Lianne Dalziel

The Labour Party is urging Kiwis to respond to today's Law Commission Issues Paper on Controlling and Regulating Drugs.

Labour Justice spokesperson Lianne Dalziel and Associate Health (Drugs and Alcohol) spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway said the paper, commissioned by Labour in government, was "not only well-researched, but extremely impressive in the breadth and depth of issues it covers."

Lianne Dalziel the report highlighted New Zealand's international legal obligations. "We must be hard-line on those who deal in hard drugs. The Law Commission is adamant that there can be no let-up on those who deal in and profit from misery," Lianne Dalziel said. "There's no argument about that, but the paper also identifies a range of issues that demand wide debate, including resourcing of treatment and assessment options for people facing drug dependence. Early assessment and treatment has enormous potential for reducing crime."

Iain Lees-Galloway said he believed the public would support the Commission's suggestion of a regime requiring manufacturers and importers to seek official approval before marketing new substances, such as new sorts of party pills. Medicines have to be licensed in this country. The same standards should apply to new drugs that may carry a real risk to the community."

Iain Lees-Galloway said he also believed there would be wide debate on compulsory treatment for people who don't want to be treated. "The Alcohol and Drug Addiction Act 1966 is now 43 years old. Today's drug scene is radically different. We need to look for new approaches to tackle issues of dependency."

Lianne Dalziel said the paper opened up the issue of differentiating between levels of offending in terms of possessing drugs for supply. "It is fundamental that we must protect our children from criminal offending by gangs. In practice, the courts differentiate now in terms of the level and seriousness of offending, but we need to be both careful and practical about changing the law in this respect."