Drug Law Reform

What would you do if someone you love was struggling with their drug use?

We want the government to take a more compassionate approach to drugs, and to support people who are struggling instead of punishing them. The Drug Foundation has been working hard for over 30 years to change Aotearoa New Zealand's unfair and damaging drug laws. These are some things we're working on right now:

The government has amended the Misuse of Drugs Act

The government have made changes to the Misuse of Drugs Act. This will bring New Zealand closer to treating drug use as a health issue. You can check what we think in our press release or our Submission to the 2019 Misuse of Drugs Act Amendment bill, or you can get updates from Parliament here.

A chance for something better: Legal, regulated cannabis

Next year, New Zealanders will vote on whether to legalise and regulate cannabis. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change NZ's approach to cannabis, and we need to make sure the public understands why it's so important.

The government have released a framework that focuses on improving health outcomes and protecting young people. If New Zealanders vote to legalise, we need to be ready with a draft law that will protect young people, take money from the hands of the black market and put it towards healthcare instead.

We've launched a detailed policy to inform the Government's thinking for the referendum and the supporting law. Taking Control of Cannabis: A model for responsible regulation (PDF 1.7MB) provides an overview of their proposals, and discusses key areas we recommend they should include as they draft the Bill.

New report: Taking control of cannabis

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We all want a happier, healthier, more equal New Zealand. For us, that means treating cannabis use as a public health issue, not a criminal one. This booklet is intended to help inform the drafting of the law that we will all be voting on at the referendum in 2020. Read Article

Whakawātea te Huarahi - Read and download our model drug law

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The way New Zealand responds to drugs is not keeping up with a changing world. A move to treating drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal one is long overdue. In July 2017 the Drug Foundation released Whakawātea te Huarahi, a bold roadmap for drug law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand. Read Article

Read the economic analysis on drug law reform

An independent report by Sense Partners confirms that not only can New Zealand create a safer legal system, but the economics stack up. Read Article

Health Not Handcuffs: A movement for change

Drug laws that give people a HAND UP not a lock up

What's it all about?

Want to run a drug law reform workshop in your community?

Drug policy is an important issue, and can be difficult to talk about. So we’ve designed a workshop toolkit to help locals and community organisations run their own hui on drug policy reform. It explains how drug policy impacts Aotearoa New Zealand, and gives a breakdown of Whakawātea te Huarahi. The workshop is interactive and adaptable so you can make it suit your audience and community.

Download the community consultation toolkit and please contact us if you have any questions.