New Zealand: Drug review focuses on compassion

How severely people are dealt with for possession of illegal drugs or drug utensils is to be reviewed - with officials to focus on whether action is proportionate to how much harm an offence causes.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has released the 2015-2020 National Drug Policy, which could significantly reform the treatment of drugs such as cannabis.

Mr Dunne said three words - compassion, innovation and proportion - were of the utmost importance when developing drug policy.

The policy has been hailed as hugely significant by the NZ Drug Foundation, who say it signalled an armistice in "The War on Drugs".

"[It] all adds up to a signal that changes need to happen with how we deal with low-level drug offending," said executive director Ross Bell.

The new national drug policy has five priority areas, one of which is "getting the legal balance right".

"They will also commence...

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