Curran ClareHon CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South): Thank you Madam Assistant Speaker. Look there's been a lot of passion in the House tonight on this issue and I don't want to diminish that passion from anybody who has spoken strongly about this issue that is so badly affecting our communities. I want to acknowledge anyone who's listening to this debate or watching it or who is sitting in our House tonight who has had a personal experience and who has been harmed. This is a scourge. I think we all acknowledge that and I also really want to acknowledge Simeon Brown for his passion and his determination and acknowledge the fact that he as a representative has listened and is trying to do something about this scourge.What I would say though is that we have been here in this House on this issue numerous times over the last decade trying to address the terrible harm that is being caused in our communities—in 2013 in 2014 and we're back here in 2018—and we haven't got it right. None of us have got it right and I really want to say that tonight because people are really passionate. There's lots of anger on both sides and we haven't got it right yet.We need as a group of representatives in our communities that listen to people to meet with the families whether it's in the streets whether it's in their homes—I know I've been into the homes of families who have talked to me about the impact of how their children have changed absolutely. Their personality is changed by these drugs. They become people the family don't recognise. They steal. They'll do anything to get the money to purchase these drugs. These people are addicted. This is a fundamental health issue.I've talked to toxicologists. I've met with toxicologists. I've met with people who have been affected. We know and we are representatives and it's up to us to come up with a better way to address these issues. We are more than representatives. We are legislators and it's up to us as a group if we agree that this is a scourge to come up with the best possible way to deal with these issues. An amendment to this legislation to increase penalties is not the way to deal with this issue.I am hoping that there is agreement across the House—there does seem to be agreement and I have listened to the whole debate tonight. I have been party to the debates over the years and I haven't got it right. I supported the legislation in 2013 to introduce a regulated approach. Then as I think Tim Macindoe said we were besieged by members of our community who were horrified that there were still legal places where people could go and purchase psychoactive substances and we all came under incredible pressure. We all came under incredible pressure and another amendment to that legislation was passed—under urgency I think wasn't it?—in 2014 and I've got Tony Ryall's statement in front of me tonight. The previous National Government was lauding the fact that that change was made and saying how it was going to make a difference and then we heard Nick Smith tonight completely rewriting history as if somehow Simeon Brown has come up with the way to deal with it. Well the previous Government couldn't get it right. The whole of the Parliament couldn't get it right. We're not going to get it right with an amendment to that legislation to increase penalties which will not address the harmful health impacts and the drivers for these substances being on our streets.So the upshot of that is the Labour Party cannot support this piece of legislation but we want to work together to get it right. The intent of this as I understand it and I was reading the submission by the New Zealand Drug Foundation which talks about how the intent of—and the select committee report talks about how the intent of the bill doesn't even align with the intent of the principal Act which means that not only is it not going to work but it's actually a poor legislative approach. Simeon Brown your intent is a good intent but getting good law doing our job as legislators and doing it well should be the intent of the whole of this Parliament.The intent of this bill—it's not the right place for this amendment to occur and the actual effect that it will have as has been heard tonight whether it was the Police Association whether it's the New Zealand Drug Foundation talking about how addressing the supply side of drugs in this way is doomed to failure. They say that theoretically some suppliers may stop supplying certain products after penalties increase but other suppliers with less to lose will inevitably fill the gaps. Supply will always step up to meet demand.I think my colleague Andrew Little talked about how helping people who take the substances holding those who supply it to account and getting it off the streets is what we want to do as a Parliament. I think we're all agreed on that are we not? Does anyone in this Parliament disagree with that? No we don't but by making an amendment to a piece of legislation to increase penalties when there is so much harm being done to people and when we are not addressing the health impacts is—and I think Nick Smith used the word pathetic". I describe that as a pathetic inadequate measure that does not reflect well on us as representatives or as legislators.But that does not mean that we can't work together. We have a review of this piece of this legislation the 2013 legislation which I understand has been conducted. We have other measures being put in place. We have the inquiry into mental health and addiction which has touched on the addiction to psychoactive substances—a major piece of work which is about to land sometime in the next few months. Those are two really important things that together can help us provide real changes of substance to address the bigger issues. Why are we not waiting for that? Why have we not all as a Parliament agreed to work together to make sure that we've got the best suite of measures that will work together to deal with the whole issue rather than a small amendment aiming to raise penalties which will not address the fundamental issues? Then what we need to do is review the Misuse of Drugs Act which is what the previous Government wouldn't do.Those things together will make change and if we all agree to work together then we will actually do our jobs for our communities as representatives and try to get the best legislative outcomes. They're not all going to be legislative outcomes because we need to address the health impacts. Those are the things that we need to do and we need to do them together. I applaud Simeon Brown's intent. I applaud the fact that he wants to take on these issues. Let's all work together to try and make them work this time."