The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show New Zealand is still arresting, charging and convicting thousands of people every year for drug-related offences. Many of these are low-level offences.
Criminalising drug use does not work. The Drug Foundation thinks New Zealand can do much better. We need to start treating drug use as a health issue, not a criminal one. This will not only save money in the justice and prison system - it will allow those who are struggling with their drug use to get the help they need.
Most Māori have seen the human cost of our bad drug law first-hand and it’s a sad truth that the people most harmed by prohibition are Māori, young and male. Read More
12 December 2019
Recommendations in the Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group’s new report offer a way forward to treat drugs as a health issue.
07 November 2019
The 2019 State of the Nation report provides a snapshot of available data on how NZ deals with drugs. Release November 2019.
01 March 2019
Korero Pono JustSpeak exhibition: Even the shortest prison sentence can be a life sentence for some.
01 July 2017
The Waitangi Tribunal’s (Wai 2540) Tu¯ Mai te Rangi! report says the Crown has breached its Treaty of Waitangi obligations by failing to add...
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