If you’re someone who indulges in the devil’s herb from time to time and has a steadfast commitment to planning ahead, you’re in luck: our progressive neighbour to the east New Zealand will be voting as a nation on whether to legalise recreational cannabis in 2020.
A referendum on legal weed is part of the confidence and supply agreement between Labour and the Greens over there, so it was on the cards since Labour’s election victory last year, which was supported by minor parties. But Justice Minister Andrew Little has now confirmed the vote will happen in 2020.
“There is a bit of detail still to work through, but we are telling the electoral commission that’s when it’s going to be,” he told local media this morning, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Certain medicinal cannabis products are legal in New Zealand currently when prescribed by a specialist doctor. Possession of any amount of cannabis otherwise is illegal, with the maximum penalty for possession being 3 months in prison or a $500 fine. Growing cannabis plants can land you in prison for up to 7 years.
Polling in NZ tends to be somewhat divided on the issue of legalising recreational cannabis, but it is very much trending in favour of it. A TVNZ phone poll from back in October found that 46% of people thought cannabis should be legalised for personal use, with 41% against and 12% undecided.
So there you go. Sometime in 2020. Wonderful news for weedlords across the Tasman.
