MPS GET STEAMED UP ABOUT CANNABIS

Labour and National traded insults yesterday after National rejected
Health Minister Annette King's proposal for Parliament's health
committee to review New Zealand's cannabis laws.

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

National health spokesman Wyatt Creech responded by saying Mrs King
was "gutless" in wanting the multi-party committee to carry out 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."

Mrs 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 - carrying out 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".

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 Mrs King's suggestion yesterday, saying
the Government should put proposals to Parliament.

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

"I intend to campaign vigorously against any change that would signal
liberalisation."

Mrs King said Mrs Shipley had herself proposed a partial
decriminalisation of cannabis laws only fortnight ago.

Under Mrs Shipley's proposal, presented to a National Party
conference, people caught with small amounts of cannabis would receive
diversion on their first two offences if they were committed to giving
up the drug.

Mrs Shipley was trying to suggest that Labour had already made up its
mind to decriminalise cannabis.

"That's impossible. We don't know whether a review will tell us
whether we ought to decriminalise. It may say no change ... may
suggest change to the proposal she has suggested," Mrs King, said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has proposed a system of instant fines for
possession of small amounts of cannabis, and the Green Party wants
possession for personal use decriminalised.

Neither Labour nor the Government officially supports
decriminalisation.

Mrs King said despite National's stance she would write to the health
committee asking if it wanted to conduct the review. She said she
would be appalled if National withdrew.

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