POLICE 'OPEN-MINDED' ON CANNABIS LAW CHANGE

The police admit traditional tactics for dealing with cannabis have not
worked and are "open-minded" about decriminalisation of the drug.

Assistant Commissioner Ian Holyoake yesterday told a parliamentary select
committee investigating the mental health effects of cannabis that police
opposed full legalisation, but decriminalisation warranted further
investigation.

The National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws welcomed Mr
Hoyloake's comments and called on police to immediately adopt a new approach
to cannabis control.

"Our ideal scenario would be that they stop arresting cannabis users right
now," said a spokesman for the group, Chris Fowlie.

"Even without changing the law police could say, 'We are going to maker
personal use of [cannabis] a low priority."

Mr Fowlie said the Assistant Commissioner's comments were a public
acknowledgement of the failure of the traditional approach to cannabis
control. "this is the most profound piece of common sense they have said in
the past 30 years."

Mr Holyoake signalled that police were ready to support instant fines for
cannabis use, to take away the stigma of criminal charges.

A police spokeswoman, Kaye Calder, said last night that police continued to
oppose legalisation of cannabis.

"That would purvey a message to people that cannabis is a safe drug and we
believe it isn't.

"But we do acknowledge that the traditional crime control response to
cannabis use hasn't reduced significantly the number of cannabis users, to
strategies must comprise a health component as well as law enforcement and
education."

She said that although police were open-minded on the issue of
decriminalisation, "we would be concerned if that was the only response to
what we see as a very complex social behavioural problem."

Police would continue to support drug resistance education programmes for youth.

Mr Holyoake told the select committee that if cannabis use was fully
legalised, criminals would deal in some other substance.

Police put about $20 million of an $800 million budget into policing related
to cannabis offences.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett