No

Monetary gain for the country and right of choice. Medical is working and needs to be invested in more and decriminalised. Cannabis users are NOT criminals

Criminalising people for what is actually a reasonably low harm drug (less social harm than alcohol by a long way) only causes harm to them from the ongoing effects of a criminal record, and society from the money wasted on policing and the entire justice system/corrections. There is literally no benefit to it being illegal, as it’s been shown overseas that legalising weed doesn’t increase the percentage of people who have a problem with it. So criminalising it is just causing harm all round for no gain.

Marijuana helps reduce cancer cells and reduce stress and anxiety. It's a plant that grows in the ground. It should be legalized but put in place no driving or using heavy machinery. It should be for personal use and health issues.

marijuana should be legalised so that tax money can be used to support healthcare and education. taking money away from gangs would reduce the amount of power and influence they have while keeping marijuana safer for the public as they can go to a shop where the weed is tested and has a guarantee of being clean.

It is beneficial for people who need it for health and mental health reasons, it reduces illegal dealings, it is and upper, much better for you then alcohol.

the circumstances of why is was criminalised in the first place is unjust, it should be regulated like alcohol with options to grow and produce in your own home

People have a choice whether to drink alcohol why should the law be different for marijuana. I don't like Marijuana myself, I prefer to have a drink but I believe in freedom of choice

It is much safer to have avaliable knowledge and ruling on weed than it is to keep letting people sneak around with it and not know the consquences or if it is even ok for them to take

Legalization results in less public contact with gangs/drug dealers and exposure to more harmful drugs.less stigma to seek help. Increased access to medicinal use.

It's safer than alcohol and provides many health benefits to a number of conditions. Worse you're going to get is a tired, hungry and happy human roaming around.

Marijuana will always be around in New Zealand, due to the high influx of demand many sources are now putting synthetics into their weed. If we legalise it we are more likely to create a safer place for people who are going to use it because people always will. I’d rather people smoke safe weed than synthetics.

There are many many benifits to it medically and it’s pretty much harmless as long and you don’t dui with it then what’s the problem never been an overdose helps with pain tumours and it’s such a large thing in nz now I think why not decriminalise it and stop people getting charged only those who choose to drive and do silly things should receive a punishment without to much depth very few negatives very large positives

It does not cause aggression or increase in crime. Look at alcohol, in comparison??
Marijuana can be used to CURE medical conditions

Why waste govt funds arresting and prosecuting citizens for use of a drug that causes less harm than alcohol, when we could earn gst from the sale of it?

marijauna is a much safer alternative to alcohol, alcohol is causes far more violence than weed, alcohol causes far more bodily harm than weed, if weed were legal, but controlled to the level of ciggerettes or alcohol, it would give people who may use drugs to self medicate mental or physical pain (something they will do regardless of illegality or other options) a safer alternative. And give people who may turn to alcohol for a "fun time" access to a substance that will cause less harm to them and others.

Health benefits can be more accessible and safe and health and social and educational risks can be more easily identified and targeted

I think it causes more problems for police. It targets lower economic people and it puts more POC in the prison system

Dangerous. How is this going to be monitored. Are we going to see people in the community, working, driving while under the effects of it.

Marijuana helps reduce cancer cells and reduce stress and anxiety. It's a plant that grows in the ground. It should be legalized but put in place no driving or using heavy machinery. It should be for personal use and health issues.

The adverse effects of marijuana are less harmful than alcohol. Alcohol exhibits negative outcomes and health risks. Major cause of physical abuse and addiction.

People are going to get it if they want it, makes it safer to be able to buy it and control it. Also provides tax benefits

It doesn't hurt anyone. It only harms when it is used by underage people with developing brains and or alcohol or other drugs are involved

It's a plant. More people die of Alcohol poisoning than Marijuana use. People will do weed anyway and you people try it. People say young ones might take it from parents bag or something. I'd rather it come from a legit source than a kid buying of a dealer that laces it with something. It not the drug it the source. Legal source problem gone. Also referendum didn't allow for skewed data of dealers and gangs opposing it. They oppose it because they lose income. Take that out and it would have gone through.

Keeping cannabis illegal does not prevent its use; it simply leaves the market unregulated. Cannabis is already widely used across all demographics in New Zealand. While medical cannabis offers many benefits, prescriptions remain unaffordable for a large number of people who rely on it. By keeping it illegal, we hand control to the black market, which removes quality control and increases the risk of people consuming dangerous laced products. Legalisation allows us to safely manage a substance that is demonstrably less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes. Allowing individuals to grow their own supply within reason, as seen in other countries, would be incredibly helpful for those priced out of the medical system. Furthermore, a well-managed legal market redirects profits away from gangs and into the official economy to benefit the public.

I believe it is up to the individual to assess their own situation. Also we should be basing this on statistics of other countries who have legalized it.

Marijuana has been in use for centuries, possibly even millenia, It will always remain in use, legalising and nationalising an industry dedicated to the safe growth and distribution will increase not only the job market but the safe use of cannabis, as has been observed in the states, however certain mandates should be put on it, such as how much can actually be bought weekly buy an individual to avoid dependance alongside not using during or before work. Criminalisedistribution from private sellers to keep Kiwis safer.

I feel if Marijuana is legalised then i feel there will be a lot less of our youth getting into trouble for substance use.

Economic Benefits of Marijuana. Other legalised drugs, such as tobacco, are worse or just as bad as marijuana. People should have the choice to consume Marijuana if it is not a hard drug.

Monetary gain for the country and right of choice. Medical is working and needs to be invested in more and decriminalised. Cannabis users are NOT criminals

Most of us have tried it, many of us use it regularly, and removing the black market is a good idea.

You want to keep pushing your pharmaceutical crap instead of something natural that has been used for generations.

It does less harm than alcohol, which is already legal. Marijuana can also help with medical or mental issues.

Making a drug legal would allow for better control of it, ensuring no synthetics or dangerous chemicals are put into it. It would also allow for people to safely consume it without the risk of their health.

Ridiculously expensive and hard to get as a disabled person. May as well go spend $20 on the street corner and risk the posibility of being laced!

Marijuana is already being sold, en-masse, to anyone who wants it. It is being sold easily and completely unregulated. Voting to legalize and regulate will mean that the product is tested, safe and taxed. Voting no changes absolutely nothing.

marijuana provides health benefits for many people and helps reduce pain and suffering for many people

Criminalising marijuana can actually increase the crime rate, as it keeps it on the black market. In countries such as The Netherlands where it is legal, it's monitored by the government and therefore used and consumed safely. There is less illegal distribution, and marijuana is only legally grown by certified sources. Legalising marijuana would also put advertising laws into action. This means that marijuana would not be able to be advertised to anyone under the legal age (18), similar to alcohol.

We can ensure public safety, the quality and the potency of Marijuana when it is legal. This will also remove money from the hands of the gangs and allow for more medical research into the benefits of the chemicals for medicinal purposes.

Alcohol - proven to be worse. Painkillers - proven to be worse. Caffiene - proven to be worse. I could go on.

Criminalising people for what is actually a reasonably low harm drug (less social harm than alcohol by a long way) only causes harm to them from the ongoing effects of a criminal record, and society from the money wasted on policing and the entire justice system/corrections. There is literally no benefit to it being illegal, as it’s been shown overseas that legalising weed doesn’t increase the percentage of people who have a problem with it. So criminalising it is just causing harm all round for no gain.

freedom of choice, if alcohol remains which has a far higher death rate and sickness how can a plant grown in nature

People do worse under the influence of alcohol and its is successfully legalized in other countries with no major issues

Because it doesn't hurt anyone and the family court dont care if parents are high all the time while caring for their children. Either legalize it or Crack down on the law can't have it both ways

It needs to be legal, as it has just about the same benefits as the oil. And why test other drugs, before people take them, but not legalize marijuana? It makes no sense at all.

No one died from an overdose, but you can die from alcohol poisoning and the government taxes alcohol.

alot of backlash to marijuana comes from outdated views and demonization in the media, with studies and research surrounding it often ignored

Given it is widely used, and has a lower harm profile than both tobacco and alcohol, PLUS the use of CBD products in pain management is provably effective and safe, the treatment of marijuana use as a crime issue is both unethical and harmful - disproportionately so to people in lower socio-economic groups and/or of non- western European (i.e. "white") descent

Rules should be put in place for it but people should not be criminalised for it. It makes no sense that drinking is leglaised and so normal but marijuana isn't? Other countries have proven legalising it doesn't mean it makes the country more dangerous.
Of course we cant ignore the fact so many people already use it in New Zealand and buy it off dealers.
This can be dangerous and supports gangs. If it was legal it would be much safer. It's ignorant to think people aren't using it.

There are just too many positives and not enough negatives for there to even be a no position. The amount of good marijuana can do and has done and has been doing cant be looked away from. God even said he gave us all the plants we needed. Marijuana is a plant for our medical and recreational use.

There will always be Marijuana use regardless of law. At least if it is legalised, people can obtain it from more reputable and safe sources and have better access to help.

Criminalising people for what is actually a reasonably low harm drug (less social harm than alcohol by a long way) only causes harm to them from the ongoing effects of a criminal record, and society from the money wasted on policing and the entire justice system/corrections. There is literally no benefit to it being illegal, as it’s been shown overseas that legalising weed doesn’t increase the percentage of people who have a problem with it. So criminalising it is just causing harm all round for no gain

People should have the freedom of choice, and to the fact alcohol has similar effects to a person as weed

If you can drink alcohol legally which makes you way dumber then when you smoke weed. I think anything found in nature shouldn’t be illegal only the checmically made drugs should be banned

We can legal pot = money, legal age if 18+ for use, not allowed in public but allowed in Marijuana cafes, it would also go after the gangs main business, potentially causing them to sell harder drugs, but an alternative solution to that would be legalising drugs in drug centres so addicts can do them in a controlled environment and get the help they need to stop and so they do it safely, I also think that this was done to marginalise maori communities back in the 1920s during prohibition and I think that all the people in jail for marijuana should be released to a certain extent.

Marijuana is probably one of the safest drugs to ever exist. It is extremely physiologically unaddictive, much less than even caffine, keep in mind you can still buy nicotine products and alchohol is still widely consumed.

If weed is illegal then why isn’t alcohol? A person high is less likely to get behind the wheel and cause any serious harm to others or things

well then there to blame for harming them selfs id say let them do it because there only hurting themseleves

Although Marijuana may seem addicting, it has a place in the health industry in terms of improving a struggling persons life. Only allow Marijuana if it is for health purposes.

If a drug is regulated and made legal, it opens up safe practice and use, stopping it being cut with other substances that make it either cheaper to produce or more addictive. Marijuana use is here and it's not going away. Create more education around safe use, and stop filling up our prisons with marijuana offenders and stop wasting money on marijuana police busts.

I think it's stupid because of how much people smoke marijuana. I think they should legalise it or at least to an extent, so people can still smoke it, but they can't drive high or endanger human lives

It's unfair that families dealing marijuana and drugs in other countries are not punished while the criminalisation of marijuana can ruin lives in NZ

I disagree with your belief because I believe that it has medical benefits that have been taken advantage of due people with server mental health issues or due to being under the age of 25

I disagree with this belief bc of the medical benefits it has,, however the medical benefits shouldn't be justification to abuse it and have a overdose

To what I understand, I strongly believe that we need harsher Marijuana control regulations and boundaries, addiction is real and people deserve help when they ask for it, however the exception is medical reasons and should be harshly controlled by a medical professional

Lower the voting age by 1 year and increase votes towards legalization.

Why are the voters negative about it?

Please read my answer below.

It causes less harm than other legal drugs like alcohol and can create heaps of money if taxed and safer if regulated

legalising marijana, but not decriminalisation, would take away wasted time of police and legal services, which they can spend on more important things.

just look at history ,the false rhetoric that is about GATE WAY DRUG is so long ago disproved ,the benefits are well known if people open both eyes and stop listening to the BOUGHT doctors and so-called experts then quality of live is a lot better especially for the older people who have worked and paid taxes for 50+years ,and should be allowed to choose ,not some lies from America that started because Reagan wanted to stay in power .

The amount of potential money that New Zealand is missing out on with th taxable income.
Safety and knowledge on safe use. Knowing that what you’re smoking is safe also

It does not cause aggression or increase in crime. Look at alcohol, in comparison??
Marijuana can be used to CURE medical conditions

Alcohol is a drug that makes people agressive and be sick, marijuana is a natural drug that helps people with pain and mental problems. It makes people calm rather then violent

Legalisation of marijuana will not only help our economy, but also introduce lots of jobs, be beneficial to those with health problems and will be much easy to monitor what drugs are on the street. It eliminates a big portion of unknown drugs on the black market from gangs, and by legalising marijuana the government will be able to monitor what is going into the drugs eliminating spiked drugs.

**** off mate marijuana helps so many people in pain with chronic illnesses, anxiety etc. There are no deaths directly from marijuana so just let people relive themselves.

alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana, there are no deaths due to marijuana, and marijuana has many health and recreational benifits.

It should be legal as the benefits from taxing it's use provides nz with more funding and takes money away from the black market reducing harm

Studies show medical benefits. I believe it is a human right to be able to choose what we do with our bodies, as long as it does not cause harm to others. I do not see how marijuana harms others compared to a legal substance like alcohol

How many people die every year from drink driving? Now how many people die every year from driving while high?

It provides health benefits.
It's not habit forming.
It's safer than drinking.
It doesn't put people's health at risk

No one has died using marijuana as apposed to alcohol which is the worst drug? It’s a literal plant made from the earth it’s NATURAL!!! LMAO Makes so much sense

A common assumption is the increase in organised crime. People forget extra funds coming from the taxation of Marinuana products can be allocated to offset this.

When a group of people get together and get high they mellow and chill, when they drink they become roudy and often violent. How come alchol is legal and non regulated? Getting high the night before does not affect you the next morning, alcohol does and yet alcohol is legal.