PARTIES IN SPAT OVER CANNABIS

WELLINGTON -- The National Party has rejected Health Minister Annette
King's proposal for Parliament's health committee to review New Zealand's
cannabis laws.

Ms King accused National leader Jenny Shipley of double standards after Mrs
Shipley said her party would resist moves to liberalise the law.

National health spokesman Wyatt Creech responded by saying Ms King was
"gutless" in wanting the multi-party committee to do the review instead of
the Government.

It was up to the Government to come up with proposals for law changes, he said.

"They've discovered that (reviewing the law) is not popular and they're
trying to shove the responsibility on to someone else. They're afraid of
the reaction."

Ms King said she had spoken to Mr Creech informally some weeks ago and
raised the possibility of the committee - which is made up of MPs from
National, Labour, the Alliance and the Greens - doing the review.

The committee would be able to review the law in a "sensible,
parliamentary" way, "rather than trying to play party politics with an
issue that's really serious", she said.

In the last term of Parliament the committee, at the instigation of
National MP Brian Neeson, held an inquiry into the health effects of
cannabis and concluded that the law should be reviewed.

Mrs Shipley pulled the plug on Ms King's suggestion yesterday.

"National's withdrawal from the review would mean the responsibility for
proposing change falls squarely on the Labour, Alliance, and Green
politicians," she said.

Ms King said despite National's stance she would write to the health
committee asking if it wanted to conduct the review. She would be appalled
if National withdrew as that would be like pulling out of Parliament.

If the committee declined her request, she would consider a ministerial
review, a committee of experts, or a review conducted by government officials.