Jim Anderton, Associate Health Minister responsible for drug policy, today challenged the statement put out by the New Zealand Drug Foundation in which Executive Director Ross Bell says that politicians are ignoring the “pot problem”.

“I must say that I am surprised and concerned at the comments by the Executive Director of the Drug Foundation, that politicians don’t want to talk about cannabis because it is not a ‘vote winning issue’. He can’t be talking about me!” Jim Anderton said. “I’ve spoken about the harm it causes at meetings all around the country and at some of those he was also present.

“Cannabis is not in the ‘too hard’ basket, as he also says in his media release. It is true that since I became the Minister responsible for drug policy at the end of 2002, the newer drugs on the New Zealand drug scene, methamphetamine and BZP party pills, have been the major source of public concern,” Jim Anderton said. “This concern has been well founded and has warranted action on many fronts. And a lot of headway has been made in controlling and restricting these substances. But cannabis has not been ignored.

“I am fully aware that cannabis is the most prevalent illegal drug in New Zealand by far, and it is one New Zealanders have become worryingly complacent about. There needs to be a concerted effort by government and communities to minimize the harms of its use.”

Jim Anderton pointed out that during his time as the responsible Minister, he has secured funding for a number of initiatives: a significant expansion in community action on youth and drugs (CAYADS), increasing the number from five to twenty four funded initiatives; for best practice guidelines to be developed for schools on providing effective drug education; and most recently, for the development of a communications campaign aimed at reducing the demand for drugs and the associated harm from their use.

“Parliament is not ignoring the issue,” Jim Anderton said. “There was a Health Select Committee inquiry into cannabis in 2003 with various recommendations made to the Government. The efforts outlined above have been part of the Government’s response to these recommendations.

“In my view the jury is now in on cannabis – from research in New Zealand and overseas. Cannabis is a much more harmful drug than its supporters have hitherto declared and we would encourage its use at the peril, particularly, of our younger citizens. Surely in alcohol and tobacco we have enough serious drug abuse problems to deal with and I’m surprised that the New Zealand Drug Foundation has any doubts at all about that,” Jim Anderton said.