Wellington, New Zealand: Members of Parliament will debate legislation that seeks to allow authorized patients to use cannabis therapeutically. The proposal, backed by the Green Party, would allow physician-supervised medical cannabis patients authorized to register with the government and be issued an identification card exempting them from criminal arrest.
“Strict regulation of medicinal cannabis and supervision of use by a doctor will allow patients access to an effective medicine and prevent the unjust conviction of those for whom it provides relief from their illness,” the Green Party stated in a press release.
Cannabis offenses comprise 80 percent of all drug arrests in New Zealand. Statistics indicate that New Zealand law enforcement arrest a greater percentage of their citizens for marijuana violations than any other nation.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.norml.org.nz