The preliminary results for the cannabis referendum showed 53.1 voted against it while 46.1 voted in favour and those percentages are unlikely to change even after the special votes are counted. So where to now for Māori given legalising cannabis is off the government's agenda?
Waipareira Trust chief executive John Tamihere says that perhaps the conversation is too broad and that Maori need to focus on what really affects their people - being unfairly punished in the courts. "If the question was decriminalisation, it would have passed. People say decriminalisation is in play but it's not. The law allows police to go on fishing expeditions in our community," Tamihere says.
In New Zealand, under the Misuse of Drugs 1975, cannabis is illegal, yet there is no doubt that a lot of New Zealanders have used it in the past or are still frequent users. Tamihere says the criminal justice system becomes the default management for Māori when it comes to cannabis and they are often targeted by the Police for possession.
"Our people are forced to actually go to the black market and they do. I know whānau who have. The cannabis oil that they have taken has dropped the vigorous nature of pain in their last stages of cancer and I don't for one minute think that they've broken the law." Tamihere says
Too costly
And, although medicinal cannabis is legal in New Zealand, the reality is that it is too expensive for Māori. The average cost for an imported 100mg/ml CBD product ranges from $300, which is typically one month's supply to Sativex, which is reported to cost between $800-1200 a month.
Waipareira programme navigator John Ormsby says he usually starts his day with a phone call and the caller is usually someone seeking help for drug and addiction. "The majority of the whānau that come into Waipareira are using marijuana as well as alcohol, so what we do is we get them in and install a little bit more self-esteem. We get them away from the' I need to bury my head in the sand and I'll use alcohol and drugs to do that'," Ormsby says
When consulting with whānau, often Ormsby will ask: "What matters most? Your addiction, or your kids?" He says the cannabis referendum had both pros and cons. "If you legalise cannabis, the benefits could be you taking away the illegal manufacture and distribution of that drug - I am assuming it would be like buying a pack of cigarettes over the counter at the dairy. The downside, however, is the health implications such as lung disease and cancer."
Tamihere says there needs to be a Māori focus on these decisions because it is Māori who suffer the most. "All the rules are made by pākeha for pākeha and if it works for them then awesome but it definitely doesn't work for our communities."
This Friday will be the decider, with the special votes yet to be counted, but it seems that the results may just reflect the preliminary results.