All Posts By

Ed

Minister of Justice Shouldn’t Hide Info From Voters

Media Release 1 September 2020
The SayNopeToDope campaign is calling on the Minister of Justice Andrew Little to release economic reports relating to proposed cannabis legalisation so that voters can make a fully informed decision at the upcoming referendum.

According to the NBR, economic reports on the proposed cannabis legalisation are being withheld by the Ministry of Justice until after the October referendum, with the Ministry of Justice refusing an Official Information Act request on the issue.

“This is significant, because a lot of claims have been made that the legalisation of cannabis could earn up to ½ billion dollars for the taxpayer. This sounds very attractive, but international evidence shows that it is a flawed pipe dream. Cannabis advocates and the marijuana industry are quick to overestimate large amounts of revenue from cannabis sales, but it rarely fully recognises the societal costs of legalisation,” says spokesperson Aaron Ironside.

“Other societal costs not referred to by drug supporters include: greater other drug use, greater marijuana use among underage students, property and other economic damage, controlling an expanded black market, sales to minors, public intoxication, and other burdens. No policy is without its costs. Legalisation also results in administrative and enforcement costs, similar to alcohol regulation.”

“Andrew Little should be releasing any and all information related to this referendum as part of being an open and transparent government. The fiscal reality of changes to our drug laws are just as important as the likely health and societal harms,” says Mr Ironside.

Alcohol and tobacco have already warned us that tax revenue from marijuana sales will fall well short of the costs. Trends have already surfaced in Colorado & Washington state, suggesting that, like tobacco and alcohol, costs outweigh revenues. Over half the pot money promised for drug prevention, education & treatment in Washington State never materialised. Bureaucracy consumes a significant portion of Colorado marijuana tax revenue.

California’s projected marijuana tax revenue by July 2019 is nearly half of what was originally expected when the state began retail sales in 2018, since most consumers continue to purchase marijuana from the black market in order to avoid high taxes. Statistics Canada, a state agency, reports that just 29% of cannabis users buy all of their product from a legal source.
ENDS

 

Support for legalising cannabis going up in smoke – survey

Radio NZ News 30 August 2020
Our additional comment: In March, a Research New Zealand poll found 43% were in favour of legalising cannabis, and 33% opposed it. That has now been turned around and this month support for the law change has slid to 39%, while it is now 46% of people who are against legalising recreational cannabis. “A really big change and most of the people who have now moved into the ‘not-in-favour’ camp have come from the group who were sitting on the fence.”

A survey ahead of October’s referendum on legalising recreational cannabis shows a big surge in opposition to a law change, with 46 percent now against legalising the drug.

In March, a Research New Zealand poll found 43 percent were in favour of legalising cannabis, and 33 percent opposed it.

But Research NZ partner Emanuel Kalafatelis said that has now been turned around and this month support for the law change has slid to 39 percent, while it is now 46 percent of people who are against legalising recreational cannabis.

“A really big change and most of the people who have now moved into the ‘not-in-favour’ camp have come from the group who were sitting on the fence.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018761746/support-for-legalising-cannabis-going-up-in-smoke-survey
twitter follow us

Workplace Drug Use Skyrocketing In U.S.

Media Release 26 August 2020
New U.S. data released today by Quest Diagnostics has found that rates of marijuana positivity in the workforce have sharply risen both over the last year (2018-2019) and since legalisation was implemented. Furthermore, Quest Diagnostics also reported that workforce drug positivity hit a sixteen-year high in 2019.

Marijuana is the most commonly detected substance and has the highest drug positivity rate among all other tested substances across the majority of industry sectors in the U.S. Marijuana positivity has increased nearly 29% since 2015, according to Quest Diagnostics. Among the top-ranking industries for the highest rates of positive marijuana testing, transportation and warehousing was number one with 33.3%. Meanwhile the construction industry had an average of 26.7% positive marijuana testing (Quest Diagnostics, 2018).

One in four marijuana users who are employed admit to getting high at work within the past year, according to a new survey of cannabis consumers in Washington, Oregon and Colorado, three states where recreational weed is legal. Workforce marijuana-positivity rates in all “legal” states but one (Alaska) are above the national average (Quest Diagnostics, 2019). Most states that have legalised marijuana show an increasing trend in positivity rates.

Insurance claims have become a growing concern among companies in US states that have legalised marijuana because if marijuana use is allowed or drug testing ignored, employers are at risk of liability claims when a marijuana-related injury or illness occurs onsite.

“New Zealand employers have every reason to be concerned about attempts to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. The likely increase in marijuana use and acceptance as a result of any legalisation of the drug will lead to a more dangerous workplace, especially in safety-sensitive industries,” says spokesperson Aaron Ironside.

Top Increases Since Legalisation to 2019: 

Nevada: 142% increase since 2016 (1.9% vs. 4.6%)
Oregon: 136% increase since 2014 (1.9% vs. 4.5%)
Massachusetts: 113% since 2016 (2.7% vs. 3.8%)
Washington: 86.3% increase since 2014 (2.2% vs. 4.1%)
Colorado: 63% increase since 2013 (1.9% vs. 3.1%)
California: 45% increase since 2016 (2.2% vs. 3.2%)
Michigan: 44% increase since 2017 (2.7% vs. 3.9)
Massachusetts: 40% increase since 2016 (2.7% vs. 3.8) 

Top Increases 2018 – 2019:

Washington: 70% increase (2.4% vs. 4.1)
California: 33% increase (2.4% vs. 3.2%)
Maine: 28% increase (5.0% vs. 6.4%)
Michigan: 21.8% increase (3.2% vs. 3.9)
Nevada: 17.9% increase (3.9% vs. 4.6%)
Massachusetts: 15% increase (3.3% vs. 3.8%)

 

 

Helen Clark: New Zealand’s smoke-free gains among my proudest achievements, but there’s more work to do

Stuff co.nz 23 August 2020
OPINION: Thirty years ago, New Zealand dreamed a big dream – to prevent the harm and death caused by tobacco smoking.

At the time, one in three adult New Zealanders – adults and youth – smoked regularly.

In comparison to other health risks we face, smoking is uniquely harmful to the health of individuals, whānau, the health services and society as a whole.

When used as directed by the manufacturers, up to two-thirds of people who smoke die early from smoking tobacco, and one-third of those deaths are in middle-aged people who lose, on average, more than twenty years of life.

Smoking remains the single most preventable cause of premature death in New Zealand.

As I reflect on my years of public service, one of my proudest achievements is leading the passage of New Zealand’s first comprehensive tobacco control legislation.

As Minister of Health in 1989, I wanted to promote a strengthened response to the tobacco epidemic and the tobacco industry behind it.

The Smoke-free Environments Act was passed under my leadership as Minister of Health thirty years ago this week in 1990.

It required things we now take for granted: it banned smoking on public transport, banned sales to under-sixteen year olds, required disclosure of ingredients, restricted smoking in indoor workplaces, banned tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and established the Health Sponsorship Council (now the Health Promotion Agency) to replace tobacco sponsorship.

A private members bill extended the Act in 1995. With policy advances also stemming from the 2011 government inquiry into the impact of smoking on Māori, New Zealand continues to have among the most advanced tobacco control measures in the world.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300087854/helen-clark-new-zealands-smokefree-gains-among-my-proudest-achievements-but-theres-more-work-to-do

signup-rollKeep up with family issues in NZ.
Receive our weekly emails direct to your Inbox.

New Zealand to vote on legalization of recreational marijuana

CGTN 22 August 2020
Our additional comment: SayNopeToDope campaign and spokesman Aaron Ironside are included in the coverage of the referendum by China Global Television Network.
International interest!

Voters in New Zealand this year will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana. Under the proposal, cannabis would be grown and sold by licensed businesses and will be taxed. The possession and use of cannabis has been a crime in New Zealand since 1961. Public opinion is evenly divided on the legalization issue, but those who’re campaigning against it blame it for mental health issues and family violence. The proposed law limits potency of cannabis, smoking in public is banned, and teenagers can’t legally buy it. Sales taxes will also be spent on health and education programs, but opponents say that doesn’t justify legalization. And if a majority vote Yes, and if the present Labour government is re-elected as polls suggest, the drug could be legal within 18 months.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-08-22/New-Zealand-to-vote-on-legalization-of-recreational-marijuana-TavxEJ5fna/index.html
twitter follow us

Cannabis referendum: This is about recreational use, not medicinal treatment

Stuff co.nz 24 August 2020
Family First Comment: Ouch! The smokescreen of the Drug Foundation and Chloe are destroyed by this good doctor….
So many good statements that it’s hard to know which bit to highlight!
“Suggesting that voting yes for recreational cannabis will mean better access for medicinal treatment is misleading at worst and disingenuous at best…. As a GP I feel a duty to help ensure the public is properly informed when they cast their vote, they should know about the existing availability of medicinal cannabis and the potential risks of self-prescribing cannabis for health reasons. I’m concerned that many voters have been led to believe a cannabis referendum ‘Yes vote’ equals a ‘Yes’ for medicinal cannabis. This is not the case; patients already have access to medicinal cannabis. It’s legal under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme and currently available via prescription from doctors who can identify any potential drug interactions and adverse effects that may affect a patient.”
“Admissions to psychiatric hospitals for marijuana induced psychosis will go through the roof. Over the last few years we’ve put millions of dollars into the prevention and treatment of mental illness. Speak to any health professional that works in this field and they’ll tell you the impact that marijuana has on psychosis. Increasing access will undoubtedly result in a surge in mental health admissions. Smoking cannabis comes with the same risk of lung damage as smoking cigarettes and let’s remember New Zealand has made a commitment to be smokefree by 2025.”
#VoteNopeToDope

OPINION: Suggesting that voting yes for recreational cannabis will mean better access for medicinal treatment is misleading at worst and disingenuous at best.

With the cannabis referendum fast approaching, arguments for and against the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use are being put forward by numerous interested parties.

As a GP I feel a duty to help ensure the public is properly informed when they cast their vote, they should know about the existing availability of medicinal cannabis and the potential risks of self-prescribing cannabis for health reasons.

I’m concerned that many voters have been led to believe a cannabis referendum ‘Yes vote’ equals a ‘Yes’ for medicinal cannabis. This is not the case; patients already have access to medicinal cannabis. It’s legal under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme and currently available via prescription from doctors who can identify any potential drug interactions and adverse effects that may affect a patient.

Should recreational cannabis be legalised it may become more commercially viable for local companies to also enter the medicinal cannabis market, however this is not a given. The Ministry of Health has set stringent requirements for the approval of new medicinal cannabis products and no new applications have been made to date.

However, the public should be aware that legalising cannabis for recreational use isn’t a guarantee of better access to safe, tested and approved cannabis products for medicinal treatment.

Dr Mark Hotu is a GP and medicinal cannabis specialist at the Green Doctors clinic.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cannabis-referendum/122437472/cannabis-referendum-this-is-about-recreational-use-not-medicinal-treatment

facebook_icon

Mixed reaction to King’s rector’s drug post

Otago Daily Times 22 August 2020
Family First Comment: Yes! Well said Nick McIvor.
From someone who cares for our children…
“King’s High School rector Nick McIvor has spoken out over his worries about what could happen in education if non-medical cannnabis is legalised.
“We could be drifting towards something to the detriment of our young people; something that will be deeply regretted in future,””

King’s High School rector Nick McIvor has spoken out over his worries about what could happen in education if non-medical cannnabis is legalised.

“We could be drifting towards something to the detriment of our young people; something that will be deeply regretted in future,” Mr McIvor, said in a message on the school’s official Facebook page.

Mr McIvor acknowledged a range of views for and against legalisation in the lead-up to the referendum, but said he was “struggling to see how legalisation would improve the lives of young people in New Zealand”.

” I fear that it would make them worse,” he said in his Friday evening message.

Several of more than 130 people who responded to his comments supported his views, and one person said it had taken “a lot of courage” to speak out, and this was appropriate from a school principal.

However, many people took issue with his comments and several strongly questioned the appropriateness of using the school’s official Facebook site to give a personal view.
READ MORE: https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/mixed-reaction-kings-rectors-drug-post

signup-rollKeep up with family issues in NZ.
Receive our weekly emails direct to your Inbox.

Think Ya Know? Is Marijuana a Gateway Drug?

The marijuana lobby gets very upset at any suggestion of marijuana being called a gateway drug. Of course, not everyone who starts using marijuana uses other drugs; some just go on to stronger versions of marijuana, such as “wax,” “dabs” or vapes. Others may not use anything stronger than the old-fashioned weed of the last century.

Yet the scientific evidence suggests it is a gateway drug that can open the doors to other addictions, including alcohol: Studies show that marijuana affects dopamine receptors and our brain’s reward system which may lead to the use of many other different drugs. In one study done by the University of Michigan Medical School, researchers found a negative correlation between the amount of marijuana consumed over time and the amount of dopamine that was released in the brain in response. Smokers will then seek other drugs in order to achieve the high they used to experience with pot.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says cannabinoids are able to decrease the reactivity of brain dopamine reward circuits over time, leaving frequent marijuana users vulnerable to other drug addiction. Additionally, THC promotes an enhanced response to other drugs in the same way that alcohol and nicotine do, which may lead to the progression of more drug addictions that may cause a toxic overdose.

NZ-grown cannabis medicines as early next year after new licence for Helius Therapeutics

NZ Herald 18 August 2020
Our additional comment: “High quality and affordable New Zealand-grown cannabis medicines could be available for patients next year after the country’s largest company in the sector secured a new commercial licence… Helius chief executive Paul Manning said the licence means patients can expect high quality, affordable and NZ-grown cannabis medicines as soon as early next year.”
So why is the Yes side using medicinal as justification for recreational use?
Easy.
They’re desperate to win and will use this smokescreen. Don’t be fooled.
#Itsnotworththerisk

High quality and affordable New Zealand-grown cannabis medicines could be available for patients next year after the country’s largest company in the sector secured a new commercial licence.

While the medicinal cannabis industry may play an important role in the nation’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Health’s Medicinal Cannabis Agency has granted Helius Therapeutics (Helius) the licence to cultivate and process active cannabis ingredients. The company said it applies to its 8800sq m state-of-the-art medicinal cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility in East Tamaki.

The New Zealand-owned biotechnology company’s new production facility is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

In a statement to the Herald, Helius chief executive Paul Manning said the licence means patients can expect high quality, affordable and NZ-grown cannabis medicines as soon as early next year.

The licence allows Helius – the country’s largest licenced producer – to cultivate an unlimited number of cannabis plants, including high THC and CBD cultivars. It will also see a number of proprietary varietals yielding valuable minor cannabinoids at the Auckland site, the company said.
READ MORE: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12357507

facebook_icon