A man who lit up a cannabis joint in the public gallery of the debating chamber in Parliament yesterday has been charged with possession of a class C drug.

Parliament security grabbed the man in his 30s shortly after he lit his cannabis cigarette during the second reading of the Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill, about 5.30pm.

Security staff handed the unemployed man to police.

There was no indication it was any sort of protest, Parliamentary Service spokesman Warren Inkster said.

Apart from breaking drug laws, the man would have broken parliamentary codes of conduct surrounding behaviour in the chamber, he said.

Parliament's premises are designated non-smoking.

-NZPA