The Government will today launch a website that will help voters figure out whether they'll vote yes or no to cannabis in the referendum at this year's election.
The Prime Minister's chief science adviser Juliet Gerrard, who is running the site, told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning the website will give a well-rounded overview of both sides of the debate.
It's an issue that can inspire passionate opinions on either side, so in a bid to make sure New Zealanders are armed with the facts, the website will host a range of experts, including health experts, addiction experts and scientists, as well as the most up-to-date research and international evidence.
"This was actually a request from the Prime Minister, who thought that it was really important that we put together an expert panel, not to make recommendations this time, but to enable people to make their own decisions by giving a level look at all the evidence," Dr Gerrard said.
The gap has narrowed in cannabis referendum voting in the latest 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll as a powerful American lobby group joins the debate.
"The evidence base isn't a slam dunk so you can't look at the evidence and say definitely vote one way or another. It needs some interpretation and we've tried really hard to focus - not just on not just the evidence - but also the uncertainties and the flaws and the arguments."
Dr Gerrard said the website will have an "at a glance" summary of both sides of the argument, and depending on how keen people are they can tunnel down into frequently asked questions and original sources.
The University of Otago study was published in this week’s New Zealand Medical Journal.
There's also a documentary to give a voice to some of those on the panel, as well as other experts.
The website will launch at 11am today.
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