CANNABIS POLICY

Sir - Jenny Shipley has been quoted as saying: "we must decide whether
moving the boundary [of cannabis laws], muddling the message, and
increasing the number of New Zealanders who use cannabis, will add to
our over-all well-being or simply create greater problems".

Why on earth would Mrs Shipley assume that law reform will lead to an
increase in the numbers of cannabis-smoking New Zealanders? I can
think of two cases where liberalisation has lead to a statistically
measurable decrease in dope smoking. The first is Amsterdam (anyone
who says that this city faces worsening drug-related problems is plain
wrong). The second is California, where after the medical marijuana
law was passed, a survey found that use among 16-year-olds leveled off
(while on the east coast they continued to rise). Against the national
average this can be considered a decrease.

The only one "muddling the message" here is Mrs Shipley.

S.McINTYRE