Cannabis Inquiry RecommendationsAll the recommendations from the Inquiry Report
NORML News Winter 2003
Download the entire report (443 KB, PDF)
Recommendations to the House (Parliament)
- We recommend to the House that the Justice and Electoral Committee consider the use of search without warrant powers by police under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
- We recommend to the House that the Justice and Electoral Committee consider an appropriate legal status for cannabis.
Recommendations to the Government
Youth:
- that it take a leading role in promoting the message that young people should not use cannabis.
- that it note the heavy use of cannabis by 18 to 24-year-olds, and the trend to increasing use by 15 to 17-year-olds -- in particular young women -- and develop policy to reverse this trend.
- that it adopt an all-of-government approach to enhance the quality, and ensure the accuracy, of youth-appropriate health messages.
Research:
- that the ESR undertake survey work to establish the level of THC in artificially grown cannabis in New Zealand.
- that it require the ESR to test all suicide referrals for traces of all illegal drugs and alcohol, including cannabinoids, in order to further investigate the extent of the relationship between cannabis use and suicide in New Zealand.
- that the ESR develop a mechnism by which impairment by cannabis could be detected.
- that the ESR test all people killed in road accidents for traces of all illegal drugs and alcohol, including cannabinoids.
- that it undertake research into the effectiveness of community action programmes in New Zealand.
- that the Ministry of Education conduct research into school stand-downs, suspensions, and expulsions as a result of incidents involving cannabis.
Health programmes and outcomes:
- that it commit to ongoing funding for the community action programmes and community-based education programmes, on the basis of evidence-based outcomes.
- that there be continued delivery of effective programmes that take into account cultural perspectives to minimise cannabis and alcohol-related harm, on the basis of evidence-based outcomes and conditional on successful project evaluations.
- that programmes with a specific cultural orientation be expanded to excompass other cultural groups in New Zealand.
- that it note our concern that most young people who use cannabis do so in an environment that is not conducive to well-informed decision-making, and ensure that useful information is readily available.
- that drug and alcohol education be an integral and ongoing part of the health carriculum.
- that the Ministry of Education examine how best to support schools and students in responding to cannabis use in a way that preserves educational opportunities.
- that it ensure the provision of harm reduction information designed to minimise lung damage resulting from the smoking of cannabis.
Legal Status:
- that the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs give a high priority to the classification of cannabis.
- that it pursue the possibility of supporting the prescription of clinically-tested cannabis products for medicinal purposes.
Policing and Diversion:
- that it follow up the allegations that the Police discriminate against Maori as highlighted in the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS).
- that the Ministry of Justice consider the content of this report as part of its review of the eligibility criteria for legal aid as set out in the Legal Services Act 2000 and the Legal Services Regulations 2000.
- that it consider diverting minor cannabis offences into compulsory health assessment for first possession and use offences, rather than a criminal conviction.
- that the Police expand the diversion scheme for cannabis offences, and apply diversion more consistently in all parts of New Zealand so that fewer minor cannabis offences and prosecuted through the courts.
- that the Police examine procedures relating to diversion for cannabis offences in order to determine how greater consistency and fairness might be achieved.
Unless stated otherwise, copyright © 1998-2005 by NORML New Zealand, working for marijuana law reform Published on: 2003-08-19 (4374 reads) [ Go Back ] |
