NewsTalk ZB 16 September 2020
Our additional comment: Superb work by spokesperson Aaron Ironside. (We almost felt sorry for the other side 🙂 )
“Say Nope To Dope spokesman Aaron Ironside said youth use would rise simply because “it will be everywhere”. He added that it would also be advertised on social media, even though the proposed law explicitly bans advertising. “The social media world is more agile than we are anticipating. SnapChat images appear and disappear – this is an impossible thing to police.” Police Association president Chris Cahill said it was “nearly impossible” to get thrown in jail for use/possession of cannabis. He said most cops were against legalisation because of the harm they’ve seen, especially in rural, deprived communities.”
Exactly!

Whether young people would use more cannabis was a hot topic during a debate tonight on the October 17 referendum to make recreational cannabis legal.

Police Association president Chris Cahill said that education was key to turn young people off cannabis, and it had previously worked to make methamphetamine a “dirty drug” before Government money dried up during the GFC and “we lost a generation”.

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said a key part of the controls that legalisation would bring were the hundreds of millions of dollars to be used for education and health services.

But Say Nope To Dope spokesman Aaron Ironside said youth use would rise simply because “it will be everywhere”.

He added that it would also be advertised on social media, even though the proposed law explicitly bans advertising.

“The social media world is more agile than we are anticipating. SnapChat images appear and disappear – this is an impossible thing to police.”

Cahill, Bell, Ironside and Associate Professor of Law Khylee Quince debated the merits and demerits of legalisation tonight in a Herald-ZB debate hosted by Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan.

Ironside said a legal market that made it harder for young people to get weed would lead to gangs competing for the youth market.

That would see prices drop, and youth use would rise, he said.
WATCH & READ MORE: https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/vote-2020/vote-2020-nzme-cannabis-referendum-debate/

Watch: Should NZ legalise cannabis for personal use?
Election 2020: The pros and cons of legal cannabis to be debated
NZ Herald 16 September 2020
The arguments for and against legalising cannabis for personal use are at the centre of tonight’s debate about next month’s referendum.

Hosted by Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan, the debate features Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell, Associate Professor of Law Khylee Quince – who is a member of the expert panel of the PM’s chief science adviser’s expert panel on cannabis, Police Association president Chris Cahill, and Say Nope to Dope spokesman Aaron Ironside.

Cahill said police will follow whatever the public decide, but he warned that without the right price or the right THC (the psychoactive ingredient) level, users would simply stick to the black market.

Ironside argued that youth use would increase under legalisation simply because “it will be everywhere”, but Bell and Cahill both cited Canada, where youth use fell – official statistics which Ironside challenged.
WATCH & READ MORE: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12365173

Stuff co.nz 17 September 2020
Our additional comment: “Labour List MP Jo Luxton says she will not support the cannabis referendum due to her own personal experience in a relationship with someone who abused the drug.”
Exactly

Labour List MP Jo Luxton says she will not support the cannabis referendum due to her own personal experience in a relationship with someone who abused the drug.

Speaking to about 40 people at a meet the candidates event, hosted by Grey Power at the Timaru Town and Country Club on Wednesday, Luxton, who is running for the Rangitata seat, said she would not vote in support of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill referendum.

“My own personal experience of being with someone in a relationship who abused cannabis is my reason for not voting in favour,” Luxton said.

“I do hear the arguments about taking it out of the hands of gangs and the like, but I do think my own personal experience was pretty tough, so I do think that swayed my vote.”

New Conservative Party member Lachie Ashton was the only other candidate to address the crowd, at the organisation’s second such event in the lead up to this year’s General Election. The first event on August 19 included appearances from candidates for ACT (Hamish Hutton), National (Megan Hands), Social Credit (Brannon Favel), Greens (Gerrie Ligtenberg) and the Outdoors Party (Grant Kelynack).

Speaking on the referendum, one of two which voters will be asked to vote on come October 17, Ashton said he was also against the bill.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/122785414/labour-mp-jo-luxton-against-cannabis-legalisation

Stuff co.nz 17 September 2020
Our additional comment: Cannabis impairs cognition and memory and “during adolescence is related to impairments in subsequent academic achievement and education, employment and income, and social relationships and social roles”. There is “no evidence” that cannabis works to treat drug addiction.

OPINION: The general election aside, the referendum over the legalisation of recreational cannabis is also exciting some debate as parties and individuals take positions for or against the proposition.

One thing that strikes me immediately is that the cannabis referendum is quite different from the euthanasia referendum. A majority vote for the End of Life Choice Act will bring it into effect. Voters know what they are getting. The legislation has already passed through Parliament.

Not so with the cannabis referendum. There is a draft bill which voters can study, but none of the proponents of legalisation are saying that this is the bill that Parliament will pass if there is a majority vote in the referendum.

They can’t say that because no one can guarantee what the new parliament will do. There may be significant amendments, so voters are less sure of the outcome and rightly more wary.

The third aspect of the referendum that interests me is the science underlying the proposition that cannabis is a “good” drug to have in the community.

Like most people I had assumed that the science on the matter was largely settled. When I delved into it, I found that this was very far from the case.

In fact, an extensive review of the scientific literature undertaken in the United States found that the medicinal value of cannabis is still subject to significant and unresolved question marks.
John Bishop is a Wellington-based writer and commentator.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/cannabis-referendum/122772132/cannabis-the-science-is-still-far-from-settled?cid=app-iPhone

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The SayNopeToDope Campaign has just released a great new resource to test whether you’re ready to vote in the cannabis referendum. 15 quick-fire multichoice questions to see how much you know – or don’t!

TAKE THE DRUG TEST

We’re sure you’ll pass with flying colours, so once you’ve seen how knowledgeable you are, then pass it on to friends and families and work colleagues.

It’s the perfect opportunity to start a discussion, and explain why voting NO is the only safe vote. 

Take the drug test now!

www.thedrugtest.nz

Stuff co.nz 11 September 2020
Our additional comment: “Legalising cannabis could lead to gangs targeting younger people on the black market, pose major risks to health and safety and be a gateway to using harder drugs. Christchurch Central candidate Dale Stephens said decriminalising the drug and putting an age limit of 20 on its use would see criminals turning their focus towards children if the market for older people disappeared. Stephens, who was a police officer for 20 years and spent four years investigating drug crime, made the warning during a discussion on the forthcoming cannabis referendum with Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson in Christchurch on Friday.”

Legalising cannabis could lead to gangs targeting younger people on the black market, pose major risks to health and safety and be a gateway to using harder drugs, a former police officer and current National Party candidate has warned.

Christchurch Central candidate Dale Stephens said decriminalising the drug and putting an age limit of 20 on its use would see criminals turning their focus towards children if the market for older people disappeared.

Stephens, who was a police officer for 20 years and spent four years investigating drug crime, made the warning during a discussion on the forthcoming cannabis referendum with Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson in Christchurch on Friday.

Davidson, whose party is pushing for legal access to cannabis, argued for it to be treated as a health issue rather than a criminal issue.

Prohibition had caused “chaos” for decades and Māori and Pacific people were victims of “systemic racism” by being disproportionately targeted over its use, she said.

“This is not about voting for whether cannabis exists or not, because it already does,” she said.

“Even in the legal and prohibited status it is already in our communities. We need for drugs to be treated as a health issue, not as a criminal issue.”
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122743271/criminals-may-target-children-if-cannabis-is-legalised–national-candidate

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TVNZ One News 12 September 2020
A 1 NEWS-Colmar Brunton poll has found more Māori are in support of ticking the ‘yes’ box at the upcoming cannabis referendum than the general public.

NewsHub 11 September 2020
Our additional comment: “There would be several limitations on cannabidiol, including a maximum daily dose of 60mg and a restriction of a 30-day supply. It would also only be available for adults at least 18 years old, and would be packed in a blister, strip or container fitted with a child-resistant closure.”

Medicinal cannabis could be purchased over the counter in Australian pharmacies from next year.

The Australian Department of Health’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced they intend to make cannabidiol (CBD) medicines available without a prescription.

The interim decision was released in a report on Wednesday with a suggested implementation date of June 2021.

Cannabidiol is one of the main ingredients in cannabis and is used for medicinal purposes.

In Australia, it is currently listed as a “prescription only medicine”.

The proposed changes would save Australians a trip to the doctor and they would now be able to access cannabidiol after consulting a pharmacist.

But the TGA also said there would be several limitations on cannabidiol, including a maximum daily dose of 60mg and a restriction of a 30-day supply.
READ MORE: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/09/australian-government-considers-over-the-counter-access-to-medicinal-cannabis-in-2021.html

More cannabis use not what the construction sector needs
Stuff co.nz 11 September 2020
Our additional comment: “The 2019 Civil Contractors NZ annual report highlighted legalised cannabis as an issue looming over the construction sector with 65 per cent of respondents saying it would negatively impact their operations as businesses were already struggling with staff recruitment due to substance abuse – in effect removing them pending a clear drug test.
From a health and safety perspective, construction sites are hazardous and dangerous work areas, and require employees to be alert.”
Of course!

OPINION: The upcoming general election and the referenda, including the proposed legalisation of cannabis, pose a concerning dilemma for the construction industry.

The construction industry is one of New Zealand’s largest employers and anecdotally we suspect that many of our 250,000 workers already routinely abuse drugs like alcohol, methamphetamine and, to a lesser degree, cannabis.

Unlike alcohol, cannabis can stay in the human body for several weeks. If employees return a positive drug test in that time they are unable to work and contribute to society.

Medically it is acknowledged that the active psychedelic ingredient in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which produces the “high” effect, also impairs and affects people’s judgement because it alters the way information is processed by the brain.

This impairment occurs over the time that THC stays in the fatty tissues of a person’s body and can impair motor performance, cause loss of balance and coordination, decrease attentiveness and alertness, prolong response time to stimuli and danger, and decrease the ability to judge distance and space.

If recreational use of cannabis is allowed in the September referendum, then construction companies will also be required to introduce pre-selection drug testing of employees – many are already doing this – and the issue then also becomes one of finding and hiring enough drug-free workers who can pass the pre-employment screening.

The legalisation of cannabis in the referendum is a simple yes or no question and so most people being asked to make a very critical decision on a powerful drug will be unaware of the potential consequences for the New Zealand workplace, including the construction sector.

Perhaps the question should be asked if cannabis is legalised will the Government pay businesses compensation for employees who are unable to work following a positive drug test or change the employment legislation allowing for faster failed drug test dismissals without any recourse to personal grievance procedures?

There will be both social and economic impacts arising if there is a legalisation of cannabis. But have our legislators fully thought through all of the implications if a larger proportion of the construction workforce is unable to work at a time of economic recovery where keeping jobs and growth in a post-Covid-19 environment will be paramount? Hopefully the voting population are smarter than that.
Gary Walker is chair of the Construction Strategy Group and general manager, Fletcher Construction, buildings.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300104507/more-cannabis-use-not-what-the-construction-sector-needs?cid=app-iPhone