By Jon Hiltz

 

This week’s big announcement that New Zealand will be holding a referendum by 2020 to determine if the nation will have legal cannabis for all adults has overshadowed the incoming Labour-led government’s pledge to allow cannabis as medicine in the coming weeks.

“The Labour Party committed to medicinal cannabis in the first 100 days,” said Green Party Health Spokesperson and Member of Parliament Julie Anne Genter in an interview with Marijuana.com. “As you know, I have a bill on the medicinal use of cannabis. I’m hopeful that, effectively, the government will pick up my bill and progress it.”

Although Genter says it is not yet clear what will happen to her bill, the Labour Party has, at the very least, made the commitment to legalize medical cannabis by Feb. 2, 2018.

As for the pending referendum on adult-use pot, Genter says it will essentially be a vote where the citizens of New Zealand will simply agree or disagree with the idea. “The specifics of the question will be very important and the Prime Minister has indicated there will be public consultation on the question,” said Genter.

“I believe [the government’s] other coalition partner, the New Zealand First Party, was also interested in a referendum on cannabis use. I think it will be all three parties contributing and there will be public input into what the question will be and what the timing of the referendum will be.”

Genter added that when the vote happens, she expects the population of New Zealand will be in favor of legal adult-use cannabis. “I wouldn’t be surprised because many polls have shown that there is majority support for either legalization or decriminalization. There is certainly huge majority support for the legalization of medicinal cannabis.”

A recent poll commissioned by the New Zealand Drug Foundation showed that 65 percent of Kiwis support either decriminalization or legalization while 83 percent of respondents agreed with the legalization of medical marijuana.

Although Genter is in support of legalized adult-use cannabis for New Zealand, she is unsure as to how the actual framework will take shape when it is implemented. “I think that will be determined through the process of the referendum question. We will probably have to outline options for a legal regulated market and possibly decriminalization will be an option. I think it’s too early to say.”

Genter added that she would like to see a “legal regulated market that is enabling people to produce here in New Zealand, and consume in a responsible way.” She also does not want the process to be overly driven by big companies.

“I’m actually really interested to see what Canada does in this space. I think the outcome of Canada’s law change on this will be really pertinent to New Zealand.”

Regardless of how cannabis reform will be executed in the Kiwi nation, these latest developments show incredible progress for a country that, for many years, seemed stagnant on marijuana freedoms.