Posted inAbout cannabis Research

Study: Smoking Cannabis Associated With “Significantly Better” Health Outcomes Than Tobacco

Australian research has found cannabis users are just as healthy as non-users, but you probably didn't see any coverage of this in the mainstream media. The key points are: Cannabis-only subjects reported "significantly better" general health and fewer smoking-related health concerns compared to the tobacco-only group. Cannabis-only subjects were less likely to report diagnoses of cancer and diabetes compared to all other groups, including the non-smoking controls General health…
Posted inAbout cannabis Press releases

New Zealand still the world’s top consumer of cannabis

New Zealand and Australia have the highest rates of using cannabis in the world, according to the United Nation's 2012 World Drug Report. In 2010 (the most recent year for which international data was available), marijuana consumption was most prevalent in Australia and New Zealand, with the United States and Canada tied for second, followed by Spain, France and Italy. "Cannabis is the world's most widely used illicit substance…
Posted inAbout cannabis Law Reform Medicinal Use of Cannabis

Regulation will reduce teen cannabis use, says NORML

Current drug policy is resulting in widespread teenage cannabis use while a regulated market would make cannabis use adults-only in licensed premises. Despite strict cannabis laws, New Zealand has the highest rate of teen cannabis use in the world. Meanwhile, the Netherlands have the most relaxed cannabis laws for adults in the world but has the lowest rate of teen cannabis use. “New Zealand needs to take a leaf…
Posted inFor Media & Students Medicinal Use of Cannabis

Scientific Review: “There Is Now Clear Evidence That Cannabinoids Are Useful For The Treatment Of Various Medical Conditions”

by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director (USA) August 9, 2012 For the second time in recent months, a scientific paper published in a peer-reviewed journal has thoroughly rebutted the present Schedule Istatus of cannabis under US federal law, which states that the plant and its organic constituents possess a “high potential for abuse,” and that they lack “accepted medical use” and “accepted safety … under medical supervision.” According to…
Posted inAbout cannabis For Media & Students Medicinal Use of Cannabis

Five Scientific Conclusions About Cannabis That The Mainstream Media Doesn’t Want You To Know

The government and mainstream media like to push studies touting the purported dangers of marijuana, while ignoring scientific evidence that demonstrates the opposite, writes Paul Armentano. While studies touting the purported dangers of cannabis are frequently pushed by the federal government and, therefore, all but assured mainstream media coverage, scientific conclusions rebutting pot propaganda or demonstrating potential positive aspects of the herb often tend to go unnoticed. Here are five…
Posted inMedicinal Use of Cannabis Press releases

Medical cannabis laws associated with fewer suicides

"Policymakers weighing the pros and cons of legalization should consider... that (these) laws may lead to fewer suicides among young adult males" New Zealand has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world - especially for young males. We also have the highest rate of cannabis arrests in the world, with police spending 330,000 hours per year chasing pot heads. New research has shown that in the…
Posted inLaw Reform Medicinal Use of Cannabis

Medical Cannabis Laws Have No Discernable Adverse Impact On Adolescents’ Pot Use

by Paul Armentano, US NORML Deputy Director The enactment of state laws allowing for the limited legal use of cannabis by qualified patients has little to no causal effect on broader marijuana use, according to data published online in the journal Annals of Epidemiology. Investigators at McGill University in Montreal obtained state-level estimates of marijuana use from the 2002 through 2009 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health.…
Posted inAbout cannabis Drug Testing Press releases

NZ’s 540,000 marijuana users “too many to arrest”

A new Horizon Poll has found New Zealand has 540,000 marijuana users including over 70,000 who use it every day. NORML says this is more evidence in support of it's campaign theme of "too many smokers to arrest". "New Zealand has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world, and despite decades of busting people we certainly the highest teenage use rate," said NORML spokesperson Chris Fowlie.…
Posted inAbout cannabis Press releases

Problems with cannabis potency claims

New Zealand Police are complaining that domestic cannabis has apparently "quadrupled in strength". Aside from the obvious point that if cannabis is stronger consumers don't need to smoke as much, there are several problems with this claim. We thought the NZ Drug Foundation covered it well: http://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/mythbusters/cannabis-potency Cannabis potency Thursday, November 25, 2010 “New Zealand now has super-strength [cannabis] strains… the drug is now more than four times stronger…
Posted inLaw Reform Press releases

Canada’s Liberal Party votes to legalise

Canada's Liberal Party, the country's oldest registered political party, has overwhelmingly adopted a policy of supporting the regulation and taxation of cannabis commerce, something New Zealand's conservative government should also consider. The Liberals have often been the governing party in Canada, and have previously attempted several times to introduce legislation to legalise, regulate and tax their multi-billion dollar cannabis trade. At their latest annual conference the Liberals voted by…
Posted inAbout cannabis Drug Testing Press releases

Drug driving campaign may backfire

NORML supports efforts to reduce impairment on the roads, and our own "Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use" invoke a no-driving clause. However, like with alcohol it is important to distinguish between use and impairment. Furthermore, efforts to reduce the use of drugs may actually backfire by encouraging more use of alcohol, a far more dangerous substance that encourages risk-taking behaviour. "The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has this week…
Posted inAbout cannabis Medicinal Use of Cannabis Press releases

JAMA: Long-Term Exposure To Cannabis Smoke Is Not Associated With Adverse Effects On Pulmonary Function

by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director Exposure to cannabis smoke, even over the long-term, is not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. That’s the conclusion of a major clinical trial published today in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA). Investigators at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed the association between marijuana exposure and pulmonary function over a 20 year period in a cohort of 5,115…
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Aussie Gangs and Drugs – Prohibition is Great for Business & Increasing Violence

Aussie biker gangs like the Rebels gain power through violence and trafficking in illegal drugs; that means prohibition is great for business and will only help them get a stake established more quickly in New Zealand. “It isn’t surprising that a gang like the Rebels is looking at starting an operation here,” says NORML President Stephen McIntyre. “400,000 Kiwis are current users of cannabis.” "In addition, Aotearoa/New Zealand has…
Posted inLaw Reform Press releases

Restore Public Trust in Police – Stop Criminalising Cannabis

The New Zealand public needs to have its confidence restored in the police and the quickest way for that to happen is to stop criminalising cannabis. "The announcement this week of Police Commissioner Rob Pope's resignation signals a healthy change in the nature of Police culture," said NORML NZ President Stephen McIntyre today. "But over the years, the law criminalising cannabis has done much to erode the general public's…
Posted inPress releases

Prohibition of cannabis counter-productive

The International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP) today released a new research report that demonstrates the clear failure of U.S. marijuana prohibition and supports calls for evidence-based models to legalize and regulate the use of cannabis. The British Medical Journal, one of the world’s most influential medical journals, published a supportive commentary to coincide with the report’s release today. The new report, entitled Tools for debate: U.S.…
Posted inPress releases

Govt Could Offset GST Rise by Regulating Cannabis

The Government could give Kiwis a financial break from the latest GST rise if it legalised, regulated and taxed cannabis sales. “Responsible cannabis users would be happy to pay a tax on what they bought if it meant not being threatened by criminalisation any longer,” Acting President of NORML NZ, Stephen McIntyre, said today. “Cannabis enforcement cost the Police $116 million in 2005/06.* These costs would be largely avoided…