CANNABIS AND THE LAW: WILL IT BE CHANGED

Wellington, June 3 - It's quite good entertainment, and it's free.
Come to committee room G005 in Parliament, and before your eyes will
unfold the inquiry into the use of cannabis.

This is being conducted by the multi-party health committee, and its
brief is to develop "strategies relating to cannabis use".

It was obvious from day one last week that the focus was going to be
on whether or not adults using cannabis, or possessing it or growing
it for their own use, should continue to be convicted of a criminal
offence or convicted of any offence.

The committee has hundreds of submissions in front of it and expects
hearings to last for at least two months. It plans to report to
Parliament by the end of the year.

And then what? Very likely, not much. It is a polarising issue and
the Government would be reluctant to allow it to go to a vote before
the next election.

Even if it did, it would be a conscience issue in which all MPs would
be able to vote any way they wanted. It would be a distraction from
the usual election year hype which governments indulge in as they
promote their own policies and seek to retain power.

The inquiry should really be handled by the justice committee, but
after considerable dispute among the various parties represented in
Parliament the Government got its way and put it in front of the
health committee.

The aim was to take the heat out of the issue, hence the "strategies
relating to cannabis" brief.

The Green Party has driven the need for an inquiry and the Government
agreed to it, because it needs the Green vote in Parliament. The
Greens were quick off the blocks, coming up early on the first day of
the inquiry with their submission fronted by Rastafarian MP Nandor
Tanzcos.

Tanzcos has said he sometimes smokes cannabis for religious reasons,
although he has never explained exactly what those reasons are.

The Greens believe people over 18 should be allowed personal use of
cannabis, and to possess and grow small amounts for their own use
without criminal penalty.

The party put in an impressive 19-page written submission, packed
with statistics designed to show that current law (prohibition) was
not working so something should be done about it.

The Greens, and other submissioners, threw figures around without
much concern about proving how valid they were.

Some were valid, like figures showing police spending on cannabis law
enforcement doubled from $12.6 million in 1992 to $21.1 million in
1997.

But the submission also said that during that period cannabis use
increased. The point they try to make is that spending more and more
money on policing the law is ineffective.

One of the problems in dealing with this issue is this: how does
anyone really know how many people use cannabis?

The Greens, for example, said in their submission that the use of
cannabis in New Zealand was twice as high as in Jamaica.

How on earth does anyone know how many Jamaicans use cannabis? For
that matter, how on earth does anyone know how many New Zealanders
use cannabis?

Perhaps there could be a question added to the next census. Are you
using any illegal drug and/or supplying it, an offence which could
lead to prosecution and a jail sentence. Tick YES or NO.

The Greens were strongly supported, not surprisingly, by the Aotearoa
Legalise Cannabis Party.

Its leader is 54-year-old lawyer Michael Appleby, (BA LLB LLM Hons),
barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, to quote
from the submission. This point is made because it is unusual to find
such a person in the position he holds.

Appleby, highly articulate, had a lot to say for himself and his
party. "Everywhere I go, average Kiwis tell me to persist in the
political campaign and agree that mere decriminalisation, (with
attendant fines and subsequent convictions for those who can't pay
the fines), does not go far enough," he said in his submission.

"It is the poorer members of society who will suffer if cannabis is
merely decriminalised, instead of being legalised for personal use
for those over 18."

He also said he had conducted surveys and believed at least 50
percent of lawyers had smoked cannabis at some time.

The education sector is going to have a lot to say as the inquiry proceeds.

So far only the Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools has
presented a submission, saying classroom experience was that cannabis
use among students had a devastating effect on learning abilities.

"Cannabis is the third most widely used drug in New Zealand. The two
most commonly used drugs are alcohol and tobacco, both of which are
legal," the association said.

"Given the harm they do to many individuals, together with the
financial costs and the indirect damage to our society, it seems most
unlikely they would be made legal if they were discovered today.

"Why add a third harmful legal drug to the two we are already burdened with."

Community organisation WellTrust, which works with schools, delivered
a similar message and warned of a growing problem among students.

The main problem the promoters of decriminalisation seem to have,
after one day of hearings, is that they agree young people should not
smoke cannabis.

This led National MP Roger Sowry, a member of the committee, to say
that he did not see how allowing adults to use it would discourage
people under 18.

Watch for more to come.