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 is amending the Misuse of Drugs Act

The government have put forward 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 2020 referendum will be a simple Yes/No question, based on detailed draft legislation. A cabinet paper, released in May 2019, sets out a health-focused plan for adults (over 20) to use and buy cannabis, and to grow some plants at home. The Drug Foundation is backing a yes vote.

To help inform the debate around drug law reform, we've joined seven other organisations to launch Health Not Handcuffs. Check it out here. 

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.