Pubdate: Fri, 18 Mar 2016
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2016 Guardian News and Media Limited
Contact:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: Elle Hunt

CANNABIS CRISIS HITS NEW ZEALAND SMOKERS

Sydney - New Zealand's marijuana smokers are in the grip of a 
cannabis crisis, with demand far outstripping supply, after a police 
operation this month netted 9,000 plants.

The "catastrophic" situation was first reported by online magazine 
the Spinoff in an article that said New Zealand's most popular 
illegal drug was "almost unobtainable in any meaningful amount".

"Blame it on the police, the gangs, the weather or just the grow 
cycle of your average cannabis harvest," the website said. "It's dry 
out there."

New Zealand punches above its weight in cannabis consumption, with 
42% of those over 15 having tried it. Penalties range from a NZ$500 
(UKP236) fine for possession to a two-to 14-year prison sentence for 
cultivation or supply. Usage is most common among males aged 15 to 24.

Prices have been driven up from NZ$300-$350 for an ounce to well over 
NZ$400 in some cases.

One smoker, Christian, said the shortage had forced him to seek a 
prescription for antidepressants, adding: "I haven't had problems 
sourcing it for 14 years."

Another, Jordan, said people were paying high prices for poor-quality 
weed, with bags that usually sell for NZ$50 going for as much as 
$100. "A lot of people are selling terrible indoor stuff, or old 
rotted plant, which is even worse," he added.

The plants seized on South Island this month, over which 13 people 
face drug and firearms charges, are only one theory about the cause 
of the drought. Some said that the shortage may have taken root in 
2015 as a result of floods rotting cannabis stocks in storage.

Thomas, 36, said variations in availability were to be expected even 
during times of plenty as any large growing operation stood out like 
a "red flag to law enforcement". He said his supplier was able to 
tell him within 24 hours when a specific roadside in the upper South 
Island had been sprayed, disrupting the supply chain. "But I have no 
way of knowing she's being straight up," he conceded. "She does smoke 
and sell a lot of illegal drugs."

Last month, health minister Peter Dunne announced a review of the 
guidelines for using cannabis for medicinal reasons. As it stands, 
the only approved medicinal cannabis in New Zealand is a mouth spray, 
Sativex, which costs more than NZ$1,000 a month.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom