The Government will hold a referendum on personal cannabis use at the 2020 general election - and it will be binding.
Justice Minister Andrew Little announced Cabinet had made the decision on Monday on his way into caucus on Tuesday morning.
"It will be held at the 2020 general election. The agreement is that it will be binding. There is a bit of detail to still to work through," Little said.
National Leader Simon Bridges suggested that the Government was attempting to distract from the general election itself, but said he didn't have a problem with the referendum being binding.
"I'm pretty cynical that you've got a Government here that wants to distract from the core issues of a general election," Bridges said.
He suspected two other discussed referendums would also be included on euthanasia and electoral reform, although Little has talked down those prospects.
Bridges would be voting against cannabis legalisation and said he hadn't smoked marijuana at any point in his life.
Little said he would not be using a mooted "citizens assembly" for policy development, something the Green Party had pushed for.
Sauce.
So as the title says, New Zealand will be holding a referendum on legalising cannabis for personal use at the 2020 election, with medicinal marijuana passing another vote in Parliament not that long ago. What's important about this is that this referendum will be binding, that means that unlike many referendums in the past, the government will be forced to act on the outcome of this one. In addition, voters will get to decide the future of the political system with yet another referendum on MMP, and another significant referendum on legalising euthanasia.
Personally while I am happy that the referendum is binding, I do have some reservations as to its timing. Firstly, the three referenda together on their own was going to be difficult to communicate and educate effectively given the significance of the issues being voted on, let alone during a national election where policy and scandal are already bombarding voters. Secondly, those who do vote in elections are almost always going to be the people who are against this kind of thing, as the youth vote is as elusive here as it is elsewhere.
Nevertheless this is a great step for New Zealand and I hope to hell when it does happen, most of us will make the right choice. So, what say you NSG?
