Dear Editor, A large majority of Cook Islanders favour legalising medicinal cannabis, as of 2022, 64 per cent of the formal votes cast in the last election support legislation.

The attitudes about medicinal cannabis and its prohibition have changed dramatically in our society over the past decades. So why do we have to put up with the fanatical outliers in our justice system who continue to oppress the norms of the Cook Islands people with their hell bent recommendations for lengthy jail sentences?

The recent sentencing of medicinal cannabis distributors in Aitutaki and Rarotonga is being received by us as unjustified or illegitimate and are not likely to be complied with by patients seeking relief from their physical and emotional afflictions.

When our archaic criminal justice system continues to incarcerate our people with laws that the huge majority are disgusted with, it harms the credibility of our system, which in turn impedes its ability to reduce real crime in our society.

The cost of incarcerating non-violent drug offenders who are risking a great deal to provide medicine to our people is a gross miscarriage of justice and it’s no wonder the Cook Islands News couldn’t get an answer on how much money the cops “blew” with their two-year investigation.

When will these zealots in our criminal justice system stop their dangerous and damaging effect of hunting down and persecuting medicinal cannabis users who are doing nothing wrong because the Cook Islands Government cannot provide them with a legal pathway to take their medicine?

Sincerely,

Steve Boggs