VIEWS ON DECRIMINALISATION

Jenny Shipley: She says she has never smoked cannabis.

Anne Tolley: "No, I have never smoked it. I would vote no. It's something
we have to look at. We have to face up to it. I just don't think the
solution is to bring it out into the community."

Katherine Rich: "Yes, unlike the Prime Minister, I'm prepared to admit I
have smoked it. I do not now. Prior to politics, my views were fairly
liberal. After talking to the police, social, health, and mental health
service, and the head of Hanmer Springs, my views have changed slightly. I
would err on the side of caution."

Gerry Brownlee: "I have never smoked cannabis, and I don't support
decriminalisation. A better way of dealing with it is to put a limit on the
amount of time it stays on your record - maybe five years.

"I dispute the extent to which people say usage is prevalent in the community.

"The Government has taken a fairly precious approach to tobacco smoking,
but it seems to be saying that marijuana smoking is not so bad."

Bob Simcock: "Yes, I have smoked it. No I do not now. I am against
decriminalisation. I would be quite supportive, however, of a diversion
scheme where first offenders escape conviction if they go to counselling
and education programmes."

Roger Sowry: He has not decided how he would vote.

Wyatt Creech: He would vote against decriminalisation.

Richard Worth: "I have never smoked cannabis. The party position has been
not to support law change."

Max Bradford: "Do I look like a person that smokes dope? I have never
smoked it. I am opposed to decriminalisation. The fact that a lot of young
people are doing it is not a good reason, particularly when there's enough
evidence that it fries kids' brains."

Tony Steel: "No, I have never smoked cannabis. The public will interpret
decriminalisation as making the smoking of cannabis legal. I will vote
against cannabis decriminalisation.

THE ALLIANCE

Jim Anderton: He has never smoked cannabis, and would vote against
decriminalisation, but he might support allowing minor drug offences to be
wiped from a person's criminal record after a certain amount of time. "I've
seen too much very serious, debilitating, and, in the end terminal, effects
from marijuana."

John Wright: "No, I have never smoked. I used to smoke it second hand when
I worked as a barman from 1976 to 1978. The place was full of it. I will
listen to the arguments and make up my mind. I've had people assure me it's
safe and harmless, and others tell me it's extremely damaging.

"I suspect that, like a lot of these arguments, the truth lies somewhere in
between."

THE GREENS

Rod Donald: He last smoked at least a decade ago. He would support
legalisation for adults for personal use, so that the police could go after
the pushers and pedlars. Education programmes would promote the drug-free
lifestyle as the healthiest.

Keith Locke: "No, I have never smoked cannabis. The Green Party supports
decriminalisation."

Nandor Tanczos: "I only use it as part of my faith as a Rasta. I don't use
it recreationally. I use it in small amounts maybe once a month." He
supports his party's policies on law reform.

NEW ZEALAND FIRST

Winston Peters: "New Zealand First will support a referendum on this issue
and, depending on the outcome, will ensure that the law is upheld or
changed accordingly."

Peter Brown: "Put simply, cannabis is a drug that is known to have adverse
effect on a person's health and their mental well-being. Drugs and
excessive alcohol are behind much of our crime. Most hard users started by
smoking cannabis. Education and age prohibition have limited effect."

UNITED

Peter Dunne: "I do not smoke cannabis, although I did try it when I was a
university student in the 1970s.

"United New Zealand does not support the decriminalisation of cannabis. I
would vote against decriminalisation."

LABOUR

Helen Clark: She is on record as favouring a system of instant fines for
cannabis misdemeanours. In the past her response to the question as to
whether she has smoked cannabis has been to point out she attended
university in the 1960s.

Annette King: She smoked cannabis in her younger years.

Pete Hodgson: "Yes, I have smoked cannabis, some decades ago. I gave it up.
I didn't enjoy it.

"I have felt for the last 10 years that New Zealand should embrace some
form of decriminalisation. It would reduce the waste of police time, and
the chance of people having a criminal record for minor offences, and
increase the prospects of good safety and health programmes. It's difficult
to have good programmes when to admit smoking is to admit a criminal offence."

Tim Barnett: "No, I do not smoke cannabis. I would prefer the debate to
focus on the degree of regulation on cannabis. Criminalising young users
does nothing to deal with what is initially a health issue. I would vote
for a law which places cannabis on the same place in the regulatory system
as alcohol and tobacco.

"In doing this, we need to examine the difference between the three
substances, including the damaging impact of cannabis use on young people
prone to some types of mental illness, and the harmful impact of cannabis
on education or the workplace."

Clayton Cosgrove: He has never smoked cannabis. "I do not believe that the
mooted educational campaign on the health risks of smoking cannabis will do
one bit of good. There is the recent example of lowering the drinking age
for alcohol, with a resulting sharp upsurge in reported teen drunkenness,
to consider if we want to debate the merits of age restrictions and education.

"It is common sense to expect a similar result with any attempt to
liberalise cannabis law. I will vote against decriminalisation in a
conscience vote."

Geoff Braybrooke: "No, I have never smoked cannabis. I would not support
decriminalisation."

Ross Robertson: "I voted conservatively on the alcohol issue, and I am also
likely to be conservative on the issue of cannabis."

* The following Labour MPs said a caucus policy prevented them from
replying to surveys: David Cunliffe, John Tamihere, Graham Kelly.

Labour's Marian Hobbs, Judith Tizard, Ruth Dyson, and Martin Gallagher
declined to participate.