Pubdate: Tue, 24 May 2005
Source: Otago Daily Times (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2005 Allied Press Limited
Contact:  http://www.odt.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/925
Author: Maggie Tait
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

POLITICAL SPAT OVER NEW DRUG CONTROLS

United Future Forces Change To Bill

Wellington: It will be more difficult to decriminalise cannabis under a 
change United Future has forced into a Bill regulating party pills.

The health select committee yesterday reported back the Misuse of Drugs 
Amendment Bill (No 3), originally put forward by Progressive leader Jim 
Anderton, which amends drug-related legislation.

The committee agreed low-risk substances people use to get high, such as 
benzylpiperazine (BZP), a main ingredient of some party pills that act like 
amphetamines and ecstasy, should be listed under a new restricted 
substances category.

However, to ensure cannabis could not be downgraded to a restricted 
substance, United Future warned the Government it would withdraw its 
support on confidence issues, which Labour requires to govern, unless the 
law was changed to make it more difficult to relax a drug's status.

The result was that, under the Bill, a drug's status can be upgraded by an 
order in council (which can be made when the executive, often a 
subcommittee of Cabinet, meets) but any proposal to lower a drug's status 
must go to Parliament.

"United Future will not have dangerous drugs freed up by the swipe of a 
ministerial pen at any time just to suit a minority," United Future MP Judy 
Turner said.

Greens MP Nandor Tanczos is unhappy with the change and said it stemmed 
from a fear expert advice might find cannabis to be safe.

Mr Tanczos said the change was made at the last minute, was an "entirely 
new, significant amendment to primary legislation", and was "an abuse of 
the parliamentary process". The worst aspect was that United Future had 
threatened to bring the Government down if it did not get its way.

Act New Zealand also questioned the move and said full parliamentary 
processes, including public submissions, should be required for increasing 
or decreasing drug regulation.

If the Bill is passed, substances such as BZP would be listed in a new 
schedule, which could be amended, and could be subject to restrictions and 
requirements relating to advertising, distribution, manufacturing, sale and 
supply.

The committee also recommended sales be restricted to people aged over 18.

The Bill also lowers the quantity of methamphetamine that qualifies as 
being for supply to 5g, creates new offences of importing and exporting 
precursor substances, and creates powers of search and seizure without 
warrant for precursor substances.

Act questioned whether those changes would result in high costs for 
manufacturers and importers, while the Greens were concerned about human 
rights implications of stronger search provisions.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom