New Zealand: Shipley, Simich Disagree On Decriminalising Cannabis



Pubdate: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 



Source: Dominion, The (New Zealand) 



Author: Helen Bain 	



ubject: SHIPLEY, SIMICH DISAGREE ON DECRIMINALISING CANNABIS 	



Prime Minister Jenny Shipley is at odds with Police Minister Clem Simich over decriminalisation 

of cannabis. 	



Mr Simich has said he supported decriminalisation because present cannabis laws were not 

working and were draining massive amounts of police resources.	



However, Mrs Shipley said yesterday that she would never support decriminalisation because it 

would send "soft" messages to criminals and young people.	



"We have to face up to the fact that if we just say this is too hard, what we are actually saying is 

we don't care. Well I do care. 	



"I don't think there is any case for allowing the number of children in New Zealand 85 who are 

using drugs to expand," Mrs Shipley said. 	



"All the evidence is that if we get loose on marijuana, we will soon be having an argument about 

being loose with heroin, or loose with Ecstasy or loose with lsd and 1 am not going to simply stand 

aside and let that happen."	



In September, Mr Simich said the Government should consider decriminalisation.	



"It's an issue we need to devote time to and look at. It's not a question of whether it's right or 

wrong to use the drug but certainly there are more effective ways of dealing with the problem - the 

one we have at the moment consumes an enormous amount of police time and resources, and it 

hasn't dealt with the problem," Mr Simich said soon after his appointment as police minister. 	



Yesterday, Mr Simich stood by his advocacy of decriminalisation, but said he was not concerned 

by Mrs Shipley's stance. 	



"There are plenty of ways or dealing with it - having it as a criminal offence is one of them ... 1 

think it can be treated in other ways than having offenders made into criminals, and it can be 

stamped out much more quickly through a combination." 	



Mr Simich said decriminalisation did not mean that people would be free to use cannabis, and he 

believed anyone who did was an idiot. Mrs Shipley said Mr Simich was entitled to his opinion, but 

United States FBI director Judge Louis Freeh strongly advised her against decriminalisation when 

he met her yesterday. 	



Mrs Shipley said Australian Prime Minister John Howard also told her during his visit here last 

week that going "soft" on cannabis had led to wider use of other drugs.	



Parliament's health select committee recommended last year that Parliament reconsider the legal 

status of cannabis. 	



The police told the committee they were open-minded about decriminalisation.