New Zealand’s Prime Minister Bill English has claimed that the country does not want an “official” cannabis industry, and that the government will not be legalising it anytime soon.
“We don’t want an official marijuana industry,” he said this week on Three’s The AM Show. “We’re not going to be legalising it.”
The show reports that the majority of its viewers on Monday supported medical cannabis.
A Newshub poll found 97% of respondents backed its legalisation.
Meanwhile protesters for medical cannabis marched in Auckland last Saturday, reports Fairfax.
“The minister’s just changed the rules so that’s a little bit easier, with the Ministry of Health now approving it instead of each one going to the minister,” said English, speaking on current “compassionate” legal route.
“As far as we can see, that’s going to work pretty well and we don’t want to take it any further…
“We just think the long-term damage of large-scale use of marijuana is pretty bad.”
More at Newshub.
