ALCP tell Parliament to 'resolve prohibition conflict'.
The ALCP does not support hate speech legislation. The Party s recommendation is for full decriminalisation of cannabis
users in order to set a new standard for the civil society (c.f. Holland).
Advocates met via teleconference with MPs on Parliament s Inquiry into Hate Speech on Thursday (Government
administration select committee).
MPs were told that criminalisation of cannabis users divided the community, and was "legalised hatred of approximately
20% of New Zealand citizens". This unjustified discrimination represents by far the greatest social injustice in New
Zealand, Party President Kevin O Connell told the committee.
Cannabis policy is based on prejudice, hypocrisy and dis-information. It lowers the threshold for intolerance,
alienation, and bad behaviour in NZ. It is a subtle but nevertheless severe form of apartheid, particularly for those
who feel the full brunt of the hate law.
"Cannabis law reform is crucial for restoring community respect."
Aotearoa Legalise is critical of the Coalition support agreement between the governing Labour party and United Future
not to progress cannabis law reform. This effectively sabotaged an evidence-based cannabis law-review carried over from
the 1999-2002 Parliament.
United Future MP Marc Alexander said this issue was unresolveable because other people had opposing points of view.
"Principles of conflict resolution need to be applied", said Mr O Connell in reply. We need to have a robust and fair
assessment of criminalisation - especially when we compare society s double standard treatment of alcohol and tobacco
use.
The Party also named media institutions as inciting hatred and bigotry using pejorative language such as 'dope'.
The Christchurch Press was culpable for printing headings such as Marijuana users more likely to be paranoid (2 March
2005) when the actual data states the vast majority of users will not develop psychosis.
This is a major community issue and yet the consumer voices are silenced by the power structures of prohibition.