Recreational cannabis use could create a ''minefield'' for employers. Photo / Getty Images
This week, the Government released a draft of what legalising recreational cannabis could look like. Debate is rife. Cira Olivier spoke to employers and those for and against the proposed reforms.
The Government's draft plan to legalise cannabis for personal use could create a ''minefield'' for employers if it goes ahead, a recruitment agency director says.
However, those who support the plan say alcohol is a more dangerous substance and drugs are already in the workplace.
The Government announced the draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill on Tuesday, which gave New Zealanders the first glimpse into what they'll be voting for in next year's cannabis referendum.
1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill van Syp said legalising recreational cannabis would create a ''minefield'' for employers.
''It's going to be very tricky to say the least and extremely complicated.''
He said all workers needed to be protected from potential harm.
''We have to protect our workers - that is not just one set of workers, that is the whole lot and you can't have people under the influence hurting someone else or making bad judgments. I don't want anyone run over by a forklift or a truck driven by someone under the influence.''
Van Syp said it would also be hard to prove when someone had smoked cannabis.
''I am going to see issues if someone takes it when they get home after work and is allowed to. But then the next day they have an accident at work and it's still in their system.
''So what is going to happen then?''
He said 1st Call Recruitment had a zero-tolerance approach to drugs and ''no one works for us that has anything in their system. I believe we have fewer issues because of that''.
However, Drug Detection Agency Group technical manager Rod Dale said drugs were already an issue in the workplace and always would be.
''I don't think it will be a biggie and I think companies just need to make sure they are clear on their policies about what their tolerance for risk is, how they will treat it and what the consequences are.''
The obvious comparison was alcohol testing and that was based on levels, he said.
''That testing doesn't really take into consideration whether a person is using the drug at home, at work or any other place and those levels have been set based on really strong science for risk profiles.''
Employers & Manufacturers Association employment relations and safety manager Paul Jarvie said the cannabis referendum poses a threat to the health and safety at workplaces across the country and could have a negative effect on businesses.
''Employers are facing a barrage of duties under various pieces of legislation so the constant effort is on trying to keep staff and customers safe and maintain productivity. So another piece of legislation that potentially opens the door and raises all those dials up a bit.
''The presence of cannabis is best tested in the workplace through urine testing, with further testing required to establish whether a person is under or over the Standards New Zealand threshold [which is comparable to alcohol]."
Anecdotal evidence from EMA member businesses suggests saliva testing or a zero-tolerance policy would result in workplaces losing many of their staff, potentially for weeks at a time, because of how it is stored in the body.
Jarvie said employers needed to start thinking about what it meant for their workplace, specifically where it may be most problematic.
Lifewise regional manager Haehaetu Berrett said the legislation put forward "a way forward for safer communities" in the fight against drug addiction.
Cannabis use was considered the norm in many of the vulnerable families in low-socioeconomic areas, which the service worked with.
"We obviously can't stop the usage but we can provide support," she said.
Berrett said wraparound support and services could be offered to those with addiction in a harm-reduction manner.
"The way forward around having safer communities is having people well-informed of the risks of usage, but also the consequences if not managed appropriately."
Family Court accredited counsellor Rose Berge said legalising cannabis would put young people into more risk.
"We've got too many people, especially in their early 20s, who are at risk if they've got a precondition to mental health ... it's likely to be exasperated by that liberalisation."
Berge said many people saw smoking cannabis as a normal rite of passage but was problematic when it became a habit.
"Simply put, marijuana is often called dope, it's not called Einstein," she said.
"It makes people dopey, not intelligent. We've got some scientific research indicating people are losing something like three or four IQ points from long-term use."
She was also concerned with how it would be enforced and the extra police resources it would take to enforce it.
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A Bay of Plenty cannabis law reform advocate, who wished to remain anonymous, said the proposed bill was a step in the right direction.
He said alcohol was a more dangerous substance than cannabis and young - particularly Māori - men would continue to "suffer the bulk of convictions" for a crime where the penalty outweighed the offence if cannabis was not legalised.
"A drunk teenager is probably more dangerous than a stoned teenager . . . [Prohibition] doesn't stop people from using it, it just results in criminal convictions," he said.
"[Convicts] can't travel overseas or get a job because employers ask for their criminal history . . . that's ludicrous."
He said the proposed age restriction of 20 was sensible because heavy use in teenagers could impair brain development.
He said the 14g limit was a "perfectly reasonable" amount and any less would mean people would have to make excessive trips to the dispensary.
If cannabis was legalised, he predicted in five years' time the region would have a thriving industry, more older people using it to manage joint pain and other health issues, and less police time wasted on minor offending.
Rotorua's Matt Swinn, an advocate for vaping, supported legalising cannabis as long as it was well regulated.
"Let's face it, alcohol is the biggest problem we have and that stuff's legal."
Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey said if done right, money collected from taxes could improve mental health support, police resources and the future of people with minor cannabis convictions.
He said the legislation was "a great start", particularly the focus on harm reduction and banning marketing and advertising.
"As a father, I support its agreed age of purchase and use being 20 years old."
But Rotorua National MP Todd McClay was concerned about youth access, a lack of health and safety controls in the workplace and further strains on mental health services.
"At a time when there is growing concern about the Government's ability to deal with mental health in the community, legalisation of recreational cannabis will only make this worse.
He worried the recreational sale of cannabis in Rotorua shops would broaden to include cannabis gummy bear lollies, cannabis icecreams and drinks.
McClay was also concerned young people would use cannabis despite age limits and that there were no controls proposed over drug driving or consideration of health and safety in the workplace.
New Zealand First deputy leader Fletcher Tabuteau said the bill was "absolutely right that the people of Rotorua and New Zealand will have their say".
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said the council will consider any implications on the district depending on the outcome.
It should be legalised. I've never smoked it but it's a matter of free choice.
Gaynor McKenzie, 80
Tauranga
No, we're not suppose to have weed. It makes the person a zombie, roaming around the streets.
Ikinisi Natewai, 38
Rotokawa
I take pills to relax, that's heaps of chemicals. Smoking weed is natural. I'll grow two plants if I can."
Ray Ruru, 35
Fairy Springs
I do because it's less harmful that P and synthetics and definitely less harmful than alcohol.
Peter, 47
Central Rotorua
The Government has provided information on the draft Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill.
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