Briefing notes (5 page summary) (30 KB, PDF)
NORML Cannabis Inquiry Page
NORML PR: Committee failed to find evidence
 09/08/03 Mixed Response to Drug Report
 09/08/03 MPs want search power axed
09/08/03 Cannabis fuelling rural economies
09/08/03 No Deal On Dope, Warns Dunne
09/08/03 Artist Says Dope Eases Her Pain
9/08/03 Nelson GPS Cautious About Cannabis Call
11/08/03 Nandor Tanczos: Change inevitable for cannabis laws
11/08/03 Editorial: Medical Use Tones Down Risk Message
Press Releases
 08/08/03 Government: Inquiry Into Health Strategies And Cannabis Use
 08/08/03 Green Party: Report on cannabis lays foundation for law change
08/08/03 National: National against softening of cannabis law
08/08/03 United Future: Should marijuana be legalised for medicinal use?
08/08/03 United Future: Turner: Greens prove stupidity can be dangerous
08/08/03 United Future: Green's pro-cannabis stance a loser with voters
08/08/03 Progressive Coalition: Coalition Government won't go soft on cannabis
08/08/03 Dunedin Coalition for Cannabis Law Reform: Cannabis report step in right direction
08/08/03 NZ Drug Foundation: Select Committee Cannabis inquiry report released Today
 What do you think of the Inquiry report? Have Your Say in the NORML Forum.
Govt should consider medicinal cannabis, committee finds
NZPA, 08 August 2003
The Government should consider allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes, a parliamentary committee has recommended.
The committee has been unable to agree on the legal status of cannabis but says officials should give a review of its classification high priority.
However, it has also recommended that the Government "pursue the possibility of supporting the prescription of clinically tested cannabis products for medicinal purposes".
The long-awaited report on the committee's three-year investigation into the health effects of cannabis was tabled in Parliament today.
The committee's brief in 2000 was to find the most effective strategies to minimise the use of the drug and evaluate the harm it caused.
The committee said in its report that cannabis had been shown to be effective in providing relief for some medical disorders.
However, some on the committee did not want the medicinal use of cannabis to have the potential to be a "back door" to legalisation of the drug.
The committee said the majority of submitters to its inquiry favoured legalisation of cannabis, with 52.3 per cent favouring legalisation and regulation.
Under its agreement with United Future, the Government promised not to introduce legislation changing the legal status of cannabis.
Cannabis resin (hashish) and cannabis oil (hash oil) are classified as Class B1 while cannabis leaf and seed is classified Class C1 under the schedule of controlled drugs.
It recommended the expert advisory committee on drugs give high priority to its reconsideration of the classification of cannabis.
Among other recommendations, the health select committee said people with first offences for possession and use of cannabis should be diverted to compulsory health assessment instead of getting a criminal conviction.
It was concerned young people were not being told clearly enough that they should not use cannabis, particularly given the "severe effects" it might have on their health.
The Government needed to develop policy to reverse the trend for increasing consumption of cannabis by young people, it said.
It recommended further research into the relationship "between cannabis use and both suicide and road accidents".
Green MPs Nandor Tanczos and Sue Kedgley today welcomed the report, saying it presented a compelling case for change.
"In the light of the current concerns around increased use of methamphetamines, the comment in the report that `prohibition facilitates the black market and exposes cannabis users to harder drugs' should make us all sit up and take notice, " said Mr Tanczos.
Ms Kedgley said the report acknowledged that for the majority of occasional cannabis users there was a low risk of cannabis-related harm.
Govt 'should consider' medicinal cannabis
NZPA, 08 August 2003
A parliamentary committee had recommended the Government consider allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes but has been unable to agree on the drug's legal status.
The health committee said that question should be considered by another parliamentary committee.
It said current high levels of cannabis use and black market activity indicated the current prohibition regime was not working.
A key recommendation in its 80-page report is that the Government consider allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis products for medicinal purposes.
Chairwoman Steve Chadwick said clinically tested products such as tablets and sprays could be prescribed.
This would mean people who suffered chronic illnesses such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer and epilepsy would not have to "get high on pot" to get the relief provided by the medically active components in cannabis, she said.
Among other recommendations, the committee said:
# the expert advisory committee on drugs should give high priority to reconsidering its classification of cannabis:
# Parliament's justice and electoral select committee should consider the appropriate legal status of cannabis;
# people with first offences for possession and use of cannabis should be diverted to compulsory health assessment instead of getting a criminal conviction;
# police should expand the diversion scheme for cannabis offences;
# the Government should follow up on allegations that police discriminated against Maori when investigating cannabis offences;
# research should be carried out into the relationship between cannabis use and suicide and road accidents.
The committee's brief, when it started its three-year investigation into the health effects of cannabis, was to find the most effective strategies to minimise the use of the drug and evaluate the harm it caused.
It found there was no evidence to suggest harmful effects for the majority of occasional recreational cannabis users.
"However, harmful acute and chronic effects of cannabis use are associated with frequent and heavier use."
It said the Government needed to develop policy to reverse the trend for increasing consumption of cannabis by young people.
"Considerable research exists indicating that early drug use is associated with psychological developmental problems, when young people move from experimental to frequent use," the report said.
Green MP Nandor Tanczos said if cannabis was reclassified from a C1 to a C2 or C3 drug that would make medicinal use easier to regulate and remove police powers to search without a warrant.
Mr Tanczos said young people should be protected from using cannabis but it was clear from the report that "non-problematic, adult use should not be criminalised because that carries with it a whole host of other problems".
The report said prohibition resulted in high conviction rates for a relatively minor offence, which inhibited people's education, travel and employment opportunities.
Green MP Sue Kedgley said cannabis had been "demonised" to the point rational discussion had not been possible but she hoped this report would now allow that.
Under its agreement with United Future, the Government promised not to introduce legislation changing the legal status of cannabis.
Progressive Coalition leader Jim Anderton said he was pleased the committee did not recommend a change in the legal status of cannabis, saying no consensus for change meant there was no mandate for change.
National and New Zealand First said in the report there should be no change in cannabis law, while United Future leader Peter Dunne said cannabis use was the "gateway" to social and educational failure as well as regular use of harder drugs.
ACT said the recommendations were vague, and would be of little value if enacted, while costly to implement.
The Drug Foundation said it was disappointed its suggestion of a formal warning with health information for first offenders had not been taken up.
The Government has 90 days to respond to the committee's report.
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