Principles: fairness in law; cost-effectiveness; harm reduction (accepting recreational drug use is common in NZ); respect for individual and civic rights so long as they don’t harm others; full inclusion of Treaty of Waitangi principles.

Positive outcomes: redirect hundreds of millions from unjust, ineffective laws to community, health, education, and jobs; better access to health services and more credible drug education; reduce cannabis’ appeal, limit youth access, and improve health promotion; lower crime and free police and court resources to fight serious offending; increase community participation and better governance; boost the economy and jobs through cannabis and hemp industries and raise tax revenue; large ecological benefits from hemp cultivation—protect forests, cut pollution and emissions, and provide food, shelter, clothing, fuel, and medicine.

POLICY MINIMUM PROGRAMME

• Make possession, growing and use of natural cannabis and cannabis/hemp products legal and not criminal.

• Create regulated R18 cannabis sales like alcohol and tobacco, with no advertising. (Policy Council to set detailed rules.)

• Allow cannabis to be used for medical purposes.

• Support large-scale cannabis and hemp farming and use, prioritising local, low-cost biofuel production from cannabis biomass and use of fiber and hurds.

• Expunge all past cannabis convictions.

1/Justice

• About 20,000 people are convicted each year in New Zealand for cannabis offences. The unemployed, men and Māori are disproportionately affected (Fergusson et al, CH&DS). • Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party says Parliament must address this injustice and reduce prejudice and division. The Party calls for a full Prohibition truth and reconciliation commission for accountability and restorative justice.

2/ Education

• Savings from ending prohibition should fund health and education. “Education, not incarceration.”

• We must better discourage drug use by minors. R18 rules plus education will make teen use less appealing.

• Current laws block effective drug education and alienate young people. Our policy creates a non-threatening, honest education environment so schools can talk about drugs without fear or bias.

• We require “adults only” access with consistent enforcement. We support a Tobacco, Alcohol and Cannabis authority (Drugs Policy Council) to set and oversee sensible recreational drug rules, involve communities, and provide reliable health information.

Health

• Follow harm-reduction and evidence-based best practice. Regulate cannabis for adults only (R18).

• Provide credible drug education focused on reducing harm. Removing double standards will improve public health messaging and credibility.

• We support the 1998 Health Select Committee recommendation that the government review cannabis policy and its legal status. Later inquiries found no benefits from prohibition, though MPs did not change the law.

• Allow home-grown medicinal cannabis and prescribed therapeutic preparations. Legalisation will encourage safer use methods like vaporisers and oral sprays.

• Promote hemp seed as a nutritious, THC-free food rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9, plus vitamins and minerals.

• Reintroduce hemp farming for an organic, low-pollution approach. Hemp supports sustainable uses — biofuel, paper, plastics, biodegradable packaging — and provides nutritious, THC-free food.

5/ Economy

• Prohibition fuels a large black market in New Zealand. The World Health Organization estimates the global illegal drug market at about $500 billion a year. Regulation would keep much of that money in the community instead of going to police costs and untaxed organised crime.

• Legal, non-promotional cannabis sales would bring economic benefits, including tax revenue and possible carbon credits.

• Growing hemp for non-drug products would create jobs and economic growth — which prohibition currently prevents.

• Prohibition divides families and harms relationships. Surveys show most New Zealand families include a cannabis user. Many law‑abiding parents who use cannabis face stress that damages trust and honest communication at home.

• Criminalising cannabis creates fear and distrust and can deeply hurt family wellbeing. The double standard also weakens young people’s trust in the system. Regulated legalization would reduce cannabis‑related harm.

• ALCP’s grow‑your‑own plan lets families take responsibility, rebuild trust, and strengthen community respect. Parents would get reliable information to help their children resist peer pressure.

• Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party has the strongest law-and-order plan because we tackle both the black market and the failure of prohibition to stop demand and supply. R18 legalisation will cut crime and fear by restoring clear, workable laws.
• Criminalisation creates crime and criminals. Research shows up to half a million New Zealanders use cannabis. Criminal laws have weakened respect for the law.
• Removing criminal penalties for the country’s most used illicit drug will free police to focus on real crimes.
• Regulated legalisation will rebuild trust, lower fear, and let money now spent enforcing drug laws be used for health and education.
• Legalisation will make people more willing to cooperate with police.

• The Party has no specific immigration policy, only a general commitment to inclusiveness and tolerance. Cannabis convictions from other countries should not stop people moving to New Zealand. The Shier deportation case (1999) showed how unfair this rule can be.

The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party supports the Treaty’s principles of partnership, tolerance and cooperation. The Treaty is recognised in the Party’s founding documents (March 1996). Our legal regulation policy seeks fair laws, self-determination and capacity building for all.

Disproportionate policing pushes young Māori toward alienation and crime. Māori are about 4–5 times more likely than non-Māori to be convicted for cannabis offences, despite similar rates of use.

The crop resists drought and pests, prevents erosion, and improves soil. Its deep roots capture nitrates, helping reduce dairy-related groundwater contamination in New Zealand.

Widespread hemp growing would cut greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and waste (for example with biodegradable packaging) and reduce pressure on forests.