Tobacco Industry's Funding of LIFE Education Trust Shows Hypocrisy of Drug Education Group

"The revelation that drug education group Life Education Trust is getting financial support from the tobacco industry shows just how hypocritical the group's opposition to cannabis law reform really is", said NORML President Chris Fowlie today.

"Trevor Grice's bias in favour of society's most dangerous drugs is really starting to show", said Mr Fowlie. "After all, this is the same man who has lied about cannabis being genetically engineered, who wrongly says cannabis is twenty times more potent that it used to be, and tells high school children that alcohol is a "good drug" because it releases inhibitions and promotes social interaction.

"Considering the number of rapes and violent incidents that occur in this country as a direct result of alcohol use, that's a pretty scary thing for him to be telling our young folk."

Mr Fowlie said that New Zealand drug education groups are for the most part doing a poor job in reducing teenager's demand for both legal and illegal drugs. "Is it any wonder when these so-called drug education groups are being directly funded by the alcohol and tobacco industries? Kids see right through that sort of hypocrisy", said Mr Fowlie.

NORML accepts that throughout history people have always wanted to use use mind-altering substances, and therefore promotes policies that will minimise harm and most delay the starting age of any drug use. The Dutch have had great success in achieving this by licensing cannabis cafes to remove the cannabis trade from organised crime and put it in a controlled and regulated "adults-only" enviroment. Dutch figures for cannabis use by minors are approximately a third of those for New Zealand.

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