A binding referendum will be held at the 2020 general election on the legalisation of cannabis for personal use.
Public law expert Andrew Geddis talked to TVNZ’s Breakfast about what needs to be done in the next 18 months before voting takes place.
The wording of the question and how the referendum will be done is not yet clear, but Geddis says a referendum is necessary due to the stance of coalition member New Zealand First.
“The politics of it demand this is the only way it can be done.”
He says there is a lot of policy work to be done between now and 2020.
“People need to know what they’re voting for, if the question is do you want to legalise marijuana no one will really know what that means.
“People need to know the processes, they won’t know the age at which people can buy, they won’t know all of the really important questions.”
He believes a bill should be passed in Parliament, indicating what will be in place should there be a yes vote.
“That way people can look at it and say this is what the legalisation means, so if we vote yes this is what we’ll get.”
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