New Zealand’s cannabis future remains hazy at best
New Zealand is well on the path to a progressive cannabis future, or at least, so the headlines would have you believe.
Bold headlines like, New Zealand to vote on cannabis legalization popped up as the NZ government finally gave details on the much anticipated referendum on cannabis and related medicinal products (now set to coincide with the country’s 2020 general elections).
The announcement by NZ Justice Minister, Andrew Little, followed a rather embarrassing cabinet leak earlier in May which indicated that the government was unsure about how to proceed with the process. Not only that, but the leak showed that there is still strong opposition in parliament to the legalization of cannabis.
In the hurried statement, Little indicated that a draft law would likely include prohibitions linked to age of consumption, advertising and acceptable places of use. However his announcement was scant of details regarding legislative timelines and more worryingly, whether the outcome would be truly binding.
Minister Little said that “the voters’ choice will be binding because all of the parties that make up the current Government have committed to abide by the outcome”. However this is far from having a binding referendum, as the outcome of the referendum would only trigger a vote in parliament.
With strong challenges from opponents such as the National Party, there is no guarantee that a “Yes” vote in the public referendum, would actually result in pro-cannabis legislation in the near future.
Despite the positive spin by media outlets, the reality is that NZ as a state is still very confused about the future of cannabis and related products.
NZ finds itself at a strange crossroads, in 2011 the health ministry proudly announced a bold goal, Smokefree 2025. An initiative aimed at reducing the negative impacts of tobacco related products, especially on the native Maori population.
2018 rolls around and the medicinal use of cannabis was approved through an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs act. A move which, understandably, confused the average person on the street who would confuse the smoking of tobacco with the smoking of cannabis products.
In fact this confusion is one of the major sticking points which cannabis advocates such as the Green Party’s Chlöe Swarbrick have to often deal with in pushing for both a parliamentary and public change in mindset
The average NZ parliamentarian, let alone the common person on the street, is far from being educated about the effects of both tobacco and cannabis, an education gap which may play into the hands of those opposing the cannabis revolution.
It is this knowledge gap that the NZ government should be working to narrow if they are sincere in their mission to provide citizens with the option of the medicinal benefits from cannabis and related products.
As it stands right now it appears that the leadership is merely playing politics and tactically managing the pro-cannabis pressure from the public as well the Green party and others.
The cannabis industry remains a potential boom industry, with the global cannabis market being estimated to be worth over US$14 billion in 2018 and expected to touch US$90 billion by 2024. Numbers which have spurred on progressive entrepreneurs across the world, with NZ not being an exception.
Biotechnology firms such as Helius Therapeutics and Hikurangi Enterprises are leading the push into cannabis related medicinal products, despite the uncertainty by the government and legislature in NZ.
Speaking to Idealog, following the amendments to the Misuse of Drugs act in 2018, co-founder of Helius Therapeutics was bullish about the nation’s future in the cannabis economy:
I think it’s likely that New Zealand will follow the path of other developed countries like Canada, the US and Australia. Whilst there are differences in each country’s approach, the fundamental concept is to make cannabis accessible to people for medicinal purposes and develop a local producer industry. I anticipate this will eventually lead to an opportunity to export New Zealand’s medicinal-grade cannabis products to the world, bolstering our economy.
Only time will tell if, or more importantly, how quickly NZ will be able to establish a safe and competitive cannabis market. However current indications are that the government is taking a very cautious approach to a very fast growing market.
This piece was written as an independent opinion piece on the current legal challenges facing the cannabis market in New Zealand. The Throwne Consulting Group had no ties to any parties or organizations mentioned at the time of this article’s publication
