Referendum Results
While the US - and TBH, the world - was waiting for 2020 election results last week, the final results were released for the two 2020 New Zealand referendum on Friday, November 6. The first, the End of Life Choice Bill, which would legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, passed with 65.1% of the vote. The change between the preliminary results, released the Friday before, was only .1%. Since the referendum passed above the 50% threshold, the bill, which was already passed by parliament, will come into effect in twelve months. There was a lot of detailed information about who would be eligible and what the process would look like for a person who wanted to end their life. I think the clear details helped people make an informed decision about how to vote.
The second referendum was on legalizing recreational cannabis. This was the more hotly contested issue made messier by a big grey area on how this would roll out. If more than 50% of the people vote yes, then the government would introduce a bill (that would then be debated and possibly changed) before cannabis would become legal. Political leaders, except Jacinda Ardern who said she didn’t want to influence people’s votes, weighed on on where they stood on the issue. Helen Clark, who was prime minister from 1999 to 2008, was in the “yes” camp, while John Key, who was prime minister from 2008 to 2016, was firmly in the “no” pile. No one quite knew which way the vote would go as polls oscillated between both parties in the months leading up to the election, with the no’s leading more often than not. When the preliminary votes were announced, the referendum looked like it would be shot down as 53.1% of the vote was no. There was still a slim chance that when the 480,000 special ballots were counted, the outcome might be different, but no one expected it to flip flop.
It ended up being closer than anyone could’ve predicted. Once the special ballots were in, the no’s had the slimmest of margins, winning at 50.7%. Many people are trying to sway the government by saying this is a mandate to change something, though maybe not full legalisation. Jacinda has indicated that she’s not going to focus on changing drug laws at this time.
However, that doesn’t mean CBD or TCH is outlawed in New Zealand. It is possible to get a prescription for different products, but unfortunately you have to pay out of pocket and it is not subsidised like many other prescriptions. Many GPs are willing to write a prescription, but if yours won’t, you can always go talk to Dr. Gulbransen at Cannabis Care or see the people at Cannabis Clinic. Once you get a prescription, it is important to shop around for the best price. For the SAME BOTTLE of CBD oil (25ml, 100 mg/ml) I’ve seen prices range from NZ$240 to NZ$370, or about US$154 - $237. To put this in perspective, the closest thing I’ve had in the US was a 30 ml 50 mg/ml bottle which I was able to get for US$90. (In full disclosure, I’ve shopped for CBD oil once in the US and didn’t do much beyond go to a nearby Vitamin Shop. There’s probably a lot better stuff out there.)
One thing to note is that your choices for CBD and THC products will come from lots of countries, but not from the US where it isn’t regulated by the FDA. According to the Medical Cannabis Scheme, products must be approved medical product/devise in the country they came from. Most of the options I’ve seen are either Swiss or Canadian in origin. While this does limit the options available, it also means there is excellent quality control and you are getting exactly what you expect each and every time.
So while it is disappointing that the referendum didn’t pass, there isn’t a complete ban on cannabis products. Maybe in a few years this will be revisited as more and more people are able to access medical grade products and there will be another go at drug reform.
