New Zealand: The Balance Tips in the Fight for Cannabis Legalisation
LATEST POLLS indicate that Kiwi support for cannabis legalisation is rising ahead of September's Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill. The bill will be put to the public in the form of a yes/no referendum alongside voting for the General Election, putting it high on the agenda in New Zealand's politics this year.
The poll showed that 56% of respondents planned to vote yes to legalization, which is up from 54% earlier this year, and 37% last year. The age group of 25-34 showed the most support for legalisation, at 72%. Elderly respondents were the most opposed, however the opposition has decreased slowly across polls over the last 2 years. The latest polI also showed that 81% of all respondents believed prohibition is not working.
However, according to New Zealand based Eqalis Pharmaceuticals Limited neither the country nor the world is ready for legalisation due to the infinitely complex nature of the cannabis plant and its effects. The Limited Managing Director of Eqalis, Greg Misson told The NZ Doctor that the "variation between different plants is significant for a novice grower, and the different components such as CBD and THC all have different medical applications." He is referring to the huge range of factors that determine a cannabis plant's medical application and effects, such as the environment it was grown in, the variation of phenotypes from a line of genetics, or how long the flowers are dried for. He is also alluding to the idea of individuals being able to grow their own cannabis supply, meaning people would consume an unregulated product with no valuable consistency.
Beyond this, Eqalis are concerned about the relatively small amount of research surrounding side effects and drug interactions. Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Plant said cannabis is "not safe for everyone. There is wide genetic variation with some people having high risk of experiencing psychotic events or impairment while taking THC. Doctors need to consider the other medications people are taking and dose accordingly to make sure there are no unintended consequences''.
Helius Therapeutics, who commissioned the polls, believes otherwise. They are poised and ready for a yes result this September. Paul Manning, Chief Executive of Helius Therapeutics says that if the upcoming bill was passed the “legislation would deliver significant tax revenue for healthcare, create jobs, and provide many opportunities for new businesses – an increasingly attractive prospect for many Kiwis given the economic fallout from Covid-19”. Furthermore, delays in providing access to cannabis means more patients are suffering or resorting to the black market while they wait. “Today, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis are accessing cannabis illicitly. Wrestling regulatory control away from the black market would bring about [the necessary] product quality”.
With an approximate 13.4% of the population using cannabis regularly according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, New Zealand is the 9th highest consumer of cannabis in the world. With opinions slowly but surely tipping towards the yes vote, we could see new legislation implemented in New Zealand before the end of the year - making it the latest country to join the worldwide legal cannabis industry.