Dear Editor, Although every part of the marijuana plant can be used, it’s primarily the buds that are cured and used in which way you prefer. I stand with legalisation, but I feel that education is so very important in order to prevent abuse of the plant.

Here in Canada, we have had it legal for a few years now. The government thinks they control it, but they don’t. All they did was sell very expensive licenses to anybody that wanted one. So now we have “Pot shops” on every corner. The only reason it is legal here is during the federal election, our now prime minister went after the young voters with promises of “weed is not gonna put you in jail anymore … you won’t have a criminal record anymore”. The Prime Minister bought those votes successfully.

I would just like to say to the good people of the Cook Islands, please research this topic to the fullest. Find the mistakes other countries made in legalisation and make marijuana accessible in the right way not for a voter’s or political way.

Marijuana, if used correctly can help many with mental and physical ailments. And recreationally.

But our youngsters tend to abuse this good thing, and that’s where problems arise.

Education is key my friends. Take your time in the decision process. Research, research and more research!

Dom Tantalo

(Facebook)

It would have been so incredibly simple and fast to put in motion the accessing of medicinal cannabis products for anyone in need of this medicine by no later than the 19^th of August 2022.

Let’s examine the timeline and see how this should have come about.

On 11-8-22, upon hearing of the results of the overwhelming majority of Cook Islanders who voted in favour of changing our marijuana laws, Prime Minister Mark Brown said he wanted to “move quickly in legalising medicinal cannabis which allows doctors to prescribe it for patients”.

On 15-8-22, the King’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters confirmed Mark Brown as the Cook Islands Prime Minister.

The next day the QR had the authority to summon the Executive Council, on the advice of the PM and with at least three or no fewer than two other members of Cabinet, namely, Mark Brown, Mac Mokoroa, George Maggie or Bobby Tapaitau, all members of Cabinet who won their constituency vote, with no petitions filed against them. At this time they could have amended the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004, under the Regulations, providing for the import, export, cultivation, possession and supply of medicinal cannabis and to prescribe the form, duration, terms and conditions of any license for medicinal cannabis under the Act. This could have been enacted the next day or no more than four days later on 19-8-22.

The PM did not keep his word to move quickly, even with a mandate of the people, an especially large margin of victory, that gave him the support and the command to put into effect, quick policies in the Cook Islands to stop nearly all the senseless imprisonment of our people and to help alleviate the grievous, physical and emotional pain of those in need of medicinal cannabis products.

Instead the PM has allowed the three separate fiefdoms within the Government, TMO, Crown Law and Customs, to act in concert in putting out erroneous information of the Ministry of Health Act 2013 to halt the legal importation of medicinal cannabis products from New Zealand and the rest of the world.

As long as all the criteria is met under the MOH Act 2013, to import personally prescribed medicinal cannabis by Cook Islanders and tourist alike, the autocrats in each of the above named fiefdoms do not have the legal authority to deny us our Constitutional civil rights but the PM is giving them the green light to stomp all over us.

It’s like Moana Moeka’a, a well-respected Cook Islander and former editor of the Cook Islands News, stated in a letter to this newspaper, “I note International Day of Democracy is observed on 15 September. But one shouldn’t read too much into that in regards to Cook Islands”.

My sentiments exactly.

Sincerely,

Steve Boggs