Media Statement By
Tony Ryall
Minister for Justice

17 November 1999

TANCZOS: “Smoking Dope Is Worshipping God”

“The Greens’ attempts to distance themselves from the drug subculture have backfired again today with revelations that their Justice Spokesman, Nandor Tanczos, believes he is worshipping God by smoking dope, and helping young people by testing Ecstasy tablets for them.

“In a Labour-Alliance-Greens Government, these people will have a major influence on drug policy,” said Justice Minister, Tony Ryall.

“In a little publicised announcement earlier this year Labour pledged to review New Zealand’s cannabis laws.

“The Greens Justice Spokesman has said publicly ‘when I smoke cannabis I’m worshipping my creator. As a Rastafarian, I am exercising my God-given right to worship my creator’ [attached].

“In November 1998, Mr Tanczos and other Greens were behind a scheme to help young people test the quality of their Ecstasy and a range of class-B drugs. They imported testing kits form the UK.

“At the time Mr Tanczos said ‘what we advise people is that if it isn’t any of the substances we can test for, then we don’t know what it is, so don’t take it’.

Mr Ryall says, “Presumably that means that if the substance is one of the drugs they can test for then its okay to take it.”

“The programme was endorsed by Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons under the guise that it aimed to keep young people safe.

“The problem is that amphetamines are not safe for young people or old people. Nor are any of the other class-B drugs.

“The Greens’ drug purity testing scheme did nothing more than legitimise drugs for young people, and gave them a false sense of security that what they were taking was ‘safe’ because Mr Tanczos, Jeanette Fitzsimons and the Green Party said it was okay.

“The people of Coromandel need to know that a vote for Jeanette Fitzsimons is a vote to go soft on dope in our schools and on our streets,” said Mr Ryall. ENDS

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