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After a quiet spell in the news on account of, well, other stories, cannabis and what to do about it staged a modest headline revival this week. First there was this Stuff report on a journal article by Massey University researchers Marta Rychert and Chris Wilkins on how the cannabis referendum campaign unfolded. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision not to reveal her position on the cannabis debate during election campaigning could have been a decisive factor in last year’s referendum, academics believe. The article in the Drug and Alcohol Review isn t freely available, but I ve read it – and the headline claim, quoted accurately from article s abstract, isn t really backed up in the text, which declares only that Labour s decision not to campaign on the referendum (a Green Party policy) and Ardern s decision not to declare her vote (a yes ) in advance added to the volatility of the vote. That s it. ....
It came down to about 67,000 votes so it was very close, Helen Clark Foundation executive director Kathy Errington told The AM Show on Tuesday. Any number of things could have swung it. It s very hard to campaign in favour of something that is illegal because it is very hard for people to come out and say that they re doing it, and that they like to do it and they don t want to stop. There s a whole lot of reasons that campaign was very, very tricky. Nonetheless it is what it is - the result is there and we did reject that proposed legal framework. ....
“Adding to this volatility, the governing Labour Party decided the cannabis referendum would be a ‘conscience’ rather than a ‘party’ vote,” they wrote in a research paper. “The self-imposed neutrality of the centre-left Labour Party and its popular leader may have been a decisive factor in the narrow defeat.” Abigail Dougherty/Stuff Cannabis museum curator Abe Gray hopes to set up a new museum in Auckland. He s currently on the lookout for a site to house his cannabis-orientated exhibits. A spokeswoman for the prime minister declined to comment. Ardern has previously said she wanted New Zealanders to form their own views. ....