Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Turner Judy: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:618;Page:13969] 
5.  
JUDY TURNER (United Future) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Health 
: Does he stand by his statement that “We need to face the fact that drug taking is widely accepted as a trigger for suicide by some people with mental illness.”; if not why not? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Associate Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes I do. There is a wide base of evidence that supports it both nationally and internationally. 
Judy Turner 
: Has the Minister seen the reports showing that all three suicide cases before the Coroner’s Court in Tauranga last month tested positive for cannabis and that the coroner believes that virtually all of the 13 suicides dealt with so far this year in the Tauranga region had some connection with cannabis use; if so is he concerned that the Government’s soft harm minimisation approach is simply not enough to prevent further deaths? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Yes I have seen those reports and they are concerning. I have always advocated a precautionary approach with regard to policy initiatives around all drug use including alcohol and tobacco and I would like to see all parties in Parliament embrace this approach. Evidence shows that alcohol and other drug use including cannabis appears to increase the risk of suicide among some people in two ways: first the short-term effects of intoxication increase the likelihood of impulsive behaviour including suicide; secondly through the indirect effects of longer-term use and dependency resulting in increased stress triggering or exacerbating existing mental disorders. 
Dianne Yates 
: Given the Minister’s statement what are the Government and the Minister doing to combat the present situation? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: As part of this coalition Government as leader of the Progressive Party I recently secured just over $20 million for initiatives aimed at preventing drug abuse and suicide. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: What did it cost for the pamphlets? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: Suicide and drug abuse cost the taxpayer a lot more than $20 million. One of these initiatives is aimed at depression the mental illness most associated with suicide with an eight times higher rate than for those in the general population not suffering from depression. Depression is the largest single risk factor for suicide. Another initiative is the establishment of a residential treatment centre in the central region for youth with alcohol and drug abuse problems similar to the one in Christchurch that I achieved funding for last year. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Has the Minister seen the research on suicide recently published in the medical journal  
The Lancet 
 by Ronald Maris which states: “Alcoholism seems an important risk factor for suicide” but notes that evidence on other substances is inconclusive and does he therefore think that those who want to maintain the criminalisation of personal use of cannabis while supporting the aggressive promotion of alcohol on television for example are hypocrites? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: The abuse of all drugs including alcohol is a serious factor in mental health and suicide issues. I am happy to look at the article the member has indicated but I am relying on three New Zealand studies two by Dr Annette Beautrais and one by Professor David Fergusson and three international studies—one United States one Australian and one UK— that all point to suicide being exacerbated by the use of drugs and alcohol. 
Hon Matt Robson 
: What is the evidence on which the Minister has based his statement? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I indicated to the House that there are six significant studies—three New Zealand and three international—and there are many more and I am happy to table those studies subsequently so that other members may access them if they wish to. 
Marc Alexander 
: Is the Minister concerned that efforts to provide credible messages about drug-related harm and the link between cannabis use and heightened suicide risk are being undermined by irresponsible statements made by groups such as NORML New Zealand the ideological cousins of the Green Party that “People who attempt or commit suicide have a high rate of using cannabis but that does not mean cannabis has caused their distressed state rather cannabis may be a therapeutic tool that offers some escape.”; if not why not? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I have no ministerial responsibility for statements like that and I agree that they are concerning. The Government has taken a precautionary approach to the link between drug and alcohol abuse and suicide and I recommend that precautionary approach to all members of the House. 
Judy Turner 
: Does the Minister agree that people who have never tried drugs are nevertheless capable of explaining to young people the potential danger of drug use or does he agree with the comment that current drug users have more credibility when promoting the dangers of taking drugs because: “Saying that drug users can’t provide education to others about how to use drugs safely and responsibly is like saying only an atheist can give spiritual advice.” or asking: “Can only a celibate teach sex education?” as claimed by Green MP Nandor Tanczos? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That was too long a question. The Minister can comment briefly on the first part. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I have never advocated that if one has not experienced some serious physical or mental disorder one is not capable of commenting on the serious nature of those disorders so I could not subscribe to the proposition that because one has not experienced something one is not able to comment on it with any authority. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Is the Minister aware of the study by the Canterbury Suicide Project which found that when factors such as socio-economic status abuse behavioural problems and mental health problems were taken into account there was barely any association between cannabis and suicide and does he accept there is a difference between correlation and causality? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: There are a number of associations with social and economic deprivation as well as drug and alcohol abuse in terms of suicide. But I tell the member again that a precautionary approach seems the most responsible approach to take. If we take a precautionary response to issues like genetic engineering for example I would have thought a precautionary approach to drug and alcohol abuse and suicide would have been equally valid. 
Marc Alexander 
: Is the Minister concerned that credible messages about drug-related harm such as the link between cannabis use and suicide risk are being undermined by statements made by groups such as NORML New Zealand such as: “The mental health of all cannabis users is threatened more by the current law than by the use of cannabis itself. The criminal law generates paranoia suspicion alienation and anxiety.” and would he endorse this kind of comment as a suitable premise for the drug education of our young people—a position equally espoused by the Greens? 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I have already commented on similar comments that the member has read out to the House. Again I am not responsible for them. I think that most common-sense New Zealanders would size up those comments and compare them against their experience of this matter and they would know on which side of the fence they fell on that one. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: I seek leave to table some excerpts on a study on suicide by Ronald Maris published in  
The Lancet 
 in 2002. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON 
: I seek leave to table the documentation around six primary sources of evidence for suicides in New Zealand. 
Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.