Cannabis debate must consider social impacts
Research on cannabis law reform must measure social impacts, says ACT Leader David Seymour in response to a Treasury
note estimating cannabis law enforcement plus lost tax revenue costs $550 million.
“What Treasury’s brainstorm didn’t estimate was the human costs of prohibition, such as the impact of imprisonment on
families or mental health issues caused by prolonged cannabis use," says Mr Seymour.
“Research on such a sensitive issue needs to be based on comprehensive evidence. This means going beyond enforcement and
revenue costs. The real impacts of both cannabis use and its prohibition lie in human factors.
“If Treasury are going to calculate financial costs, Bill English should ask them to also quantify the health costs of
prolonged cannabis use as well as the social outcomes of having thousands of New Zealanders, particularly Maori, removed
from their families and the workforce through imprisonment.”
ENDS