News

NDRI’s Professor Simon Lenton is one of five international experts invited to participate in a series of public lectures in New Zealand on cannabis policy reform, hosted by Massey University in the lead-up to the national referendum on cannabis law planned for the 2020 NZ general election.

The events have been organised by cannabis policy researchers Associate Professor Chris Wilkins and Dr Marta Rychert from the SHORE & Whāriki Research Centre at Massey University. The aim is to provide the public with balanced information on the range of different cannabis law reform options, such as decriminalisation, cannabis social clubs and not-for-profit community trusts, including how different reforms have worked out overseas, and to stimulate public debate.

International experts in drug policy who will speak at the events are:

• Professor Beau Kilmer – RAND Corporation Drug Policy Research Center, United States
• Associate Professor Rosario Queirolo – Catholic University of Uruguay, Latin American Marijuana Research Initiative, Uruguay
• Professor Simon Lenton – National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Australia
• Professor Tom Decorte – Ghent University, Belgium
• Professor Benedikt Fischer – Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada (now with Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland)

The first public seminar takes place at Massey University in Wellington on 15 October, followed by events in Auckland, in partnership with the University of Auckland Public Policy Institute, and Christchurch, in partnership with the University of Otago.