Genter Julie AnneHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green—Rongotai): Tēnā koe Madam Speaker. Tēnā koutou e te Whare. The Green Party is supporting this bill although we are highly critical of the shortened process. My main question to the ACT members of the Government is: why stop at pseudoephedrine? Why stop at pseudoephedrine?We all know the Misuse of Drugs Act isn't working that banning substances isn't the right way to deal with addiction and also there is even worse science supporting some of the other potentially very therapeutic substances that are currently class A on the schedule under the Misuse of Drugs Act that could be transformational and helpful to people who are suffering from different mental health and addictions here in New Zealand. The sooner the ACT Party and Government do something to properly review the Misuse of Drugs Act the better from my point of view.As other speakers in this debate have already raised it was a very shortened select committee process. Despite that nearly 200 people submitted—well 169 individuals and nine organisations—and they didn't have sufficient time to properly consider potentially wider changes to the Misuse of Drugs Act which would have been really helpful. But I personally—and I think I can speak on behalf of our Green Party colleagues—am pleased that at least it's being recognised that it is worth tackling changes to the Misuse of Drugs Act when it's not working and when it's preventing New Zealanders from getting the treatment that they need whether that's treatment for colds—and I am a big fan of pseudoephedrine: when I have a really bad cold that stuff's great; it's a great medical option to have available.But as we well know and as the Green Party has consistently raised in this House there are many issues with the Misuse of Drugs Act and it is time for us to review it much more widely and to take a science- and harm minimisation - based approach to how we regulate drugs in this country. Of course there is some harm caused by methamphetamine and other substances but I think the key recognition is that just banning it and trying to ban the precursors doesn't solve the problem. We've seen that with meth: that meth with the precursor not being widely available still became cheaper and more available during that period of time despite being banned.So on the one hand we were taking away a reasonable option that many New Zealanders would have no doubt taken up when they are suffering from colds and flu; yet on the other hand we didn't do enough to help those who were truly suffering from meth addiction. I think there's a couple of factors that were of course reported to the select committee. One is that the key way to address addiction is to treat it as a health issue rather than a criminal issue firstly. But secondly that people are much more susceptible to addiction when they aren't getting other needs met in their life. So addressing poverty and inequality will do—Hon Member: Childhood trauma.Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: —and childhood trauma—a lot to support people who are suffering from addiction. Ironically some of the substances that are banned currently—class A substances that are now available in places like Australia for prescription—are some of the most effective treatments for childhood trauma PTSD and addiction.So yeah I'm really looking to the Government to say you don't need to rush it through so fast but there's a lot more good work that can be done in this space. So we'd love to see a priority of reviewing the Misuse of Drugs Act treating addiction as a harm minimisation and a health issue rather than as a criminal issue and making available therapeutic substances that have for too long and with insufficient evidence been denied to New Zealanders. Those are things that really could be potentially beneficial and transformational for New Zealanders. So we support the bill not the short process.