by Jim Rose in economics of crime, economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne was onto something when he pointed out that a number of those supporting the legalisation of medicinal cannabis oils are using it as a stalking horse to legalise the marijuana leaf.

After reading the wonderful investigation in Saturday’s Dominion Post, it’s quite clear that cannabis oil has nothing to do with marijuana liberalisation.

The Associate Health Minister pointed out on television yesterday that there is already one cannabis oil derivative product approved by Medisafe and available on prescription. It is open to any pharmaceutical company to submit any other cannabis oil and marijuana derivative medicine for approval. There will be a fair hearing.

Medical marijuana is already legal in New Zealand. Few cannabis oil and marijuana leaf derivatives have been approved under the Medicines Act because few have shown to be an effective medication.

Those campaigned for a marijuana law reform would do a lot of sick people a service by saying that the campaign from better access and government funding of cannabis oil and other marijuana derivatives is a separate issue from which they stand apart. They should be not trying to follow in medicinal cannabis deregulation to liberalise recreational use of marijuana.

The issues have nothing to do with each other. Those who want marijuana liberalisation should stand on their own political feet.

US deaths (2013)

Tobacco 437k

Alcohol 29k

Opoids 16k

Heroin 8k

Cocaine 5k

Marijuana 0 vox.com/2014/5/19/5727… http://t.co/o8yMDf7oE0—

Conrad Hackett (@conradhackett) August 04, 2015

By infiltrating the medical marijuana lobby, their entryism slows any deregulation of the medicinal uses of cannabis oil and marijuana leaf because of slippery slope arguments.

A group of men and women gleefully demonstrate against Prohibition in 1932. http://t.co/686SwVHyC0—

Old Pics Archive (@oldpicsarchive) January 29, 2015

The marijuana decriminalisation lobby should be honest and say that it happens to be a coincidence that marijuana has other constituents that have medicinal uses. They want to decriminalise marijuana because they just want to get high.