NZ Drug Foundation

Yes on cannabis will prove we’re world leaders on progressive policy – again

by

The cannabis referendum is not just about creating a fairer Aotearoa, writes the Drug Foundation’s Ross Bell. It’s also another chance to prove to the world that we know how to lead on progressive, health-based policy.  Since Auckland moved back into level three more than a fortnight ago we’ve been reminded how fearful the coronavirus … Read more

How cannabis legalisation will help balance justice’s racist scales

by

With the 2020 cannabis referendum fast approaching, New Zealanders have a unique opportunity to let the government know what they want from drug reform. It will then be up to our policy makers to decide whether drug reform will focus on changing outcomes for those struggling under historically racist policy. By the time Tricia Walsh … Read more

Rebuilding from the rubble of the failed war on drugs

by

After more than 40 years the war on drugs has had brutal consequences for justice in New Zealand. The movement to end the war is gathering momentum.  Like most wars started by the United States, the war on drugs was launched for spurious and racially-motivated reasons by cynical political hawks. And like most wars started … Read more

Stereotypes and stigma: Drug use in the LGBTQ community

by

Judgement prevents understanding, which in itself is a barrier to preventing unsafe behaviour. Are different approaches to harm reduction in the Rainbow community needed?  Sex. Drugs. Carly Rae Jepsen. This is the iconography that tends to be massaged into mainstream conceptions of gay culture. Depictions in TV/film see us railing lines of MDMA and sniffing … Read more

The backyard nurseries made for and by recovering addicts

by

Thanks to research and innovation hub Wai-Atamai, Recovery First is helping vulnerable people channel their energy into native plants. Te Atatu local Hone Pene is pretty chuffed about his collection of plants. In the crisp, morning autumn sun, the 63-year-old points out the rows of potted baby puriri, mānuka and kōwhai trees at the front of … Read more

Will Jacinda Ardern’s words on the ‘war on drugs’ amount to more than platitudes?

by

It’s one thing to commit to ‘treat drugs as a health issue’, and another to put that pledge into concrete action, writes Ross Bell of the NZ Drug Foundation Jacinda Ardern refused to sign up to President Trump’s War on Drugs statement at the United Nations General Assembly last month. We applaud her for that … Read more

The economic boon for New Zealand of drug law reform

by

The benefits of a package of drug law reform measures will outweigh the costs – by tens of millions of dollars, finds Shamubeel Eaqub in a new report commissioned by the NZ Drug Foundation. Below, an excerpt from the economist’s findings. Our current criminal-justice approach to drugs is not working. Drug use remains widespread and, crucially, the … Read more

The war on drugs is killing Kiwis – we must choose a different approach

by

We need to find an alternative to the dangerous enforcement tactics of the global response to the drug trade, or people will keep dying, writes Kali Mercier.  New Zealand’s recent deaths from synthetic cannabinoids are deeply tragic and should never have happened. A report released yesterday by the Global Commission on Drug Policy shows how … Read more