Pubdate: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 Source: Cook Straight News (New Zealand) Address: PO Box 13-089, Johnsonville, New Zealand Contact: Jim Chipp MOSES CHALLENGES TANCZOS OVER CANNABIS CONUNDRUM Wellington College head Roger Moses has challenged Green MP Nandor Tanczos to meet principals to discuss cannabis law reform. The occasion was a public debate between Mr Tanczos and Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton at the Johnsonville Community Centre on Wednesday evening that attracted 150 people. "Day in, day out, we are faced with young people who are de-motivated and dropped out," Mr Moses said. "Yes, your arguments are plausible, (but) I don't think they are credible." Mr Tanczos readily accepted Mr Moses' challenge. There was no winner on the podium, and nor was there a popular winner with an animated audience apparently evenly divided. Mr Tanczos detailed the long history of cannabis use in New Zealand beginning with its introduction for medicinal purposes by Sister Mary Aubert to her Whanganui River-based order. Most submissions to Parliament's Health Select Committee review of cannabis law favoured decriminalisation, he said. "This is not a radical issue. "This is a mainstream issue that has the support of a majority of New Zealanders." One area of agreement between Mr Tanczos, Mr Anderton and the audience was that the law's focus ought to be the protection of teenagers. "Where problems do happen, a harm-reduction approach is what is needed," Mr Tanczos said. While cannabis possession is a crime, college students caught with it are usually suspended or expelled to stay at home, where they might spend their time smoking cannabis. "The best thing we can do is keep young people within education...prohibition makes education and harm-reduction difficult." Mr Anderton said the law should focus on one group and one group only: "The young people of this country." He was a wowser who did not drink until he was 30, and has never smoked cannabis, he added. "Drugs are not a life-enhancing lifestyle choice. Quite the opposite is true." Mr Anderton ridiculed a recent Green Party campaign against unhealthy foods. "How on earth you can denounce breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks, and then want cannabis decriminalised, I don't know. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart