Pubdate: Tue, 14 Nov 2000
Source: Evening Post (New Zealand)
Copyright: Wellington Newspapers (2000) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.evpost.co.nz/

CANNABIS RUINING TOWNSHIPS, FORUM TOLD

The use of cannabis has devastated small communities in areas such as 
Northland, a speaker told a cannabis law reform forum in Wellington 
on Monday.

Ngahau Davis, a community worker in Moerewa in the Far North, said 
the lessons of why children and teenagers should not become involved 
in cannabis use were all about them.

"I don't have to scaremonger. I just say to them 'go home, look 
around, do you want to carry on?'"

Mr Davis disagreed with another speaker's suggestion that violence 
was not a feature of the black market.

"In the world I come from, people die."

He urged people to visit his community and speak to his people before 
making any decisions on cannabis laws.

The forum of more than 50 people at the National Library included 
politicians, educators, academics, social workers and cannabis users 
in a 2-1/2-hour discussion on how to reduce the harm caused by 
cannabis use.

Chris France, of the Education Accord, said that in the past 
financial year, 1506 students were suspended for drug use.

The problem was not declining and schools needed resources to deal 
with it, he said.

"What is missing are the resources in human and funding terms to deal 
with today's societal problems in tomorrow's schools with yesterday's 
money that did not account for today's cannabis problems."

Max Abbott, dean of the health studies faculty at Auckland University 
of Technology, argued that the law should be changed so possession of 
small amounts of cannabis for personal use was not a criminal offence.

"Relative to other legal drugs and some forms of gambling, the known 
health costs of moderate cannabis use are insignificant and treating 
cannabis differently from more harmful (legal) substances and 
activities is hypocritical and illogical."
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