Reactions to the result of the cannabis
referendum were highly polarised. Some argued the
majority verdict must be accepted. Others pointed to the
narrow margin — 50.7% to 48.4% — as evidence that the
issue is still alive politically.
The government,
however, has seemingly signalled a desire to move on. Before
the announcement of the special vote count that narrowed the
election night margin considerably, the then justice
minister, Andrew Little, said:
The
electorate has spoken, they are uncomfortable with greater
legalisation and […] decriminalisation of recreational
cannabis. The New Zealand electorate is not ready for that,
and I think we have to respect
that.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern echoed
those sentiments:
When it comes to a
referendum, a majority is a majority and so it hasn’t
tipped the balance in terms of what we as a government will
do. We gave our…
