PART OF THE MEANING OF THE WORD ADULT IS SELF-RESPONSIBILITY

New Zealanders with more than a kneejerk reaction to cannabis laws are
likely to agree on three things: as with tobacco and alcohol, those under
18 should be discouraged from its use; not all adult cannabis use is
abusive; and prohibition laws are a spectacular failure.

Within those parameters it is not unreasonable to consider that New Zealand
has the wrong approach to dealing with cannabis abuse.

In line with a pre-election Labour promise, a parliamentary select
committee is hearing public submissions, from individuals and
organisations, on marijuana's use and restrictions.

By a rare coincidence, Green Party member Nandor Tanczos' private member's
bill seeking permission for industrial hemp-growing won a legislative
ballot and has been simultaneously referred to another select committee.

Hemp is the church-going cousin of marijuana ­ the raw material for a range
of innocuous products and so insignificantly hallucinogenic that bona fide
cannabis growers and smokers would be horrified at the risk of
cross-pollination.

However, the hemp bill's progress through the parliamentary system is
modestly supportive of the much more controversial issue of
decrimin-alising adult marijuana use, also being advocated by the
dreadlocked Rastafarian Greenie, Mr Tanczos.

The major thrust of those seeking the right for smokers to grow their own
cannabis, for personal use and not sale, is realism.

Even avowed non-smokers will be tempted by the argument that police time
wasted hunting commercial plantations, and processing traders and users,
could be better used catching the criminals who more immediately make
honest people's lives a misery.

The police spend more than $20 million a year on cannabis crimes, with no
evidence that use is being remotely discouraged.

On the contrary, prohibition keeps the price high, which attracts serious
criminals and gangs to the potentially big profits. There is also evidence
of the forbidden-fruit syndrome.

Ten American states that have decriminalised marijuana over the last 30
years report no increased use. Netherlands' consumption rates are said to
be less than half New Zealand's.

With MPs in all parties divided over the issue, and a conscience vote
looming, it seems likely this country's laws will be eased, with the debate
centring on how much users can grow and how police will measure
dope-smoking drivers.

But in all of the discussion, a much bigger element is being overlooked:
drugs that make cannabis look positively homespun are being synthesised and
will soon be flooding the market. These can be combated only with honesty
and education.

Life is full of dangerous temptations, none of them less attractive by
being illegal. Part of the meaning of the word adult is self-responsibility.