Michael Appleby
- It has been pointed out that The terminally ill are not allowed to cultivate or import cannabis products and that it is illegal to supply the patient.
Our question to the Health Select Committee is “ How does the terminally ill patient safely obtain the ‘illicit’ cannabis, without putting family or friends from risk of jail?”
- Protections need to be put in place for the people who will supply them. The argument here is not about quality or quantity or supply or rules around policy, it is about a terminally ill patient having a defence for using illicit cannabis.
- By halting the prosecutions of the “green fairies” – it will help to reduce our shameful prison statistics and make for a more humane approach for access to cannabis. The Law Commission Report advises a health based approach rather than cannabis consumers treated as criminals. In Holland the prison population is going down whereas we are still building new prisons.
- We agree with the Green Party recommendation for a clause to be put in allowing terminally ill patients to cultivate or to have a nominated grower.
- We are the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party and advocate for a health approach for all cannabis consumers promoting regulation not criminalisation.
- Conclusion - Why are we here today? Because someone lied way back in the 1930s with Fake News about Marijuana Madness which has never been proved, for political {racist} manipulations on the Mexicans and to transfer the Alcohol Prohibition machine which was doing very nicely. It is time for honesty – to admit we as a society are wrong and that the 40 year old ‘War on drugs’ effected by the Misuse of Drugs Act is a failure, which has done nothing to stop people using cannabis, is based on fake news and caused nothing but misery in society. The rest of the world has moved on. In Colorado and Washington the Cannabis Industry is going to be worth $20 Billion dollars by 2020. We hope that these hearings will be the beginning of a new humane approach to cannabis consumers.
Maki Herbert
To The Health Select Committee
Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill
To amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975
To: Cannabis Therapeutics
“Introduce exception and statutory defence for terminally ill people to possess and use illicit cannabis and to possess a cannabis utensil; and provide a regulation making power to enable the setting of standards that products manufactured, imported and supplied under licence must meet and amend Schedule 2 of the Act so that cannabidiolic (CBD) and CBD products are no longer classed as controlled drugs. THE MEASURES ARE INTENDED TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO CANNABIS THERAPEUTICS AND ARE GUIDED BY THE PRINCIPLES OF FAIRNESS, QUALITY, SAFETY AND COMPASSION.”
60% of New Zealanders are calling for regulation instead of continuing criminalisation of those who do not have a terminal illness.
E.g: NZ Drug Foundation survey poll 2017 – total 64% favour cannabis being legalised or decriminalised for personal use: 79% favour legalisation or decriminalisation for pain relief.
As we all know that those who can afford it are able to get Sativex for a variety of non-terminal illnesses and pain. Why should those who cannot afford it be compromised and criminalised. This is neither fair nor compassionate. Such unjust law is a mockery of itself. All sufferers of illness and pain should be able to have equal access with the same defence.
Numerous studies have been done in the U.S. and around the world particularly in Israel in specialist cannabis strains suitable for a great variety of terminal and non-terminal illnesses.
The statement above introducing the Amendment Bill says “The measures are intended to improve access to medicinal cannabis …” However, contrary to this stated goal, this bill will not necessarily improve access to affordable medicinal cannabis. Until there is access to affordable legal cannabis therapeutics a lot of people who are ill and in pain are forced to go to the black market, risking a cannabis conviction and putting the PROVIDERS (green fairies) at risk of their freedom.
Such terrible punishments will not happen under a full legalisation and regulation model for cannabis.
Many people now argue that all cannabis use is medicinal.
We recommend that people should be able to grow their own for cannabis therapeutics or have a designated Provider as in overseas models; as in the Green Party’s recent Misuse of Drugs (Cannabis & Other Matters) Amendment Bill.
How could anyone deny her/his this defence? This person is so disabled that they would not be able to cope with her/him in jail. Yet cannabis brings her/his so much relief – she/he like many other disabled, in pain and ill New Zealanders should also be allowed this new proposed defence. They cannot afford Sativex or other expensive products therefore she and others like her, should be able to grow their own or have someone grow it for them.
It is very stressful for these people who are already suffering to have the fear of prosecution, persecution and discrimination hanging over their heads and be made to feel like criminals.
There have probably been thousands of wrongful arrests and convictions since 1975, creating much misery and suffering. Once you have a conviction – your life is basically ruined as it closes many doors of opportunity. Going to jail for 18 months as in the case of amputee Neville Yates for growing 13 spindly plants in his wardrobe for his pain – points out the actual evil of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 whereby the Judge was able to guess that these plants were going to turn into 160 ounces – increasing the actual amount by many times over – imaginary totals that could never be proven but because the Judge said it was so – the imaginary total was accepted and poor leg amputee Neville went to jail.
Thank you for this opportunity to have some meaningful dialogue on this very important matter. We need to go a lot further and we need to do so sooner rather than later.
The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party advocates for full legalization and regulation of cannabis – so that no one is criminalised any more for consuming medicinal or recreational cannabis.
Why are the NZ Govt. constantly 'reinventing the wheel' on this & ignoring all the 'evidence' from countries like; Australia, Canada, USA, Israel, EU etc. that have had legal cannabis for years & even decades?
Our Govt. could just license doctors or patients to order/buy medicinal 'products' including Bedrocan from overseas, if they are still pushing zero-tolerance on local Aotearoa/NZ grown/made leaf, buds, root or extracts!
One of our points about the providers of the medicine is they cannot help being a 'recidivist offender’ because a person taking cannabis daily for medicinal relief needs it daily. The provider therefore needs protection from the law as well.
No matter how many people are arrested, Cannabis Therapeutics is always going to be a Medicine…
Not all New Zealanders want Pharmacy drugs. Why? Too many side effects and so many drugs to take ...
How many people have died of overdoses from prescription drugs obtained from Doctors? Too many! Whereas cannabis therapeutics have never killed anyone!
Why should Cannabis Therapeutics be the last choice of medicine?
Cannabis therapeutics should be one of the first choices of medicine.
The reason for this is that Cannabis works, it’s safe to use when made into balm, tinctures and other products. As well as there are a lot less side effects compared to prescription drugs.
Affordability is also an issue for most of us.
A lot of us would rather use the ‘raw cannabis plant’ as there are many different types of Rongoa/ medicine you can make from the one plant ….
The link below is an interview by “The Hui” ‘green fairies…
https://www.threenow.co.nz/shows/the-hui/season-3%3A-sunday-11-march-2018/125685/M20036-380
in New Zealand we are allowed to grow our Tobacco and make our own alcohol and not allowed to sell … this could be the same for Cannabis Therapeutics ….
Cannabis shouldn’t be a criminal issue, all drugs are Health related and should be treated as such. We spend far too much on enforcing the Prohibition Law – $400,000.00 per year!
Prisons:
Imagine this:
As we know our New Zealand government want to build more prisons …. Why?....
If we reverse all Cannabis convictions (were there hasn’t been any violence) there will be no need to build any more prisons and we would save the NZ taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars …
Auckland South Correctional Facility which opened in 2015 cost the taxpayer $300 million to build!