What the politicians said - then and nowQuotes from Politicians backing law reform
- “we recommend that the Government review the appropriateness of existing policy on cannabis and its use and reconsider the legal status of cannabis.” Health Select Committee Inquiry into the Mental Health Effects of Cannabis, chaired by National MP Brian Neeson, 1998.
- “It breeds disrespect for the law when - and usually we are talking about young people - end up with a conviction for doing something that most others around them are doing and it wipes their prospects.” Helen Clark, 16 March 2000, Evening Post.
- The Government will review the legal status of cannabis during this term of parliament, Health Minister Annette King said yesterday. Dom, 17 March 2000.
- “You can’t have prohibition. The law is broken every minute of the day… We have to look at harm minimisation from a health perspective, and containment from a policing perspective.” Health Minister Annette King, The Press, 23 June 2000.
- Mr Dunne said the current law was not working. Evening Post, 8 June 2001.
- Chadwick also believes ministers, prevented from a blanket change to the legal status of cannabis under an agreement with the United Future party which props up the minority government, are open to allowing medical use of the drug. - Sunday Star-Times, 20 April 2003.
- "Helen Clark said she would vote for any private member's bill on the issue to go to select committee. Telling young people not to use cannabis was 'almost an invitation to do it', she said. 'I'm not persuaded that a drug like cannabis needs to be a heavy criminal activity in the eyes of the law.'" BBC/New Zealand Herald, 14 July 2003.
- "I don't want to frighten my colleagues too much, but the next challenge really is about drug policy. What I know is the current law in terms of drugs does exactly what the prostitution law has done until now, which is to drive people who are vulnerable anyway into more harm. So there has to be a better model." Tim Barnett, Weekend Herald 28-29 June 2003.
- The present law "could be seen to be heavy-handed." - United Future MP Judy Turner, The Independent, 23 July 2003
Unless stated otherwise, copyright © 1998-2005 by NORML New Zealand, working for marijuana law reform Published on: 2003-08-12 (4642 reads) [ Go Back ] |
