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Will they ever learn?

If a student turns up to class stoned, they might be kicked out of school. Or they might have a restorative conference with their teachers a......

No longer the healthy option

20 years on from the New Zealand Drug Foundation’s first cannabis and health conference, Keri Welham takes a look at Aotearoa’s most widely ......

Untouchable?

Thirty-seven years into the War on Drugs, the 2012 United Nations World Drug Report says the rate of reported cannabis use in Oceania (essen......

Let's talk about pot

There’s something wrong with the sentences

Under the irrelevant and outdated Misuse of Drugs Act, cannabis penalties and convictions in New Zealand remain inconsistent, disproportiona......

Not what your mum and dad smoked?

Anecdotes abound comparing the mellow weed of the old days with the edgier dope of today. Has cannabis become more potent since the 70s? Rob......

Let's talk about pot: Black Market forces

At $1 billion, New Zealand's cannabis black market would equate to one quarter the size of New Zealand's entire legal horticulture industry.......

Viewpoints: Should cannabis be on WADA's banned substances list?

In our second segment looking objectively at both sides of a contentious issue, we consider whether dope-smoking athletes should be diciplin......

Dry times

As well as marking the end of Lent, Easter weekend traditionally marks the beginning of the cannabis harvest in New Zealand. In the weeks le......

Cannabis

Cannabis is a preparation of the Cannabis Sativa plant that is used as a drug and medicine....

It’s not about the drugs

A new report has reignited the call for an even hand in the policing of drugs, citing figures that show the glare of police scrutiny is disp......

The world watches

To legalise, or not to legalise: that is the question. Colorado, Washington and Uruguay have decided to go ahead with allowing the recreatio......

The snowball and the avalanche: medical cannabis in Australia

Stories of personal suffering are appearing more frequently in the Australian news, and that's paved the way for medical cannabis. Andrew Mc......

Mythbusters: Cannabis potency

Police and the media say ESR tests conducted this year prove cannabis in New Zealand has become a whole lot stronger. But just what did thes......

Clearing the smoke

Cannabis is now widely accepted as a medical treatment, but does it have the evidential backing of other medicines? From herbal remedies to ......

Mythbusters: Is cannabis legal in the Netherlands?

Mythbusters takes a closer look at the nuanced drug policy of the Netherlands and finds that, just because you might not get arrested for po......

Viewpoints: Is it okay for NZ Police to interpret drug laws

The majority of New Zealanders support change to our cannabis laws, but the political appetite for this is low. Meanwhile, a drop in Police ......

The sky hasn’t fallen on: Australia

Some states in Australia removed criminal penalties for drug use and possession more than a quarter of a century ago, but the sky hasn't fal......

Decriminalise cannabis, decriminalise Māori?

That Māori are more often criminalised for cannabis use is often used as another good argument for decriminalisation. But Hirini Kaa argues ......

Reducing cannabis health harms

There is a wide spectrum of views on how much (or, in some cases, even whether) cannabis causes harm. Rob Zorn examines how harmful cannabis......

Mythbusters: Dope driving: I'm a safer driver when I'm stoned - crap or fact?

Many pot smokers who smoke and drive will say they're fine to get behind the wheel. Mythbusters looks at the evidence to see whether this is......

Driving high

Cannabis and cars don’t mix. We know pot causes impairment, but just how much, and is it even that dangerous? Damian Christie looks at one o......

Where now for opponents of cannabis law reform?

Steve Rolles considers how recent cannabis law reform victories are reshaping the landscape of the oldest debate in drug policy....

Q&A: Toni-Marie Matich

Toni-Marie Matich is the co-founder of the New Zealand branch of United in Compassion (UIC), set up to advocate for the introduction of medi......

Cracking good prevention

Fences at the top of cliffs are preferable to ambulances at the bottom. We know cannabis can cause harm, so how do we prevent people from us......

Viewpoints: Should New Zealand allow medicinal cannabis?

Medical cannabis is a sticky issue. There is evidence that cannabis and products derived from cannabis can treat some illnesses and alleviat......

Mythbusters: Cannabis 20 times more carcinogenic than tobacco?

Recently, the British Lung Foundation claimed that, contrary to popular belief, smoking a cannabis cigarette is up to 20 times more likely t......

Cannabis causes 32 deaths each year in New Zealand... Really?

All drug use has a risk of harm, which can include death. This Viewpoints argues either side of the question: Does cannabis cause 32 deaths ......

Q&A: Beau Kilmer

Before Beau Kilmer gave a keynote address at the Australasian Drug and Alcohol Strategy Conference in Brisbane, we invited the RAND Corporat......

Mythbusters: There is no such thing as cannabis withdrawal

Cannabis doesn't have the physical symptoms of withdrawl that other drugs have, but it does have it....

About a drug: Dabbing and BHO

Dabbing is a relatively new way of smoking cannabis involving highly concentrated extracts known as BHO (short for either ’butane honey oil’......

Mythbusters: Is cannabis really 100 times safer than alcohol?

Smoking cannabis is 114 times safer than drinking booze. Many newspapers and websites ran headlines along these lines when they reported new......

Majority backs cannabis law change

A majority of the public favours a change to the legal status of cannabis according to a new poll commissioned by the NZ Drug Foundation....

Voting for change was the easy part

As state regulation of cannabis moves forward in several US states, it’s too early to say how the legalisative experiments will turn out. Pr......

US Elections bring big win on cannabis ballots

Amidst the media storm about the election of Donald Trump to President of the United States it was easy to miss the other big news on 8 Nove......

Bringing the perils of drug driving to the Wellington waterfront

Visiting Wellington this week is a public education campaign which challenges drivers who think driving after smoking cannabis is okay....

Medical cannabis report disappointing

A report on medical cannabis published yesterday by the Health Select Committee is a disappointing once-over glance at a medicine that is of......

New campaign to help young New Zealanders Steer Clear of drug driving

A new campaign which shows young New Zealanders that cannabis can impair driving, and which supports young people to find alternatives to dr......

Online therapy tool to help people with pot

An innovative online therapy to help people reduce or stop their use of cannabis was launched today in Auckland....

Research links cannabis use with psychosis

Chronic cannabis use in early adolescence can make some people up to 11 times more likely to develop schizophrenia, the New Zealand Drug Fou......

Cannabis risks underestimated

People who use cannabis generally under appreciate how easily they could become dependent and often mistakenly believe the drug has no real ......

Conflict over cannabis shows need for conversation

New Zealand needs to have a serious conversation about the health and social impacts of cannabis in light of a recent survey which found con......

Cannabis causes cognitive concerns

Regular use of cannabis can cause serious cognitive impairment that persists beyond the period of being high, a speaker at next week’s canna......

Cannabis and health: 20 years down the track

Twenty years on from the New Zealand Drug Foundation’s first cannabis and health symposium, Professor Wayne Hall is returning to New Zealand......

The Great Cannabis Debate

Two heavyweight international drug policy experts will be debating whether a legalised market for cannabis is the best option to reduce harm......

Social and economic factors behind Māori cannabis use

Speakers at the New Zealand Drug Foundations cannabis and health symposium will be shedding more light than heat on the complex issues aroun......

Steer Clear wins health improvement award

The team behind the Steer Clear road safety campaign received a Ko Awatea 2015 International Excellence in Health Improvement Award in Auckl......

2013 International Drug Policy Symposium. Through the maze: Cannabis and Health

Through the Maze: Cannabis and Health International Drug Policy Symposium brought together some of the best minds about cannabis and health ......

Harsh cannabis laws defy good sense

Drug legislation and policy tend to focus too much on enforcement and tough-talk and too little on evidence about what really works, a visit......

It’s high time we talk about pot

Bud, chronic, dak, dope, ganja, grass, maryjane, reefer and skunk. We all know the slang terms for cannabis. Half of us have tried it, and o......

Drug Foundation backs medical cannabis

The New Zealand Drug Foundation today released its policy on medicinal cannabis, supporting the medical use of cannabis under a trial regime......

Synthetic cannabinoids

Cocaine is a highly processed form of the coca leaf. It is usually a white odourless powder....

International symposium to address fake pot

Questions about what exactly is synthetic cannabis and the latest research on pot imitations will be addressed at the New Zealand Drug Found......

Government’s medical cannabis bill will address current barriers

The Drug Foundation welcomed the government’s announcement to establish a government-run medical cannabis scheme as part of its First 100 Da......

Keep calm and keep to the facts about novel synthetic substances

Dear media: In the stampede to get the story out first, please check your facts....

Drug law enforcement discriminates against Māori

Māori are significantly more likely to be arrested and convicted for cannabis offences because drug laws are enforced in a discriminatory wa......

'Synthetic cannabis': primer

To get to grips with the tragic situation following reported deaths caused by consumption of unknown drugs, we have answered the key questio......

Q&A: Dr Huhana Hickey

r Huhana Hickey (Ngāti Tahinga, Whakatōhea) is a research fellow at the Auckland University of Technology and an outspoken medical cannabis ......

Drive drug free

Drug impaired driving is when substance use is the cause of impairment. Many prescribed medications can cause impairment....

NZ ready for healthy drug law

The overwhelming result in favour of decriminalisation on last night’s The Vote, shows New Zealand is ready to ditch our outdated drug laws ......

Support for cannabis law reform remains high in 2017

Public support for cannabis law reform is as strong as ever, as survey results released today by the NZ Drug Foundation show....

Survey reveals drug driving concern

Results from the Drug Foundation’s survey into driving and drugs suggest “cannabis driving” is a serious road safety issue in New Zealand....

Unequal treatment before the law

Kelly van Gaalen is a stand-up New Zealander 
– a real good sort. Right now though, she’s in prison....

Opinion - Synthetic cannabis

It’s a glaring and obvious anomaly that substances like cannabis are illegal in New Zealand while “synthetic cannabis” – that has much the s......

Did You Know: The facts about synthetics

Our new Did You Know video and poster explain what synthetic psychoactive substances are, why they are so unpredictable and dangerous, and h......

2017 Symposium News Coverage

Listed here is news coverage of the 2017 Through the Maze: Health Drug Law parliamentary symposium...

Mythbusters: The current drug control system works to reduce availability, increase prices and mitigate risks from drugs.

A paper by United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Executive Director Yury Fedotov last year makes the bold claim that the current “drug co......

Mythbusters: P and tinny houses

Stories about P being pushed at tinny houses are now regular media fare. Just how true are such claims? Mythbusters pick away at the fiction......

Mythbusters: New Zealand has the highest drug use in the world

Do we really? Or is it just that our bean counters are better at counting beans than others. Find out!...

Mythbusters: Drugs are legal in Portugal

After massively reforming its drug policy at the turn of the century, Portugal stands as a global leader of evidencebased policy grounded on......

Videos in Te Reo Māori

Replace drug convictions with health referrals: Drug Foundation launches new model drug law

We're proposing a complete overhaul of New Zealand's drug laws. This is a start....

The cost of convicting young people

Our criminal justice approach under the Misuse of Drugs Act comes at a high cost to all involved, even just in terms of wasted tax dollars, ......

Videos that create conversations

These short videos were created to help people have conversations with young people about alcohol and other drugs....

Opinion: The frustrating politics of drug reform

Home and abroad, even politicians favouring reform eventually reach an end to what they’re willing to say about the war on drugs. But Russel......

Fake it till you make it

It looks like cannabis, it has cannabis in the name, but is synthetic cannabis really cannabis? James Robinson investigates the health effec......

Opinion: Dear Politicians: drug policy matters in election year

In this message to New Zealand politicians, Kali Mercier, the Drug Foundation’s Senior Advocacy and Policy Adviser, explains why drug law re......

2017 Speaker & Soup registration

Following our July symposium, we’re keeping up the momentum with a new Speaker and Soup series to show people what Whakawātea te Huarahi is ......

It’s about more than a referendum

A shift to a health-focused way of dealing with drugs in New Zealand is expected to accelerate under the new Labour-led government....

Talk with young people

Did you know that having a conversation with young people about alcohol and other drugs is helpful. The Did you know? videos and tools make......

Briefing to the Incoming Parliament 2017

In December 2017 all MPs were sent a comprehensive briefing setting out drug policy priorities for the next three years. Download the full r......

Order printed information about alcohol and drugs for Kiwi teenagers

If you're regularly talking with teenagers and young people, it can be difficult knowing what to tell them about drugs. It's important to re......

Q&A: Johann Hari

British journalist Johann Hari’s book Chasing the Scream is still being widely read around the globe. Q&A asked the award-winning author for......

Reducing drug demand a good investment

The Drug Foundation welcomed the Government’s increased investment in reducing demand for drugs, released today in a pre-budget announcement......

Urgent response to drug deaths: accurate information is vital

The NZ Drug Foundation is calling on the NZ Police to release test results for substances suspected of leading to deaths of eight people in ......

Drug Foundation supports Minister's drug policy process

The Drug Foundation welcomed drug policy minister Jim Anderton’s announcement today to consult with the wider community before changing the ......

Q&A: Greg O'Connor

Greg O'Connor has seen a lot of change since he was elected President of the NZ Police Association....

Music culture

Redmer Yaka pores through the history of NZ song to show how perception of drug use changed over time....

USA drug policy in the early days of Trump

We’re just a few months into the new Trump-led America, and while some of his initial appointments are troubling, there’s no clear indicatio......

International spotlight on drug driving

The lack of a thorough understanding about the complex issue of drugs and driving must not be an excuse for inaction – this is the theme of ......

Statement of principles

An outline of the principles behind the work of the NZ Drug Foundation....

Knowledge of and attitudes to illegal drugs

Last year, the Ministry of Health published a report on what kiwis know and think about illegal drugs. Not all the findings were predictable......

The cost of our convictions

How much does imprisoning young New Zealanders for minor drug offences cost us?...

It’s going to take more than a referendum to sort out NZ’s drugs issues

In a new policy briefing sent to MPs, the Drug Foundation lays out drug policy priorities for the next three years....

A matter of trust

Worried parents resorting to drug tests may also be testing the relationships they have with their kids....

Sounding the drug war retreat

There are clear signs that the global consensus on drugs is becoming increasingly fractured, writes Ann Fordham....

Modernising New Zealand’s drug law

New Zealand’s drug law has been rejected as obsolete and out-of-touch by the Law Commission in its review - Controlling and Regulating Drugs......

Mythbusters: How attractive is the Swedish model?

A 'drug-free society' is an attractive proposition, and one pursued with vigor under Sweden's drug policy. Mythbusters sizes up the model to......

Viewpoints: The Brownfield Doctrine

With global drug policy coming under the spotlight in the lead up the UNGASS 2016, we take a look one part of a playing field on the move....

Drivers of change

What hope is there that this is the direction law makers will take in our new Parliament? Emma Espiner examines the prospects....