Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

22 May 2006

Cannabis Party declares Vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Government

New Zealand's legalise cannabis party has little faith in the Labour Government's latest annual budget. Party Leader Michael Appleby is concerned that the government was so focused on road-building without a complementary emphasis on fuel policy. Phasing out our dependence on fossil fuels would be helped by increasing locally-sourced 'greenhouse-neutral' biofuels.

The bulk celluose in hemp is an ideal source of ethanol and biodiesel, without even using the valuable seed which is THC free and nutritionally rich, containing essential fatty acids Omega 3 & 6. Mr Appleby also suggested that the stalk from all the cannabis "grown and blown" in New Zealand could be beneficially pooled into the biofuel resource.

In their latest budget the Government is also funding one thousand extra police to help combat crime. But at the same time they continue to manufacture crime through their support for prohibition policy and thus New Zealand's irrepressible illicit trade in the popular herb.

"The 1000 police would not be needed if the criminality was taken out of cannabis use," said Mr Appleby. "Changing this hypocritical law would also help combat the current resistance that is all too evident amongst youth to government health promotion efforts surrounding the use of alcohol and other drugs."

The National Drug Policy (currently open for public submissions http://www.ndp.govt.nz) acknowledges that at least 14% of surveyed Kiwis are marijuana consumers. As many as 20,000 p.a. of these Kiwis are suffering cannabis criminal convictions. Estimates of the size of the domestic market have been put at one billion dollars p.a. – the equivalent of 100 tonnes of cannabis buds - at $300 for 30g.

Government has been well aware for the last decade that there is no evidence that criminalisation is limiting use, and no evidence that there is a risk of a significant increase in use if cannabis was decriminalized, (Cannabis the public health issues, MOH 1995-96, p40).

"The reason they are not changing the cannabis laws is not because of the evidence but because of a political agreement" says the Party. "They held the inquiry, heard the evidence and then shelved it because they didn’t like the legislative implication - there is actually no evidence that supports continuing total prohibition of cannabis."

The fact that there was no policing of hundreds of blatant 'civil disobedience' cases - at rallies all around the country - marking International J Day recently shows that the law is hollow and fraudulent.

ENDS

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