Advocates for cannabis reform in New Zealand have declared that the fight for cannabis reform is not over, despite initial referendum results showing the cannabis referendum may not pass.
Preliminary results from the New Zealand cannabis referendum show the majority of Kiwi’s voted against legalising recreational cannabis, as 53.1% of Kiwi’s have so far voted “no” to passing the Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill.
The preliminary results were published on October 30th, but did not include 17% of the voting electorate. These “special votes” are still being counted, as they are submitted by inmates and overseas citizens.
While it’s unlikely (but not impossible) that these votes will change the referendum result, advocates like Khylee Quince and Tuari Potiki argue the New Zealand government still needs to fight for other forms of cannabis reform.
Quince is an associate law professor at Auckland’s University of Technology as well as the deputy chair of the New Zealand Drug Foundation. In an interview with The Hui, she argued the close vote is a social license for the government to address the issues around cannabis.
In particular, Quince believes the government needs to address the deep-seated racism present in the enforcement of New Zealand’s drug laws. According to the Drug Foundation, Māori are targeted by police three times more than other citizens. Māori are also more likely to be convicted of cannabis offences than non-Māori Kiwi’s, with Māoris making up 34% of the people prosecuted for cannabis crimes.
Both the Drug Foundation and it’s chair, Tuari Potiki, believe that the referendum is only the start of the fight for cannabis reform, as the referendum only covered one potential bill. In future, the New Zealand government could still make changes to the 1975 Misuse of Drugs Act, potentially decriminalising cannabis while still adhering to the wishes of “no” voters.
In particular, this model would be in line with the wishes of “no” campaigners like the New Zealand Medical Association and the Salvation Army. As Potiki wrote in an article for The Spinnoff:
Even those who campaigned for a “no” vote publicly accepted that cannabis use should be treated as a health and social issue, and decriminalised.
The final results of the cannabis referendum will be released on Friday, November 6th.
