Cross Sector Coalition Calls For Urgent Government Action To Treat All Drug Use As A Health Issue.

More than 25 health and social service organisations, charities and prominent individuals are today calling on the Government to urgently overhaul the Misuse of Drugs Act and treat all drug usage as a health issue.

The open letter, signed by a broad range of organisations including the New Zealand Medical Association, Public Health Association, Auckland and Wellington City Missions, Mental Health Foundation, JustSpeak, Hāpai te Hauora and the Māori Law Society, urges the government to update drug laws to ensure the wellbeing of all our communities.

“As it stands, the Act is not fit for purpose,” JustSpeak Director Tania Sawicki Mead said. “To prevent harm, the government needs to put into gear a pragmatic response by putting energy and resources into drug treatment services and community support, not punishment”.

The call from the wide ranging coalition comes after the failure of the referendum on cannabis legalisation in 2020, and echoes the recommendations from the Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry, the expert Justice Advisory Group, the Law Commission and the Government’s own National Drug Policy.

“Support for this change comes from both sides of last year’s cannabis debate; it’s clear that there is a strong consensus from across the health, addiction and social justice sectors that a health based approach would benefit all of our communities,” said Ms Sawicki Mead.

Clinical Director of the National Hauora Coalition Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen said an overhaul would be doing right by Māori, who bear the brunt of the criminalisation of drug use and addiction.

“We know that the current criminal justice approach to drugs causes harm, and we know that this harm inequitably impacts Māori.

“Drug convictions and the associated stigma have lifelong consequences, particularly on access to housing, education, and employment. This in turn can have significant impacts on hauora, not only for individuals, but also for their whānau,” said Dr Jansen.

NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm applauded the Government for its commitment to a health-based approach and said the next step was to rewrite our drug laws.

"Our 45-year-old Misuse of Drugs Act is outdated and out of step with evidence, international practice, public opinion and Government objectives. It also makes many people too scared to speak honestly about their drug use, getting in the way of people who are using drugs problematically seeking help.

"For decades, people with drug use problems have been judged, ostracised, stigmatised and prosecuted. It is overdue that we replace punishment with help" said Ms Helm.

Recent tweaks to the Misuse of Drugs Act have failed to shift unequal outcomes in criminalisation for low-level drug offences, with hundreds of people still facing criminal charges for cannabis possession in 2020. A poll from March of this year showed that the majority of Kiwis supported decriminalising cannabis.

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