No, and increase penalties for non-violent drug offenders

Marijuana runs gangs cash flow, so lets cut that cash flow off by making it legal and gaining tax from businesses that will be allowed to sell.

Other than the actual offense of smoking Marijuana it is rare that offenses coming from smoking it. Compared to alcohol which is legal.

You can’t regulate an industry if it isn’t legal. Making marijuana legal allows the the government to impose regulations and restrictions to the supply, strength, and quality of marijuana, and also allows them to gain tax revenue from the sale of it, rather than pushing the whole industry underground and putting money in the hands of gangs.

It grows naturally like any other plant, and can be consumed in its natural state. It has medicinal benefits, is not as harmful or addictive like vaping, cigarettes, alcohol, prescriptive drugs or takeaway/fast foods and sugar

Strongly disagree. The War on drugs does not work, this has been proven. Decriminalisation and rehabilitation is the answer.

Alcohol (and alcoholism) is legal yet is one of the primary causes of substance and domestic abuse, while marijuana reaps far greater benefits to your individual health. Let the people smoke

I believe that Marijuana is a necessity health benefits and should be legalized for medical reasons.

Because every reason for criminalization is actually answered by legalisation. I.e age limits, rehabilitation options, education, quality control and gateway issues are all addressed by legalisation

I don't agree with non-violent drug offenders being penalized at all. Marijuana has health benefits but only if it isn't laced and is a safe product. By legalizing, it allows the government to regulate the production for safety and also allows the government to tax it

its a waste of taxpayer money to penalise these people, its more likely to put them into the system and make them violent offenders, it reduces productivity in society.

overrepresentation for petty drug crime is extreme, marijuana has proven health benefits and should be legalised.

Introduces a whole new tax revenue to New Zealand’s economy, decreases crime rate and the risk of tampered drugs. Opens a whole nother field of medicine and avenue for people to stop suffering from ailments which can be treated with Marijuana

It doesn't hurt anyone and the tax generated from over the counter sales could be used for drug education.

Marijuana has incredible health benefits for alot of people,
I have MS and use illegal Marijuana products made by a friend every day

I don't agree with non-violent drug offenders being penalized at all. Marijuana has health benefits but only if it isn't laced and is a safe product. By legalizing, it allows the government to regulate the production for safety and also allows the government to tax it.

Marijuana is one of the less harmful drugs that are used within our country. It is not only used for recreation but for medical use and I believe it should be more accessible for people.

I think marijuana should be legal and should not be sent to jail for having a cone unless they are abusing it and not using it safely

The effects of Marijuana compared to Alcohol are greatly different. I believe both are good in moderation but witnessing first hand the consequences of abusing both, I believe Marijuana is the safer.

Marijuana offenses generally have no victim and therefore be treated as a white collar crime. Marijuana offenses generally have no victim, and any law or punishment should reflect that.

Marijuana runs gangs cash flow, so lets cut that cash flow off by making it legal and gaining tax from businesses that will be allowed to sell.

There are bigger criminals out there then people who are non violent drug offenders. Put more resources into stopping the people who are making our country worse.

You can’t regulate an industry if it isn’t legal. Making marijuana legal allows the the government to impose regulations and restrictions to the supply, strength, and quality of marijuana, and also allows them to gain tax revenue from the sale of it, rather than pushing the whole industry underground and putting money in the hands of gangs.

Alcohol causes more harm than marijuana. Addiction is a health issue therefore should not be punishing people with prison. Money is better spent on health services.

Increase rehabilitation, mental health, training and addiction services. Drug use and abuse is a health issue.

I don't think marijuana should be illegal and changing this might make a difference with the impact other drugs have on people.

Marijuana is not a drug that people get violent on and unless it is making someone hurt others than it shouldnt be a problem

Marijuana can be better regulated when legalised and help can be provided easier to those who need it. Marijuana has plenty of health benefits and this should be expanded on as there are plenty of sick people who want natural medicine. The government should have no control on stopping people from healing themselves.

no because of prisons are over populated marijuana should be legal and if they are non-violent i don’t see them as a threat for something that is legal medically

The decriminalisation and legalisation would not only provide new tax streams to the government but reduce the prison population and lessen the stigma around marijuna use

There are other issues effecting the country that are larger and more harmful to society than Marijuana. Violent offenders and growing rates of poverty not a plant that can be used as medicine and doesn't cause violent behaviour in anyway that Alcohol does.

Increasing penalties around non-violent drug offenders is not attacking the real problem which is WHY does a large majority of NZ turn to drug use?

Marijuana is a plant that grows from the earth and bar the dental issues, there's nothing but pros. However crack and other MAN Made drugs are not natural, there for have no pros and only cons

If we put tax on it we can make money on it, and everyone is gonna smoke it regardless if it’s legal or not so we may as-well profit

Marijuana is not a gateway drug, is safer than both alcohol and nicotine, and it is an important source of tax revenue, if regulated.

Yes! It is a safer alternative to alcohol which is responsible for most violent offenders. We should be trying to reduce the harm caused by alcohol rather than waste more time on people who harm noone (including themselves).

The war on drugs is not working and drug use is increasing every year. Drugs needs to be regulated by the government so that teenagers and adults know what they're buying, know what dosage they purchasing, and know how to take drugs safely. We need to stop funding gangs and criminal organisations by continuing to make drugs illegal. Gangs and criminal organisations continue to sell synthetic drugs and methamphetamine as MDMA, ecstasy, ketamine and cocaine, which inadvertently gets teenagers addicted or causes adverse medical and mental health issues.

I disagree because people that carry, smoke and sell marijuana for the most part are not harming or affecting themselves or others, at least not in direct result from the marijuana.

Comparative to alcohol, marijuana is a much less harmful drug despite it being illegal. People are always going take drugs in some form or another, if the safety and origin of them can be regulated it would be beneficial to society as well as highly profitable.

The legalisation of marijuana would lessen institutionalized racism against demographics that are more targeted to marijuana convictions. As well as this, medicinal uses for marijuana would benefit many people suffering illnesses.

My basic view is you are welcome to have that view so long as you also think the same should be done for alcohol. Which stastically has been shown to be far more harmful than Marijuana. If you think thats unfair, then you stance of Marijuana is not actually grounded in the facts of what the substance does. When people get drunk they want to start a fight, when they're high they want to start a band.

Effectiveness of the War on Drugs: Worldwide, the War on Drugs has largely been seen as ineffective, costly, and even counter-productive. Despite strict laws and punitive measures, drug use has not been eradicated. In many cases, these approaches have led to increased crime, violent confrontations between law enforcement and drug traffickers, and overwhelmed penal systems.

Economic Benefits: Legalizing marijuana provides an opportunity for regulation and taxation. This could potentially result in a significant boost to New Zealand's economy through the generation of tax revenues and…  Read more creation of new job opportunities in the legal marijuana industry.

It is a waste of money and resources and marijuana is less damaging than alcohol and has more benifits

I disagree because people in posetion of marijuana have familys and bills to pay, they arent harming anybody emoitonally or physically and shouldnt be charged period.

These is no evidence this would be effective. Our current strategy is not working. All the evidence suggests that health based approach are far more successful that punitive ones.

Māori would be disproportionately affected by this. Drug offenders need support and care, not penalising.

There is no reason to increase penalties for drugs they should not be illegal in the first place, they are archaic laws.

If we increase penalties for non-violent marijuana offenders, who benefits from this? Marijuana is not a dangerous drug, and although there are some negative effects for some users, the vast majority of people who use marijuana are normal, law abiding new zealanders who just like to get stoned sometimes. It's less of a social issue than alcohol, which we happily accept as being a part of our culture. Enforcing penalties are a waste of tax payer money and law enforcement resource. It unnecessarily punishes people who are otherwise productive, happy, and safe citizens.,

It disproportionately punishing maori and lower socioeconomic individuals. Globally and historically, when has harsher punishments been a net benefit for a community or society? Marijuana has no direct harm to wider communities so is not even an action that should be punished.

It empirically doesn’t work. You just get crowded prisons with people who want nothing more than others who just want to have a beer.