Brown Simeon; Williams PotoSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to take a call on the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill—one of the most regressive bills that this Parliament has ever done.Firstly I'd like to take a moment to talk about what this bill actually does. This bill is decriminalisation of cannabis by stealth and one only needs to look up into the gallery to see the former leader of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party Michael Appleby to actually realise that that is the purpose of this bill. It is about legalising cannabis by stealth. This bill is not about trying to set up a regulation regime for medicinal cannabis; this is about legalising cannabis by stealth rather than leaving that decision to the people of New Zealand who should be the ones who make the decision around whether we should be legalising cannabis or not.I'd like to point out that this bill includes no regulation—no regulation whatsoever. This bill doesn't talk about who can apply for a licence. It doesn't talk about who can be granted a licence. It doesn't talk about the eligibility of people who can apply for a licence or the suitability of individuals or corporate bodies who should be able to apply for a licence. It doesn't talk about safety of locations for licences. It doesn't talk about restrictions of areas about where you can have licences or where you can produce cannabis. It doesn't talk about the issuing or the duration of licences. It doesn't talk about the suitable people who should be involved the storage or the undertaking of activities in specified locations. It doesn't talk about anything. This bill does not have any regulation but hands that over to another working group which this Government likes. This 201st working group that this Government has appointed is on medicinal cannabis and it does nothing but legalise cannabis by stealth.Secondly this bill is not about medicine. Smoking is not a medicine. As a country we are pursuing smoke-free 2025 but this bill legalises cannabis to be smoked outside the school gates outside the social centres and outside the places where people who are seeking help from addiction services—people are able to smoke cannabis outside those places. I think of all the places up and down our country who are providing amazing services—addiction support and trying to help those to get off drugs—and this bill does not stop people from smoking cannabis outside those premises. I think that's a real shame and something this Government has failed to even take into account when looking into this issue.This bill is not about medicine. Medicine is tested. Medicine goes through a pharmaceutical process. Medicine is prescribed by doctors. It is approved by Medsafe. This bill does not include any of those elements. This bill is empty of all of those elements. This bill is not about medicine; this bill again is about legalising cannabis and decriminalising cannabis by stealth which is as Chlöe Swarbrick and other members have said the ultimate aim and what they are trying to do. But let's be honest. Let's have that honest conversation as a country. Let's not try and put that under the guise of something with the use of the word medicine".Thirdly this bill does not acknowledge the harm of cannabis that is caused in our community. Last year 432 individuals were hospitalised in New Zealand for behavioural and mental disorders from smoking cannabis—432 people were hospitalised with behavioural and mental disorders from use of cannabis just last year. Seventy-nine people were hospitalised from poisoning from using cannabis just last year. This bill does not take into account the real harm being caused in our communities—the harm which our hospital system has to deal with and grapple with. It does not look into the harm that is caused to children by cannabis and by poisoning from cannabis and instead it decides to essentially open up the floodgates without a proper conversation and give the power to a working group so that they can set up some regulations over the next year. But essentially it decriminalises the use of cannabis for personal possession and personal use without there being a proper conversation using the guise of medicine when it is not. I stand opposed to this piece of legislation. Thank you.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): I call Dr Liz Craig. This is a split call. You have five minutes."