Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Growing Public Interest In Proposed Cannabis Legislation - Data

Increasing numbers of Kiwis are seeking out information on cannabis as a result of the proposed changes to legislation according to new data.

In less than eight weeks, New Zealanders will vote in a non-binding referendum, on the question of whether to legalise the sale, use, possession and production of cannabis - held at the same time as the 2020 general election.

According to data obtained from Google, local interest in cannabis-related information has increased over 160% in the past three weeks alone, with national interest strongest in the Gisborne, West Coast, Tasman and Northland regions[1].

The data also shows trending searches related to “cannabis legislation NZ” are up 200%.

Nabhik Gupta, spokesperson for NZ owned Shosha, the country’s largest retailer of its kind, says more needs to be done to ensure the proposed legislative changes are understood by younger voters.

He says according to latest Electoral Commission figures, a 24-year-old New Zealander is 34% less likely to be enrolled to vote in the September election than a 55-year-old[2].

“One of the realities of the format of the general election is that it is essentially a legacy paper-based model which doesn’t cater well for a digital generation.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“The primary method of proactively communicating referendum information is through a physical brochure in the letterbox which also directs them to complete an enrolment form - in today’s paperless environment this is one of the few times this age group will encounter a document in this format.

“When you couple that with a historically low level of turn out for younger voters at the polling booth, you have the potential for the views of a significant proportion of the population to be underrepresented, and more needs to be done to encourage this demographic to have their say,” he says.

Gupta says the establishment of a cannabis industry presents a number of potential financial benefits to the for New Zealand and may assist with our post-COVID economic recovery.

“New Zealand has an international reputation for growing some of the world’s best cannabis.

“Leveraging that expertise could see the development of an export industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars of much-needed revenue and increased employment for the country,” he says.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.