The rejection of cannabis legalization in New Zealand: issues with the Cannabis Legalization and Control Bill or wider concerns?

Commentary on Rychert and Wilkins (2021) ‘Why did New Zealand's referendum to legalise recreational cannabis fail?’

“…First, the details of ‘how’ to legalise are tougher to sell the public than the concept of legalisation itself. While Rychert and Wilkins argue that the specifics of the bill were not a key reason for its demise [1,5], the moral positioning of the two opposing sides suggests that the ‘how’ remained important. The bill's explicit efforts to limit the potency of cannabis products sold in the legal market, and initially the types of products sold too, without clear science regarding the health benefits of doing so created an important hole in the policy that would facilitate economic opportunities for black market providers [6].…”