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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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New Zealand: Parties In Spat Over Cannabis
ccguide Thursday 08 Jun 2000 Pubdate: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 Source: Press, The (New Zealand) Copyright: 2000 The Christchurch Press Company Ltd. Contact: Address: Private Bag 4722, Christchurch, New Zealand Fax: +64-3-364-8238 Website: http://www.press.co.nz/ Bookmark: additional articles on cannabis are available at http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm PARTIES IN SPAT OVER CANNABIS WELLINGTON -- The National Party has rejected Health Minister Annette King's proposal for Parliament's health committee to review New Zealand's cannabis laws. Ms King accused National leader Jenny Shipley of double standards after Mrs Shipley said her party would resist moves to liberalise the law. National health spokesman Wyatt Creech responded by saying Ms King was "gutless" in wanting the multi-party committee to do the review instead of the Government. It was up to the Government to come up with proposals for law changes, he said. "They've discovered that (reviewing the law) is not popular and they're trying to shove the responsibility on to someone else. They're afraid of the reaction." Ms King said she had spoken to Mr Creech informally some weeks ago and raised the possibility of the committee - which is made up of MPs from National, Labour, the Alliance and the Greens - doing the review. The committee would be able to review the law in a "sensible, parliamentary" way, "rather than trying to play party politics with an issue that's really serious", she said. In the last term of Parliament the committee, at the instigation of National MP Brian Neeson, held an inquiry into the health effects of cannabis and concluded that the law should be reviewed. Mrs Shipley pulled the plug on Ms King's suggestion yesterday. "National's withdrawal from the review would mean the responsibility for proposing change falls squarely on the Labour, Alliance, and Green politicians," she said. Ms King said despite National's stance she would write to the health committee asking if it wanted to conduct the review. She would be appalled if National withdrew as that would be like pulling out of Parliament. If the committee declined her request, she would consider a ministerial review, a committee of experts, or a review conducted by government officials. - --- MAP posted-by: Thunder
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