CANNABIS IS NO CRIME SAYS AUCKLAND DJ

It's a simple message contained on a couple of postcards that hundreds of
Southlanders are keen to spread.

Auckland DJ Graham Watson has been campaigning for the decriminalisation of
cannabis since 1986. He spends a month and a half each year touring New
Zealand to spread the Universities of NZ Norml message.

This year, it's even more urgent.

Strictly speaking, submissions to a health committee into cannabis closed
on Wednesday but Mr Watson has had the nod that any carrying Thursday's
postmark would be accepted.

"It has to be posted today," he said.

He estimated at least 200 of the cards had been picked up by Esk Street
shoppers since he set up on the pavement on Wednesday.

The submissions called for the immediate removal of any penalties for
personal cannabis use, cultivation or possession of small sale amounts.
They also wanted to wipe people's existing cannabis convictions.

From today, he'll be handing out a new postcard, destination, Southland MPs.

Norml was so confident the committee would recommend reform it had prepared
postcards to MPs warning them to act on the recommendation or lose the vote
of the undersigned, Mr Watson said.

Norml wants restrictions on cannabis aligned to those in place for alcohol
and tobacco.

"We are people who enjoy the sensation that we get when we ingest cannabis,
whether it is eating or smoking it. We enjoy that effect and we think we
should be allowed that option."