NO CANNABIS COMPROMISE

Wellington: Keeping cannabis illegal was a bottom line for United Future and it
would not help any party that planned to legalise the drug form a government,
leader Peter Dunne said yesterday.

Parliament's health committee has looked at the health effects of cannabis but
last week failed to decide whether the drug's legal status should be changed.

It said Parliament's justice committee should decide the "appropriate" legal
status of cannabis.

However, it also argued that prohibition was not working.

Whatever might eventually be decided on the legal status of cannabis, the
Government could not change it in this term of Parliament because its support
agreement with United Future specifically prevents that happening.

Mr Dunne said yesterday that no future government would be formed with United
Future's backing unless it committed itself to keeping cannabis illegal.