NZ Drug Foundation - Latest News [Page 1]
Dr Reti’s Medicinal Cannabis Bill Highlights Flaws In Current System
Wednesday, 10 March 2021, 11:19 am | NZ Drug Foundation
National Party deputy leader and health spokesperson Dr Shane Reti’s private member’s bill on medicinal cannabis, drafted in 2018 before the current scheme, is due to be debated in Parliament this evening. Executive Director of the NZ Drug Foundation ... More >>
New Poll Shows Overwhelming Support For Reform Of Cannabis Laws
Tuesday, 9 March 2021, 6:31 am | NZ Drug Foundation
In research released by The Helen Clark Foundation today, 69% of voters wanted cannabis to be decriminalised (20%) or legalised (49%). Only 30% of respondents thought our cannabis laws should stay the same or get tougher. NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director ... More >>
New Figures Show Drug Checking Services Have Reduced Harm – But More Could Be Done.
Tuesday, 12 January 2021, 6:49 am | NZ Drug Foundation
New figures released by KnowYourStuffNZ show that drug checking this summer resulted in the vast majority of people who attended drug checking choosing not to take the harmful cathinone eutylone, where it turned out they had unwittingly purchased it. ... More >>
Demand For Treatment Outstrips Supply, As Kiwis Continue To Be Convicted For Minor Drug Offences
Wednesday, 9 December 2020, 12:07 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
Some New Zealanders are missing out on treatment, as services report a spike in COVID-19 fuelled demand has exacerbated an existing shortage of places for those needing it, according to a report released by the New Zealand Drug Foundation today. ... More >>
Timely Decision On Festival Drug Checking Will Save Lives
Tuesday, 1 December 2020, 12:27 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
The Drug Foundation is thrilled by Health Minister Andrew Little’s announcement providing legal certainty for drug checking happening at festivals this year. The proposed time-limited legislation will reduce the number of people needing medical ... More >>
Margin Narrows On Referendum Result: A Clear Mandate For Change
Friday, 6 November 2020, 3:22 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
“Based on how close the result is, a change to cannabis/ drug law should not be ruled out,” said Tuari Potiki, Chair of the Drug Foundation. “While the Drug Foundation accepts that the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill is now unlikely ... More >>
No Vote Not A Vote For Inaction: Decriminalisation Urged
Friday, 30 October 2020, 3:26 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
The cannabis referendum result was released today with 46.1% of New Zealanders voting in favour of legalisation, and 53.1% against. The gap will likely close to some degree when remaining votes are counted, but the jury is still out on whether it can close ... More >>
“Don’t’ Shut Down The Conversation With A ‘no’ Vote”, Say Leading Public Health Experts
Friday, 9 October 2020, 10:15 am | NZ Drug Foundation
The NZ Drug Foundation welcomes the publication of today’s NZ Medical Journal editorial. The authors - specialists in addiction treatment, public health, Māori health equity, health promotion and epidemiology - are calling for a yes vote in ... More >>
Economic Reports Released By Government Show New Zealanders Will Be Better Off Under Legal Cannabis
Wednesday, 9 September 2020, 12:17 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
Two economic reports commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to inform the development of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill were released under OIA today. The reports, by economic thinktank BERL , analyse the current illicit market and how ... More >>
Drug Foundation Farewells Long-standing Executive Director Ross Bell
Friday, 28 August 2020, 8:34 am | NZ Drug Foundation
The New Zealand Drug Foundation Executive Director Ross Bell is leaving the organisation for a role at the Ministry of Health. He has led the Drug Foundation for more than 16 years. Announcing Mr Bell’s departure, Drug Foundation Board Chairperson Tuari ... More >>
Advertising Standards Authority Rules In Drug Foundation’s Favour On Cannabis Referendum Campaign
Wednesday, 1 July 2020, 3:51 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
“We’re pleased with the Advertising Standards Authority’s decision regarding complaints received about our ‘Vote Yes On Our Terms’ cannabis control referendum campaign”, said Ross Bell, Drug Foundation Executive Director. “We always understood ... More >>
Foundation Turns To Crowdfunding To Keep Cannabis Campaign Going
Thursday, 18 June 2020, 4:37 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
A PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign publicly launches today to raise funds to ensure the public health messaging supporting a yes vote at the Cannabis Referendum reaches undecided voters. New Zealanders who support a Yes vote in the Cannabis Control Referendum ... More >>
Cannabis Legalisation And Control Bill: World-leading Public Health Law
Friday, 1 May 2020, 12:28 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
The Government today released the full and final Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill that New Zealanders will be voting for at the referendum on 19 September. “These final new details strengthen the controls from the initial draft, making it a world-leading ... More >>
Poll Shows Support For Cannabis Legalisation When New Zealanders Have More Information
Friday, 21 February 2020, 7:46 am | NZ Drug Foundation
Survey results released today by the Helen Clark Foundation and the New Zealand Drug Foundation show that support for cannabis legalisation grows when people know more about the proposed legislation. When respondents were asked how they would vote ... More >>
Independent evaluation of drug checking welcomed
Wednesday, 18 December 2019, 5:11 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
An independent evaluation into festival drug checking services, announced today by the government, should put to rest political squabbling about a law change allowing these vital harm reduction services to expand, says the Drug Foundation. More >>
Treat drugs as a health issue, says justice sector review
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 11:28 am | NZ Drug Foundation
The recommendations in Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora – the Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group’s report Turuki! Turuki! Moving Together released today offer a concrete way forward for the Government to treat drugs as a health issue. More >>
Cannabis Control Bill ticks the boxes
Tuesday, 3 December 2019, 4:49 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
New Zealanders will know exactly what they are voting on at next year’s cannabis referendum with the release of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill (‘Cannabis Control Bill’) by Justice Minister Andrew Little today. The Government has outlined ... More >>
Crown must honor Te Tiriti with Cannabis Law Reform
Wednesday, 20 November 2019, 4:40 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
Today leading Māori health and public health organisations called on the Crown to meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi as it drafts legislation for the regulation of cannabis. More than 50 Māori leaders joined the call for Māori rights ... More >>
Methamphetamine convictions on rise, new report shows
Thursday, 7 November 2019, 12:38 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
Data published today in the NZ Drug Foundation’s State of the Nation 2019 report shows that last year low-level methampethamine convictions overtook cannabis for the first ti me. Cannabis-related convictions have remained stable while those for ... More >>
Recommendations for cannabis Bill released today
Friday, 13 September 2019, 2:34 pm | NZ Drug Foundation
Today at Parliament the NZ Drug Foundation released Taking control of cannabis: A model for responsible regulation, a new report that shows how we can take back control of cannabis from organised crime. More >>