Listen Now: 
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated is backing a yes vote in the cannabis referendum.
It says while there are health impacts from cannabis use, it needs to be treated as a health issue, not a criminal issue.
It says under the current law Māori are up to six times more likely to be apprehended, arrested, incarcerated and get longer sentences then non-Māori for the possession of cannabis.
That is clogging up the justice system, clogging up police work, clogging up corrections and prisons where police and other justice operations should be more targeted at deadly crime like methamphetamine, domestic violence and other such whānau oppressive activities.
The board also backs a plan by Te Taiwhenua o Tāmaki-nui-ā-Rua to grow hemp for medicinal and nutritional purposes.
The Dannevirke-based taiwhenua has strong relationships with Massey University, other growers and Hemp Sun of China, one of the biggest producers of both nutritional and medicinal products from the production of hemp.
!["p_facebook"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/facebook.jpg")
& !["p_twitter"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/twitter.jpg")
Copyright © 2020, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
