GREENS WANT DOPE ON TABLE

The high-polling Greens want the legalisation of cannabis for personal use
to be on the negotiating table during any post-election coalition talks
with Labour.

However, Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said her party would not be
making marijuana law reform a bottom-line for entering a coalition.

"There is only one bottom-line - no release of GE outside the laboratory,"
she said.

"On other matters we hope to make progress by negotiation. I can't predict
the outcome."

Her comments follow an offer from the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party not
to stand against her in highly marginal Coromandel if the Greens make
legalisation of marijuana a "fundamental issue" to be dealt with in
coalition talks with Labour.

Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party leader Michael Appleby, who talked to Ms
Fitzsimons last week, said he was not making any threats because his party
did not see the Greens as enemies. But standing remained an option.

Ms Fitzsimons took that as a threat.

"We did not make any kind of deal. I don't do deals of that kind," she
said. "I don't think it would make any difference to the electorate vote in
Coromandel. Everyone knows it is a two-horse race between me and the
National candidate."

Mr Appleby's party did not stand a candidate in Coromandel in 1999, but got
268 party votes in that seat. In some seats where it did stand, its
candidates received several hundred votes. Ms Fitzsimons' majority is 250.

So far, the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party has 11 potential candidates
for the July 27 election.

After the last election, Labour flagged the possibility of decriminalising
cannabis. However, ministers got cold feet and shunted the issue into a
select committee inquiry.