View this email in your browser Share Tweet Forward ARE YOU READY FOR THE DOPE DEBATE?

We are - and we have the resources you need Hi <<First Name(s)>> Are you ready for the debate on legalising marijuana? We are!



Our first billboard has just gone up in Christchurch, with more to come. And we've just released a stack of resources for you and your family which will help you campaign with us against any attempts to legalise marijuana (and ultimately other drugs, according to pro-marijuana groups) in New Zealand.



Join us as we say nope to dope. Legalising marijuana for recreational use will be a disaster for families. Just released - BRIEFING FOR FAMILIES DOWNLOAD our just-released 24-page Briefing for Families. You can also click HERE for 1-page Briefing Sheets on specific issues. Topics covered include: what are the known health harms of marijuana?

why is the referendum much more than just being able to ‘smoke a joint’?

the problems with statements like “the war on drugs has failed” and “it’s a health issue, not a legal issue”

what effect will legalisation have in the workplace, on road safety, with pregnant mums and young people, on family violence & child abuse, and will it really get rid of the ‘black market’ and gang involvement?

is growing marijuana ‘green’?

what’s the next step in this whole agenda? Get past the ‘smokescreen’. These education resources will help you understand all the issues related to the upcoming referendum. Share them with friends and families.



If you would like copies of the Briefing for Families to distribute, email denise@familyfirst.org.nz



Here's just some examples of the issues covered.... At the same time as we are rightly booting Big Tobacco out of the country, why are we in the process of putting down the welcome mat for Big Marijuana. The supporters of dope are now peddling the same myths that Big Tobacco did. Let’s not be sucked in again.



This upcoming debate is not about cannabis medicine. It’s about creating a drug-friendly culture. And not just marijuana: ultimately, it’s about all drugs.



This Briefing For Families will give you the facts, and will help you campaign with us against any attempts to legalise marijuana in New Zealand.



Big Marijuana has high hopes for New Zealand. Liberalising marijuana laws is the wrong path to go down if we care about public health, public safety, and about our young people. This is not a war on drugs – it’s a defence of our brains. Drug use is a major health issue, and that’s why the role of the law is so important.



If we’re aiming to be SmokeFree by 2025, let’s be aspirational – and be DrugFree by 2025 also.



Kind regards.



Bob McCoskrie

National Director