The Law Commission has just released its issues paper on the Misuse of Drugs Act (MoDA), titled Controlling and Regulating Drugs.
This paper (all 400 pages of it) is the result of two years’ work after the Labour Government invited the Law Commission to start work on a review of the MoDA.
Still need to read through it. Some key areas of interest and no doubt debate include:
- No change to the law regarding the large-scale profiting from dealing in drugs.
- A new framework for dealing with new psycho-active substances – essentially prohibition until appropriately analysed and regulated.
- Potential for changes in the way possession is dealt with – especially looking at greater use of diversion and treatment rather than conviction.
- Potential for differential response to ‘social supply’ and dealing for profit.
- Greater resources for treatment.
- ‘Civil Detention’ – ie compulsory treatment where it is believed this is appropriate and only as last resort.
Worth having a good read of this to take it all in.
Lianne Dalziel and I are as keen to hear your thoughts as the Law Commission is.
Consultation closes 30 April 2010.
Update: Simon Power rejects medicinal cannabis use.
Iain, we like the very considered options outlined in the report. Some of our views are outlined in a press release (http://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/media/modernising-new-zealands-drug-law) Let’s just hope the country is up for a mature conversation about this.
Gah. Civil detention looks pretty nasty, even if its an improvement on (less nasty than) the current law.
According 3News, the present government has rejected it out of hand. Didn’t even bother reading it.
George will be seething….
Very disappointing of Power and Co. to dismiss this instantly after two years work, but also declare a “war on drugs”.
Very disappointing.
Nats are to boxed in by their tough on crime mantra. They may even have convinced themselves, while trying to con the country, that tougher sentences = less crime and more safety. There is no evidence of either. I hope Labour will have the balls to avoid this populist rhetoric and actually start looking, and rethinking crime and punishment, to address the issues that will actually reduce crime. This report is a start in one area… shame the govt wont even read it.
I’d love to see Labour stand up and say “we’ll follow these sensible recomendations”. Been a while since I’ve felt proud of my party!
The reaction of the Nats is no surprise. I would like to see something better from labour, but won’t hold my breath.
The real shame, IMO, is that the Law Commission was tasked with a frist principles review of drug policy and succeeded only in mild tinkering with the discredited legislative framework.
They took it as axiomatic that commercial distribution of eg cannabis should remain illegal and harshly prosecuted. The evidence, on the other hand, indicates that taxing and regulating the market is the most effective way of reducing drug related harms. They may not have come to that conclusion but the clear impression left by the report is that they failed to even properly consider the option. A dereliction of their duty as a supposedly non-political advisory body.
decades of [mostly USA-sponsored] propaganda shonky govt-funded research & demonisation to overcome here – Key & Power keen to keep this egregious mess of bigotry intact.Fact -USA spent$$$$1.4 BILLION yes BILLION on just anti-pot propaganda btn 1998 & 2008 then spent $43 million to evaluate the program – founnd it to be counter-productive -hid that- & continued the program – as they say `go figure` . Dalziel in her press release didnt seem to keen on a direction change.What a pathetic nonsense this all is in a supposedly rational science based culture.
I use cannabis as a medicine simply because it is more effective than pharma drugs. Why is it that the legal drugs have side effects and long term use can cause further symptoms yet they say we aren’t allowed to use cannabis for the very same reasons?
We have tried to reason with the National Party on this to no avail, we tried the last govt, same deal, there is no point in you labour supporters trying to take a higher moral ground on this if you keep pandering to the likes of the Progressives with idiotic coalition agreements so a minority party gets majority say. When are we going to get a govt with balls who will stand up and allow medical users the right to use whatever helps them??
Better be careful when burning my lawn clippings, they might be deemed as a weed & outlawed !! Shame on this narrow minded ‘Govt’.. Kia-ora
@ Mark – yeah, I think people should be able to have medicinal cannabis.