The parents of a boy killed by a ute driven by a man who had been smoking cannabis have slammed the lack of action on tackling driving and cannabis use.
The boy's father also criticised the "pathetic" penalty the driver received for causing the crash.
Taupo district coroner Morna McFarlane was toldthat David Alexander Culverwell was killed at Rangitaiki, 36km southeast of Taupo, on March 8 this year after the car in which he was a passenger was hit head-on by a ute that had crossed the centre line.
His parents Denis and Pam Culverwell were also injured, as was the ute's driver, Robert Barrie Hemi Andrews.
Andrews, 21, a bushman of Taupo, had been smoked cannabis in the hours leading up to the accident according to an ESR report.
While there are legal breath and blood alcohol limits, there is no legal limit for the amount of THC in a driver's blood.
He has convicted on two counts of careless driving causing injury and one of careless driving causing death. He was sentenced to two months' jail and 2-1/2 years' disqualification.
Mr Culverwell said he and his wife felt let down by the lack of political will to tackle the connection between cannabis and driving.
"Nobody is prepared to tackle the issue. The driver was definitely under the influence and that's the reason we believe he crossed the centre line," he said.
"It's just a great pity we could not have charged him with the more serious offence of aggravated careless driving...the penalty for careless driving is pathetic."
The coroner said there was no doubt that Andrews was affected by cannabis at the time of the crash.
She would draw the cannabis issue to the attention of fellow coroners so that a concentrated effort could be made to examine what could be done, Ms McFarlane said.
