Say Nope To Dope

SayNopeToDope is a project of a group of organisations and individuals in New Zealand opposing the legalisation of recreational cannabis in NZ. This website was setup to inform Kiwis and help them vote NO in the 2020 New Zealand cannabis referendum. We succeeded in that mission – getting New Zealand to vote NO to cannabis legalisation. Thank you for your support. However the fight to prevent drug legalisation continues, so this website remains active with latest news and research.

Please scroll this website to stay informed with the latest news and research on cannabis and drug issues in New Zealand.

Latest News

The Growing Threat of Fentanyl In NZ Recent News
June 6, 2025

The Growing Threat of Fentanyl In New Zealand

As the use of this potent synthetic opioid grows in New Zealand, so does its devastating impact. Our discussion with Tim Beck from the US offers us an in-depth look…
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Thailand set to U-turn on recreational cannabis use Recent News
June 5, 2025

Thailand set to U-turn on recreational cannabis use

Thailand, the first Asian country to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, is now preparing to reverse its course by restricting cannabis use solely to medical purposes.
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Colorado’s Legal Cannabis Disaster 12 Years on Recent News
May 29, 2025

FOCUS ON DRUGS: Colorado’s Legal Cannabis Disaster 12 Years On.

The majority of New Zealanders thankfully voted NO to legalising the recreational use of cannabis – despite significant campaigning by the mainstream media, politicians and even government-funded organisations! But in…
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Exposing The Game Plan For Liberalising Drug Laws Recent News
May 26, 2025

FOCUS ON DRUGS: Emerging Drug Trends: What Next For NZ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxaWX0NpA9s In the second of a series, we speak to KEITH GRAVES, a retired Sergeant, Narcotics Detective, SWAT Team member & Drug Recognition Expert Instructor in California. Keith outlines the…
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FOCUS ON DRUGS- Methamphetamine - The Most Dangerous Drug Ever Created Recent News
May 15, 2025

FOCUS ON DRUGS: Methamphetamine – The Most Dangerous Drug Ever Created

The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) recently held their 20th Anniversary Conference in Auckland, and Family First were granted access to interview some of the top international experts who were speaking…
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Media Promoting Drug Use Recent News
February 7, 2025

The media are promoting drug-use, again!

“Have a safe trip! Your handy guide to happy drug taking” is an article by The Spinoff which should be reported to Police (and the Minister of Police) for its…
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Cannabis Poll

In a shock poll result, less than 20% (one in five) New Zealanders support legalisation of marijuana, but there is strong support for lifting restrictions for medical use (65%), according to an independent poll of 1,000 people by Curia Market Research. 7% support the law as it stands. There is also significant concerns about the mental health and societal costs of cannabis.

“This poll removes the smokescreen and confusion that drug advocates have created with the mixing of terms ‘medicinal’, ‘decriminalise’ and ‘legalise’. It is clear that Kiwis strongly support a compassionate response to those in real need with a cautious and researched approach around cannabis medicine, but when they thoughtfully consider the real implications of legalising recreational use, they completely reject the proposal – and rightly so,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

Read the full poll results here.

20 Reasons to Vote NO in 2020

Here’s 20 great reasons why you should tick the NO box in the upcoming referendum on legalising cannabis for recreational use. Vote for health, safety, wellbeing of our young people and families. Vote NO.

We’re Speaking Up In The Public Debate

It’s time that some of the myths and sound bites pushed by pro-drug groups are challenged with the facts and credible research. Read our Media Releases which have the common theme of opposing any attempt to legalise marijuana in NZ.

Download the Fact Sheets

Read the various Briefing Sheets so that you can campaign with us against any attempts to legalise marijuana (and ultimately other drugs, according to pro-marijuana groups) in New Zealand.

THE REPORT THEY CAN'T REBUT!

“Lessons From Cannabis Legalisation 2020”, a comprehensive study of the data outcomes in ‘legalised’ marijuana states in the U.S., and recent developments since legalisation in Canada and Uruguay, validated by researchers from institutions such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins University, and using governmental data and the latest peer-reviewed studies. Click on image to DOWNLOAD REPORT
View Report

Campaign Posters

WATCH: Our Campaign ads

Our celebrities, sports people, Māori and Pasifika leaders, community workers, health professionals ... they're all stars and they're all voting Nope to Dope. New Zealand is too precious to be wasted.

Some Facts

WATCH: Jake's story - mental illness, psychotic symptoms, dropping out of university

Jake went to university to study neuroscience and psychology, and ended up getting cannabis-induced psychosis and dropping out.

Stories of Cannabis

WATCH: Jo's story - her son's mental illness, psychotic symptoms, suicidal thoughts

Jo has a warning for New Zealand parents based on her own harrowing experience of marijuana legalisation in her home state.

Vincent's story - As an ex-cannabis user, I'll be voting NO

"As an ex cannabis user, I'll be voting no. I do want this cycle to stop. I don't want my children to have to go through what I had. I don't want my children to be told that cannabis is safe. I want my kids to have every opportunity that I should have got."

Alex Berenson's warning to New Zealand

Alex Berenson is a former New York Times reporter & award-winning novelist. He joined the NYT in 1999, where he covered everything from the drug industry to Hurricane Katrina & served as a correspondent in Iraq. Berenson is the author of “Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence”.

Interview with Bertha K. Madras, PhD (Harvard Medical School)

"This is one of the most visible cases of science denial I’ve seen in decades." Bertha Madras is a Professor of Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School; a psychobiologist at the Substance Use Disorders Division; and Director of the Laboratory of Addiction Neurobiology, McLean Hospital in Massachusetts.

International Evidence on Cannabis - SayNopeToDope NZ Facebook Live

Join our three international experts, sharing the latest evidence on cannabis. They discuss a range of related topics, including social justice and mental health. Most importantly you will learn why they're encouraging New Zealanders to Vote No in the upcoming referendum.

Interview with Colorado psychiatrist Dr. Christian Thurstone

Dr. Christian Thurstone is Director of Service of Behavioral Health Services at Denver Health, and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver where he conducts research on youth substance use and addiction. He has served as director of medical training for the university’s addiction psychiatry fellowship program. He is one of a few physicians in the United States who are board-certified in general, child and adolescent addictions psychiatry.

Ben Cort: "What NZ Needs To Understand About The Marijuana Debate"

Ben Cort is from Colorado and is the author of "Weed, Inc.: The Truth About the Pot Lobby, THC, and the Commercial Marijuana Industry". His passion for recovery, prevention and harm reduction comes from his own struggle with substance abuse. Ben has a deep understanding of the issues and a personal motivation to see the harmful effects of drug and alcohol abuse minimised. Ben’s Ted-X talk in 2017, What commercialisation is doing to cannabis, has had more than 1.6 million views!

Corinne Gasper: "Driving stoned will put everyone at risk"

Corinne Gasper lost her daughter to a marijuana-impaired driver. She has a message for New Zealand.

New Zealand Is Too Precious