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Most scientific studies conclude that cannabis use in no way enhances athlete performance(Photo: Lazingbee/iStock via Getty)

SocietyOctober 6, 2020

New poll sparks hope for yes campaign in cannabis legalisation vote  

marijuana plants agains a blue sky
Most scientific studies conclude that cannabis use in no way enhances athlete performance(Photo: Lazingbee/iStock via Getty)

A poll commissioned by pro-legalisation campaigners suggests that the referendum could yet go their way. 

For many observers, the chances of cannabis being legalised after the election were already being written off. But a new poll has gone against the trend of recent surveying, showing the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill remains on track to pass.

The UMR research – an online survey of 1,129 people aged 18 years and over – shows 49% support for the bill, with 45% against. Of the undecideds, a further 2% leaned towards voting in favour of the bill when pushed, while another 2% go the other way.

It suggests a neck and neck race, in marked contrast with the most recent Colmar Brunton poll. That survey, released by TVNZ just over a week ago, had only 35% in favour, with 53% opposed. It also continued a steady downward trend: June’s Colmar Brunton poll had 40% support, with 39% in February.

The latest poll was commissioned by two groups actively campaigning for a change in the law: The Helen Clark Foundation and the Drug Foundation. 

Clark recently said she had wanted to legalise cannabis while prime minister, but couldn’t because of a coalition agreement with the United Future party. Now, she’s part of a 60-strong group coming out in favour of a “yes” vote this month.

“We’ve got the opportunity to clean this up, get the law right, stop unnecessarily wasting hundreds of millions of dollars a year on the whole prosecution and court and apprehension process, and prison sentences as well – and also get a decent tax take and some legal jobs off it,” she told Newshub. “On balance, this is the right way to go.” 

During a recent panel discussion, Clark called decriminalisation of cannabis an “unsatisfactory halfway house” and said that legalising the drug would bring profits from it into the legal economy. 

The Drug Foundation has also been vocal in pushing for Kiwis to vote yes in the referendum. Despite this latest poll result, the foundation’s director Ross Bell wasn’t celebrating.

“Polls are uncertain – they certainly have proven to be a poor predictor of recent referendums overseas. The only certain thing is people talking to their family and friends about why a yes vote is important, helping check voters are enrolled and getting out and voting,” he said in a statement.

In early September, Horizon Research said the referendum was too close to call while. The same week, Research NZ claimed voters were swinging toward voting no.

The prime minister Jacinda Ardern has yet to lay her cards on the table and publicly state how she’ll vote. 

Last month, she said the referendum was a conscience vote for Labour MPs. “The view of the public around me is equivalent therefore to mine.”

However, Ardern has stated her support for the End of Life Choice Bill, which is also facing a public vote. She defended this decision by saying that this bill was not always going to be put to the public. “[In parliament] we were all voting on the actual bill itself and whether or not that would become law. I was very open then about my voting in parliament. It was then decided that it would become a referendum,” she said.

By contrast, National’s Judith Collins has been clear: she told media she voted against the cannabis bill when casting her advance vote this week, and had previously instructed her MPs to vote against it, too.

For everything you need to know about the 2020 cannabis referendum click here.

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Getty Images

OPINIONBooksOctober 5, 2020

Post-lockdown, city-dwellers treasure our urban green spaces more than ever

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Getty Images

In her new book examining the link between nature and wellbeing, environmental historian Dr Catherine Knight explores the benefits of nature experienced by everyday New Zealanders, and argues for more nature in the places where most New Zealanders live – our towns and cities. 

In New Zealand, we think of ourselves as a country rich with nature, but the fact is that most of our surviving forest and pristine waterways are concentrated in the most mountainous parts of the country. They’re preserved not as a result of careful stewardship, but rather an accident of history: it was just too hard to develop and economically exploit these rugged, inaccessible places. Our lowland landscapes are largely bereft of any forests, wetlands or any nature in its original form.

This means that to experience nature in its pure, indigenous sense, most of us have to travel some distance; it is not something we can step out of our back door and do. But many New Zealanders do not have the luxury of taking long holidays to walk or camp in one of our spectacular national parks. Yet, we know from the accumulating body of evidence from research undertaken all around the world that being in nature – even for a relatively short time – is good for us, both for our physical and mental wellbeing.

One of the earliest studies to conclusively make such links was undertaken in 1991, and found that a 40-minute walk in nature led to significant improvements in mood, reduced anger and aggression, and also to better recovery from mental fatigue compared with walking in an urban space or reading a magazine. In more recent studies, exposure to nature or urban green space has been associated with lower levels of stress, reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improved cognition in children with attention deficits and individuals with depression.

(Photo: Getty Images).

Moreover, research suggests that the benefits of growing up with access to lots of green space has a lasting effect into adulthood. A Danish study published in 2019 found that children who grow up surrounded by green spaces are less likely to develop mental disorders as adults.

Nature exposure has also been shown to boost immunity. Studies have found that forest therapy excursions boost the activity of “natural killer cells” (a type of white blood cell that plays a vital role as part of the body’s defence system, attacking infections and tumours) and elevate hormones that may be protective against heart disease, obesity and diabetes – at least over the short term.

Researchers have been careful to factor out the beneficial effects of energetic physical activity when designing their studies of nature exposure, by asking participants to sit quietly or take a gentle walk. So this is good news for those of us who prefer a stroll to strenuous exercise. What’s more, researchers have found that just 20-30 minutes in nature delivers optimal benefits (after that, they continue to accrue, but at a slower rate).

And the even better news is that to provide these benefits, nature does not need to be remote or pristine – a leafy park, a stream-side walkway, or even a quiet, tree-lined avenue can provide this “nature fix”.

The lockdown experience led many of us to realise how important our neighbourhood green spaces are – for walking, cycling, or just getting some fresh, tree-filtered air. During April this year, citizen science apps such as iNaturalist reported an upsurge in usage, indicating that people were getting out into nature in their neighbourhoods.

Our appreciation of nature at this time of crisis is not without irony, given that at the root of the pandemic is the unprecedented destruction of pristine forests, rapid urbanisation and population growth, bringing wildlife and human activities into constant and dangerous proximity and making wildlife-to-human transmission of new diseases increasingly likely. According to Livia Esterhazy, World Wildlife Fund New Zealand chief executive, Covid-19 has been a “really clear warning signal … [that] we have a world and an environment completely out of balance. The rise of pandemics is absolutely linked to the destruction and the loss of nature.”

But the lockdown also accentuated inequities in our society – not just here but in the United States and elsewhere. For those of us who live in the country or in the leafy suburbs, having more time to spend in local parks or walking along a river or coastal walkway would have felt more like a gift than an imposition. But for those living in neighbourhoods with few places to enjoy nature, or those that did not have the luxury of working from home due to their jobs or circumstances, connecting with nature may not be a priority.

Eighty-six percent of us live in cities and towns, and we lead busy lives. So if we are going to ensure that everyone is able to benefit from spending time in nature, we need more nature spaces in our cities. This does not necessarily mean more parks. With the right care and green investment, long-neglected stream corridors, weed-infested gullies, flood-prone areas unfit for development and even road verges can provide valuable greenspace for humans, while at the same time creating a network of habitat for the insects, birds and reptiles that keep our natural ecosystems functioning.

In Nature and Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Exploring the connection, I put out a challenge to all New Zealanders – and especially our city planners and our decision-makers: to strive for a more nature-rich future, an Aotearoa where every New Zealander can benefit from being in nature, any day of their life.

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