Values wants legal pot

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33873, 19 June 1975, Page 18

Values wants legal pot

A Values government

would legalise mari- j Juana, nationalise brew-:) eries and their outlets,. and discourage the use!; of alcohol, said the! [party’s deputy leader)' (Cathy Wilson) to a [student forum at Lii> j coin College. [ It was totally illogical for;, (the State to allow the market- j )ing and sale of tobacco and 1 (alcohol, two drugs known to ; [be killers and contributors to . [social misery, and at the same , ;time persecute those who 'chose to use marijuana, she I] 'said. j “A Values government'< would remove the restrictions ; on the growing and private! l use of marijuana. “It would, however, legis-it late to ensure that no profit- \t making organisation would;; be able to take part in the; growing, marketing or trad-jt ing of marijuana,” <

She emphasised that, [Values Party policy was to] [discourage the unnecessary 'use of all drugs, but said! ithat an estimated 30,000 New! i Zealanders smoking “pot”' >regularly, made a fool of the) daw. Two North American re-j : ports on drugs had shown) marijuana was less harmful) than tobacco or alcohol. “As for alcohol, we would! discourage but not prohibit! its use, since we believe prohibition is not practicable,” she said. “However, we would ban all advertising on all alcohol and tobacco products except at the point of sale. “We recommend that the) ) breweries and their outlets [be placed under public iownership and control. “A Values government I would apply its concept of ‘co-operative enterprise’ to i the production, distribution [and sale of alcohol as soon )as possible.” [ The party was concerned) [about pharmaceutical drugs and believed there should be

.stricter supervision of com.imercial manufacturers and distributors involved in the (legal distribution and sale of [drug supplies. “More preventative health 'care would reduce our comimunity’s growing dependence 'on medical drugs.”