5. Question No. 5—HealthCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 5—Health5. CHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central) to the Minister of Health: Is the Government's approach to drugs evidence-based and does it ensure the best possible health and wellbeing outcomes for New Zealanders?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL (Minister of Health): Yes the Government takes a harm reduction approach to drugs providing services to support people to better manage or stop their substance use and seek recovery. I'm proud of this Government's approach to evidence-based drug policy like our work to make drug checking services more accessible to young people over summer; deliver drug-checking services and harm reduction advice; passing permanent legislation so drug-checking providers could be licensed and expand their services; and the roll-out of the free methamphetamine harm reduction programme Te Ara Oranga. Chlöe Swarbrick: How is it in the interests of public health to drop the work programme on alcohol harm minimisation while continuing to employ an evidentially harmful criminally punitive approach to cannabis and will the Government do anything to address either per the recommendations from their own inquiries? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I do not believe that the alcohol work programme has been dropped. It has been deferred and I continue to actively engage with the Minister of Justice over it. Chlöe Swarbrick: Is she aware that kids in this country on average are exposed to alcohol advertising 4.5 times per day with most of that attributed to sports advertising and sponsorship; if so will her Government adopt my alcohol harm minimisation bill?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: As I mentioned in my previous response I continue to work with the Minister of Justice over avenues for addressing a better alcohol policy including issues around the minimisation of young people's exposure to alcohol advertising. Chlöe Swarbrick: How is it in the interest of public health that the police continued glyphosate spraying of small-time cannabis crops in the Bay of Plenty and central regions of the North Island throughout Cyclone Gabrielle as revealed in my parliamentary written questions?Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: I believe that is a matter for the Minister of Police.Chlöe Swarbrick: Sorry point of order Mr Speaker. What we're talking about here is the Misuse of Drugs Act as administered jointly by the Ministers of Justice and Health and when I questioned the Minister of Justice about this last year she said that that was within the delegation of the health Minister. Joint responsibility must mean both not neither. SPEAKER: Well my hearing of the question is that the Minister has addressed it. I suggest asking a better question. Chlöe Swarbrick: How is it effective fair or in the interests of public health to last year have prosecuted over 1000 New Zealanders for cannabis as their highest offence when approximately 635000 New Zealanders used cannabis last year? Hon Dr AYESHA VERRALL: In my capacity as the Minister of Health I am pleased that this Government has given the police the discretion over how they prosecute on cannabis and I continue to work to make sure that there are high-quality addiction services available.