Proponents of legalizing cannabis in New Zealand are not happy.
A question on the ballot during the Oct. 17 general election on legalizing recreational marijuana use was set to fail, according to preliminary results released last month.
Many were angry with the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who refused to take a position on legalization before the election. She revealed only after that she voted in support of it.
Proponents said they believed that the result could have been changed if Ms. Ardern had declared her support.
The country had also voted on euthanasia where citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of it in the referendum. Ms. Ardern had long expressed support for legalization, and the measure passed with 65 percent of the vote.
Starting November 6th of 2021, doctors will be able to legally prescribe a lethal dose of medicine to patients suffering from terminal illnesses likely to end their life within six months.
“What a great day to be a Kiwi,” David Seymour, the lawmaker who had sponsored the act, said to supporters gathered to celebrate the result at Parliament on Friday.
He added that the vote had made “New Zealand a kinder, more compassionate, more humane society.”
Euthanasia is now legal in five other countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada and Colombia.
