Put New Zealanders First Winston!
Winston Peters, Deputy PM, and Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister in the Coalition Government
I am one of Rose Renton’s ‘patients’ she supplied with cannabidiol at cost. I am really pissed off by the fact that she is being criminalised. It is an incredibly inhumane act against this lovely lady. It must be obvious to anyone with a brain that she is not in it for the money but because of the tragic loss of her son and her great care for others.
I have prostate cancer which is spreading and have read the science on the anti-cancer properties of cannabis. I was sourcing CBD from a Aussie family collective until it was closed down by the legalising of medical cannabis in NSW. Why? Because the medical profession in NSW is monopolising the prescribing of cannabis from recognised suppliers – big pharma.
A binding referendum in 3 years is not good enough for me and the thousands of others, including my partner, who need Medical Cannabis. If it is successful it will likely go down the same road as the US and Australia taking CBD out of the hands of the home growers making it very expensive. If we have to go down that road, we will have to keep fighting for the right to home-grow, and not compromise with a top-down state-regulated and taxed market.
My partner has Multiple Sclerosis and got approval for Medical Cannabis from Dunne to replace the addictive Oxycontin she needs to control her spasms. But she refuses to pay $1000 a month for the big pharma product. So both of us are strong supporters of Julie-Anne Genter’s Bill that is ready to go and could be passed in the first 100 days. Or will it?
On the face of it all three coalition parties want to change the law on cannabis. NZ First wants a binding referendum. Labour wants to legalise medical cannabis within 100 days, while the Greens want to legalise cannabis now. Chris Fowlie summarises the Greens main points:
“The Green Party policy is to treat cannabis as a health issue not a crime, legalise personal use, home growing, medical cannabis, and move towards a regulated market like we see in many places overseas.”
However, Fowlie says that the deal with Winston may have put the Green’s (Genter) Bill on the back burner.
“It seems Winston Peters allowed the Greens to have a cannabis win as part of their confidence and supply deal with Labour, as long as it was his policy (holding a referendum) and not theirs (legalising it now).”
He hopes that this is not the case.
“The lack of reference to medical cannabis in the agreement is conspicuous but not at this stage any cause for concern – we assume it isn’t there because it is already Labour policy to legalise medical cannabis in the first 100 days of government (ie, Jan/Feb 2018).”
But my hunch is that Winston is worried about his conservative flock. It can’t be because he thinks that there is no clear majority of New Zealanders in favour of decriminalising/legalising cannabis for personal use. Last time I looked it was 66% in favour. Medical Cannabis is well over 80%. NZ First supporters were above average at 68%! Maybe he is unaware how many ‘users’ voted for New Zealand First including some of those who badly need Medical Cannabis.
We want to add our voices to the chorus that is building among those suffering from this insane criminalisation of ordinary people just because they need to live a healthy life. We want the Genter Bill put up by Xmas, debated over the summer and passed into law within the first 100 days!
Meanwhile, we want a moratorium on all prosecutions for supply of cannabis until the law is changed!
How about putting New Zealanders first Winston?
