50 Years is Long Enough – Modernise NZ’s Drug Laws

🕰️ In 2025, the Misuse of Drugs Act (MODA) turns 50, half a century since it was written for a very different time. It’s been amended in patches but never properly reformed, leaving us with a system that is:
 ➡️ Outdated and fragmented
 ➡️ Inconsistent with modern science
 ➡️ Costly to enforce
 ➡️ Disproportionately harming Māori, Pasifika, and young people

📚 Between 2007 and 2010, the Law Commission undertook a thorough, evidence-based review. In 2011, it recommended replacing MODA with a new, health-focused framework. That advice still hasn’t been acted on.

⚠️ Since then, everything has changed:
 ➡️ Synthetic cannabinoids, vaping, and novel psychoactives have emerged
 ➡️ The Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 created a parallel regime
 ➡️ Drug checking was legalised in 2021
 ➡️ Medicinal cannabis access has expanded
 ➡️ Other countries, like Canada, Portugal, and Australia, have updated their laws based on evidence

🔎 Aotearoa has changed too, in how we understand harm reduction, public health, equity, and our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

This petition is not about legalisation or decriminalisation. It’s about bringing our drug laws into the 21st century, grounded in evidence, focused on health, and responsive to the needs of all New Zealanders.

🔍 What this petition is not about
🚫 Legalising or decriminalising any drug
🚫 Repeating the 2011 review
🚫 Proposing a specific policy outcome

✅ This is a neutral, inclusive call for an expert-led, modern, cross-party review, not ideology, but good governance.

🧠 What the review should consider
➡️ Whether current laws reduce harm and promote public safety
➡️ If the framework is clear, proportionate, and equitable
➡️ The cost and effectiveness of enforcement
➡️ Alignment with health and Te Tiriti principles
➡️ International best practices and a consistent, risk-based approach

✊ Why now?
🧓 MODA is half a century old
⚖️ Inequities and harm persist
💸 Enforcement costs are high; outcomes remain poor
🧠 The 2011 review provides a strong foundation, ready to build on
📈 Harm reduction and public health momentum is growing
🗳️ It’s time for a unified, evidence-based system that works for all New Zealanders

We’re calling for a modern, fair, and expert-led review of Aotearoa’s drug laws, one that reflects our shared values, honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and responds to today’s challenges.

📢 This is your chance to support a process that is:
 ✅ Neutral
 ✅ Cross-party
 ✅ Grounded in evidence
 ✅ Respectful of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
 ✅ Designed to reduce harm and promote fairness

🖊 Sign now to help modernise New Zealand’s drug laws.
 📨 Share this with your whānau, community, MP, and allies.

Together, we can ensure the next 50 years are smarter, fairer, and more effective.