CANNABIS PETITION TO TARGET SCHOOLS

A petition against cannabis will be sent to 2700 schools in a joint
National Party and School Trustees Association campaign to stop
liberalising cannabis laws. The petition takes National a step
further, after previously only opposing a select committee review of
the legislation.

The party has pushed for Left-wing parties to bring legislation to
Parliament for debate.

Yesterday, National acting leader Wyatt Creech said his party was
conservative on decriminalising cannabis ­ the first time the party
has made a firm stand on the issue.

Labour, the Greens and the Alliance two weeks ago agreed the health
select committee would review cannabis laws, possibly this year.

National education spokesman Nick Smith said young people needed
cannabis decriminalised as much as they needed a gun to their head.

"We want to mobilise New Zealand's one million parents and get the
Government to rethink."

The petition is aimed at parents and teachers and will be delivered to
Parliament in October.

It asks Parliament to abandon any move to decriminalise cannabis,
because of the drug's adverse effects on educational achievement for
the young, and instead focus on increasing the effectiveness of
education programmes, treatment for users and support for families.

Mr Smith said National was open-minded about police using diversion as
an alternative to criminal prosecution for first-time offenders.

Talk of decriminalising the law, however, was sending the message to
young people that cannabis use was all right.

"When the Prime Minister and Health Minister have openly stated they
favour decriminalisation, little wonder students defy the law.

"The Government needs to understand that every element of the
education sector ­ parents, unions, principals and Maoris ­ are united
against decriminalisation."

ACT justice spokesman Stephen Franks said yesterday that he supported
cannabis law reform but it must be done in a way that ensured school
trustees' concerns were met.

"ACT supports the trustees' initiative, as reports suggest drugs are
already reaching our children at alarming rates," he said. "But it is
unfair this action has been forced by the Government's efforts to
appease the Greens and a particular constituency."

Green party co-leader Rod Donald condemned the petition as a shameless
attempt to score cheap political points.

National was prepared to endanger further the welfare of young people
to keep support of its ultra-conservative voters, he said.

"Neither National nor the School Trustees Association has been
prepared to look at research which shows that reforming cannabis laws,
combined with properly funded education measures, significantly
reduces the rates of use, especially among youth," he said.

"Now both of these organisations will have us believe that the best
way to reduce use among youth is to stick with a system which has, to
date, encouraged young people to use cannabis and made criminals of
them along the way."