GOVT RULES OUT MOVES TO LEGALISE CANNABIS

The Government has ruled out any move to legalise cannabis until more
research into its health effects is done.

Associate Health Minister Roger Sowry has dismissed a report from a group
of doctors and professionals which has called on the Government to legalise
the drug and take control of the market.

The report from the Drug Policy Forum Trust says such a move would protect
public health and minimise cannabis abuse.

But Mr Sowry said he was disappointed the report did not address or
acknowledge the harmful effects of cannabis use.

"It is well known amongst health professionals that cannabis use can have
ill effects on people's mental state, particularly when they are
intoxicated or where they have taken another drug in combination with
cannabis, yet this report ignores that," he said. "I believe that it would
not be in the public interest to decriminalise cannabis while there are
real question marks about the safety of its use.

"I have no intention of supporting decriminalisation in any way while such
questions remain unanswered," Mr Sowry said.

His views were echoed by a number of MPs from the Wellington region spoken
to by The Post.

Only ACT list MP Ken Shirley, who has tried the drug, said the report
backed what he already believed. "I still think the current laws are a
nonsense and to a large extent counterproductive. The qualifications of
the people on the trust are beyond dispute."

Alliance list MP Phillida Bunkle said her personal view was that there were
not enough facts to make a final judgment on the drug, but it was an issue
governments were going to have to face.

Ms Bunkle has asked the parliamentary select committee on health to
investigate the mental health effects of cannabis. It was to decide the
terms of reference today.

Mana MP Graham Kelly said while he was against the drug being legalised, he
would keep an open mind on the issue.

Ohariu-Belmont MP Peter Dunne, who tried cannabis as a student, said his
party did not support decriminalisation, but believed it was time the issue
was properly debated.

Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard said more research was needed.

Rimutaka MP Paul Swain, Otaki MP Judy Keall and New Zealand First MP
Deborah Morris were opposed to decriminalisation.

Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Holyoake, crime and operations, said he
did not agree with the report. "Police do not support the
decriminalisation of cannabis and I believe considerably more research and
analysis is required before such a step is seriously considered," he said.

Drug Policy Forum Trust head Dr David Hadorn accused Mr Sowry of putting up
smokescreens and stalling on the issue of cannabis law reform. He said
there was plenty of research, which he had sent to Mr Sowry, which showed
the health effects of cannabis were no worse than alcohol or tobacco.

He said legalising cannabis would make it easier to educate and deal with
health problems, which he said were being driven underground by current
laws.

Forum trustees are Dr Robin Briant, Auckland Hospital senior physician; Dr
Peter Crampton, Health Services Research Centre research fellow; Professor
Fred Fastier, University of Otago emeritus pharmacology; Amster Reedy,
Maori scholar; Professor Norman Sharpe, Auckland Medical School medicine
department head; Helen Shaw, educationalist; and Professor Warren Young,
Victoria University professor of law.