The fight to legalise cannabis in New Zealand has just gained a powerful friend, as a UFC Champion recently came out supporting the legalisation of cannabis.
New Zealand born MMA fighter Israel Adesanya has made his support of cannabis legalisation public this week, arguing:
What’s wrong with someone growing a plant that makes them happy, a little bit more relaxed, more sensitive to their feeling, more aware and alert, depending on the strain.
Later this year in September, New Zealand will hold a referendum for the legalisation of marijuana, asking their citizens to answer the question: ‘Do you support the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill?’
If more than 50% of voters vote ‘yes’, the Cannabis Legislation and Control bill will be introduced into Parliament. If the bill passes parliament, it allows a person over the age of 20 to:
- Consume cannabis on private properties, or at licensed premises.
- Buy up to 14 grams of dried cannabis per day from licensed outlets.
- Enter licensed premises where cannabis is sold or consumed.
- Share up to 14 grams of dried cannabis with another person aged 20 or older.
- Grow up to 2 cannabis plants, with a maximum of 4 cannabis plants per household.
When addressing his statements, Adesanya compared cannabis to alcohol, saying:
I remember going for a walk with my dog and I counted three liquor stores within a three-block radius… you can go into any of those places, get blatantly drunk and get into your car, drive and crash – and that happens every week.
Adesanya has also come out in support of controlling cannabis use with legislation. Although he makes no secret of his smoking habit on social media, he is careful to warn followers to moderate their use.
I wouldn’t advise fighting while you’re high, but I wouldn’t advise fighting drunk either unless you’re Jackie Chan in Drunken Master… Just be smart about it – in moderation with everything.
Adesanya also believes that taxing cannabis is the best way to control its quality, as well as producing extra income for the Government. In Colorado, recreational cannabis use has been legalised since 2014. Just four years later in 2018, the state collected over $1 billion in Cannabis taxes. That same year, all taxes on alcohol netted the state only slightly more, at $1.16 billion.
Mindfulness meditation, cannabis, Dog walking, long showers…etc all ways to go deep and see where… http://t.co/SRfakFQi2X
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) September 29, 2013
If cannabis was legalised outside of Canberra, just imagine what it could do for Australia’s port-coronavirus economy.