The world has moved on when it comes to marijuana. 35 countries and counting have legalised medical cannabis. In part one we saw the wave is coming to New Zealand, and it could benefit 700,000 Kiwis who are suffering. But the fact is after medical cannabis is legalised, it opens up recreational marijuana too. Will it be the same for New Zealand? In part two of this documentary, I'm entering the world of recreational weed. In New Zealand it's obviously illegal, underground and sometimes a little seedy. In America I'll find out what happens when you bring it out into the open. But does this openness come at a cost for our health? And how will it impact society? I need the facts because in 2020 we're all going to be asked whether we want marijuana to be legal. Should we do it? Are we ready to unleash recreational weed? www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019 At the end of part one I was about to try medical cannabis under the guidance of Dr Joe Cohen, a former obstetrician turned cannabis doctor. This is not just about getting stoned. It can be ` for those who want to. There's no issue with that. It's time. I'm going to use marijuana to treat my stress. It's all yours. OK. I just need to be very, very clear that this is a medical recommendation from you. Yes. This is a medical recommendation to help de-stress you. So, deep` deep breath in. Yeah, just put your lips right up to it, and breathe in as deeply as you can. And I want you to do it a few times, not just once. So, take a few hits. I'm feeling that that's enough. Or` Or do you want me to do more? Take one more. Medically, you would like me to take one more? Yeah. And you may start to feel a little different shortly. Yeah, I do have some psychoactivity. Good. It peaks in about 10 minutes, and it lasts for about two hours. Your plaid shirt has just popped a little. All right. You're smiling. You're stuck` Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm smiling. Yeah, you look very relaxed. Yeah. Oh yeah. And you have a little bit of a high going on. Thank you, doctor. Oh, you're welcome. My pleasure. I've just consumed cannabis with a doctor. Wow. Dr Cohen has arranged for me to undergo tests at the University of Colorado while I'm still high. Whoa! Look at that. A hawk. Is that a hawk? Yeah. Wow! Cannabis is actually illegal nationally, so to get around a messy legal situation, the university uses a mobile lab. But today it's snowed in, so we go to it. This is nice. This is very` Thank you. The research group testing me are trying to get actual data on the medical effects of cannabis. Blood is drawn to measure levels of THC ` the bit that gets you high. Don't really want to see my blood any more. Just look at the tapestry. Yeah, just look at the tapestry. Yeah. (LAUGHS) All right, so this is the questionnaire that we give people right after they've used the cannabis product. Am I high? Yes, I am. Do I dislike the effects that I'm feeling? No, I don't. Not really. Do I like the effects? Yes, I do. (ALL LAUGH) Would you like to use more? Well, you know. Moderately. Moderately? (ALL LAUGH) Yeah. Yeah. I'm obviously cheerful. Um... I'm not sad. I am euphoric. This is a fun, fun, fun test, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Is there a fear of the worst happening? Hm. If you wanted me to have a criticism of the test, it's, like, why put the bad stuff in here? The observational study evaluates things like memory and motor skills. Their research includes a paper that suggests alcohol causes structural change in the brain but cannabis doesn't. In your` In contributing to the broader, you know... the, you know, the broader... the broader, sort of, um,... the broader, kind of` You're contributing to the broader picture in terms of learning about stuff. Aren't you? Mm-hmm. And, um, that's gotta be great. The data from my tests will be added to the wealth of new research that is being generated around medical and recreational cannabis use. And Dr Cohen was right ` I do feel a lot less stressed. In the US, the trend is clear ` states that have legalised medical cannabis eventually end up legalising recreational weed as well. California was the first state to legalise medical cannabis in 1996, and went full recreational last year. And they've found ways to incorporate it into every activity. There seems to be quite a bit here. I mean, do we need all of this? Yep. At this ganja yoga class, marijuana is consumed while yoga is practised. Yeah, no. I'm OK, actually. All right. Yeah, but it's your ganja class. See if you can feel gratitude for this community, this plant. In California you can legally buy an ounce of weed a day ` enough to roll a couple of dozen joints. Smoking weed at 10am while exercising is well outside my comfort zone. If we legalise recreational marijuana, how far are we willing to go? In California, things have got very loose. This is kinda like Uber Eats of weed, is it? Basically. Nugg is one of dozens of weed delivery services that have popped up across the state. Is it OK to have a little peek? We've got some joints. They come in, like, a pre-roll. What's that? So, that's called pre-packed flower. Is that a nug? That is exactly a nug. What's this? Yeah, looks like some gummies. This is pretty out there ` just being able to jump on your phone and ping, ping, ping. And all of a sudden you're getting cannabis gummy bears delivered to your house. That's just like a typical Thursday kinda order, yeah. Then all of a sudden, you know, you got the pizza too. Welcome to LA on a Thursday. Getting ready for the weekend. Get ready, New Zealand, for this. Cos, whoa, I don't know if New Zealand is ready for this. (KNOCKS ON DOOR) Hey, how's it going, guys? Can I see your ID really quick? Yes, let me go grab it. All right. How old do you have to be? 21. Perfect. Here's your weed. Ooh, great. And there's a complimentary pizza, too. OK, amazing. While cannabis is the hot new product, a lot of people still think of it as illicit and dangerous. Prohbtd is a marketing and content company that want to change that. It's run by a Kiwi from Christchurch, Drake. Hey. How's it going? I'm good, I'm good. Prohbtd want to make recreational cannabis mainstream. Our mission as a company is to lead cannabis from the black market to the supermarket. Prohbtd have their own studios pumping out weed-friendly content. Today they're filming an episode of Stash Shopping Network ` basically an infomercial for fizzy cannabis-infused soft drink. You're at a party with, let's say, a bunch of alcohol drinkers and you prefer to consume cannabis through a beverage. You can do it in a discreet way, and nobody even knows that you're getting stoned. And if you're like me, chug-a-lug and get that 10mg right into your blood system. Cut. Brandin, that was` yeah, that was pretty out there. (LAUGHS) Something that's definitely gonna freak people out is, you know, soft drink with weed in it. Why do you think that? People back at home will think this is too far. Really? You know, this is` Well, like, you guys bottle Jameson and coke. I've always preferred, instead of consuming alcohol, to smoke pot. Like, you get off work and you're like, 'Oh, I need to pop a cold beer open.' And I'm like, 'Oh, I need to take a little toke of my joint and then I'm good.' It's the same idea in a different form. Yeah. Well, in the same form. The gentrification of marijuana is well underway in California, and it is transforming stereotypes. The unemployed, crusty stoner can now be a tea-drinking socialite. At least, that's the plan of Amanda Jones, a Kiwi who started Kikoko, a cannabis tea company. Business is doing really well. We hit a sweet spot, and that sweet spot is women looking to replace their alcohol and pharmaceuticals. After using cannabis to medically treat my stress and anxiety, I'm now going to try it just for fun. Yeah, now here we are. Ah... About to have a little cannabis tea. (ALL LAUGH) This is a cannabis tea party, and Kikoko have a number of different tea products. So the first one is Positivi-tea. That is our highest dose, with 10mg THC, 5mg CBD. THC is the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, while CBD is non-psychoactive. This is the one I drink the most, it's Sensuali-tea. So, it's a nice tea for libido. It has 7mg THC, so a nice medium dose. OK, OK. So you have some good options. Compared to a wine? Positivi-tea is the strongest one. I would say that's probably like three glasses of wine. It's fun. Well, Positivi-tea it is. All right. Amanda? I'll have some Sensuali-tea, please. OK. ALL: Cheers. It tastes like a mint green tea. There's no hint of cannabis flavour at all. I'll tell you what ` none of you guys look like stoners. (ALL LAUGH) We're not, really. Your New Zealand background ` very un-stoner as well, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Posh background, is that`? (LAUGHS) Wow. I suppose so. Sorry. I couldn't find another word. I went to Dio in Auckland. I suppose that's sort of, kind of posh. Well, yeah. As posh as Auckland gets. That's what I meant, yeah. A Dio girl is more likely to be doing just about anything... But this. (LAUGHS) Well, the tea party they do. If this was introduced to the Dio crowd, they would suck it up. They would love this. It takes around half an hour for the effects of the tea to set in. I'm definitely feeling a buzz. The problem with illegal marijuana is that there's no regulation. People are still doing it, they're still growing it. Your teenagers are probably still smoking it. You just don't know what is being put in or on the plant. So one of the real positives that I see around making it legal is that you have regulation. You can control the doses so people aren't gonna ride the crazy train, as we say. You control dose` Choo choo! (ALL LAUGH) God, I shouldn't have interrupted there. I just couldn't resist. (ALL LAUGH) You were on` You were on quite a roll. Wasn't she? Oh, was I? It was like a TED talk, sort of, started up. That's right. Now with legality` you're about to start laughing. (ALL LAUGH) Yeah, yeah. You got the giggles. This is a lot of fun. You did try the strongest one. (LAUGHS) This is the kind of mainstream acceptance big business wants to cash in on, and I'm going to meet some Kiwis already making millions. In America, the medical cannabis industry is shrinking as more and more money is spent in the booming recreational market. Big businesses, like those behind Marlboro and Corona, are investing billions. New Zealand has a handful of companies poised to sell medical cannabis. Are they ready to go even further? Are the bigger profits in recreational weed the actual end goal? Look, you know, the board would have to look at that, but that's certainly not something we're focused in on at the moment. We're focused on medicinal right now. When, and if, recreational comes along, we'll evaluate that opportunity when it comes. Oh yeah. Well, I'll eat my bloody hat if you don't` if you guys don't grow recreational cannabis. Do you rule out going into recreational? It's not part of the plan, and we` it's so early days. Translation ` if it gets legalised, yeah, you'll probably get into it. We'd have a look at it. In all honesty, though, it's actually not a` You'll get` You know. Honestly, I'm not gonna say we're gonna get into it because` Just say yes. I'm not gonna say yes, cos it's not true. What does it matter? The reason it matters is cos you've got to have everyone in the business philosophically aligned with recreational cannabis. Kiwi rich-lister Guy Haddleton has invested $15 million into Helius. We're not gonna do recreational. That is not our interest. I don't believe in it. We want to produce pharmaceutical medical cannabis. We are not doing recreational. That is not our mandate. Your money in here does not go to recreational. It does not go to recreational. No matter what? No matter what. There is a simple way around that. Just set up another business. Yeah, we could set up another business. Of course we could. Yeah, thank you. OK, thank you. (BOTH LAUGH) Boy, that was hard work. The Canadian company Tilray makes medicinal cannabis, but when Canada legalised recreational marijuana last year the company had to decide whether they wanted to enter this new market. While Tilray's always going to be a medical brand focused on providing products for patients, we have a recreational brand called High Park. This new company deals with recreational marijuana only. And with a portfolio of products, they've gone big. Very big. Won't people look at the fact that you've set up High Park as, 'This was the plan all along'? Our commitment to medical cannabis and medical patients is absolute, but it would be a real shame if the expertise that we've developed in producing this in a high quality matter` I mean, ultimately what you're saying there, Philippe, is it's` it's a shame if everything you've done ` the technology, the skill you've got ` isn't used to help people get high. Under prohibition, this was being grown in underground circumstances with poor quality controls, with dubious distributors not keeping it out of the hands of kids. And right now, what we've got is a standardised source of cannabis, accessible to adults, of a known dosage and consistency and of known potency that allows them to have a better experience at the end of the day. (INTENSE MUSIC) But it's still the Wild West here in New Zealand. Instead of licenced sellers, we have the tinny house. This is Jay. Jay, what do you do when it comes to weed? Well, I am a grower and a smoker. First and foremost, though, I am a horticulturist. And you grow and you sell and you supply? Yes. I'm not some big, scary drug dealer, and I don't have guns and all that kind of thing. I'm just your average family man. You are mainly in the ounce side of the business? Yeah, there's no money these days in selling anything smaller than ounces. There's your tinny shops around and that, but they're in decline. And that's because the prices of marijuana are going through the roof due to the fact that there's less growers out there due to other drugs and more crime. I mean, I could bring around 10 tinny dealers and ask them, and you'd probably get six of them tell you 'No, but I can score you a bag of meth.' It's easier to get meth in this town right now than it is to get` Unfortunately, it is. ...a tinny of cannabis. Yes, unfortunately it is, Patrick. Yeah. And Jay is on a bit of a mission of his own. Apparently there's no standardisation in tinnies, and he reckons people are getting ripped off by the black market. And this is what you would have got for $20. But now, this is what you're getting left with. A couple of buds and a bit of fucking` a bit of shaky shit. The price has stayed the same; it's the size that's dropped down. This is the state of cannabis these days, and it's an ugly state of affairs. And this is what I'm out to try change. I'm changing this for the better of New Zealand. Yep. Yeah. Come on out, mate, and I'll show you the, uh, operation. A legal industry will likely bring big brands, new products, advertising and licencing. That's my pit bull. That's the protection. For people like Jay, it's going to be pretty hard to compete in a new, regulated market. Come on in. I'm gonna continue to do this whether anybody likes it or not. It just needs to be more accepted. Under lock and key for obvious reason. Whoa. This isn't low-class citizen shit. Every Joe Blogg that you know out there that's paying their taxes ` you might not know that they're smoking the stuff, but chances are they fucking are. So, what the hell have we got here? This is a good, old-fashioned bong. It's a bit of a dirty one, but it's well-loved. Yeah. One in 10 New Zealanders got stoned in the last year, and around 200,000 Kiwis get stoned at least once a week. How's that? That's all I need to keep my day 110%. Jay is just one of thousands of dealers all over the country making up a black market that could be worth $750 million. And if it goes legal, like it has in Colorado, big business could corner the market. You did a $14 million deal today. $14.5 million. (BOTH LAUGH) Recreational cannabis in New Zealand could be worth more than $750 million a year, and exporters could be part of a $220 billion global industry. Ross Smith, a venture capitalist who calls himself the Wolf of Weed Street, is looking to cash in. Ross, I'm Paddy. How are you? Yeah, I'm good, mate. Yeah, good to see you. Welcome. Yeah, thanks. Thanks. Nice cars. If you don't mind me asking, how much is that worth? (EXHALES LOUDLY) Generally speaking, if you have to ask you can't afford it, Pat. Seriously. (LAUGHS) I definitely can't afford it. There's someone new in town, isn't there? Yeah, there's a new sheriff in town. He's called the Wolf. You've got a hell of a property here. You've got a robot mowing your lawns right now. Yep. Couple of Bentleys in the driveway. Yep. All paid for with, uh` legally with cannabis. Australia legalised medical marijuana in 2016, and the Wolf boasts that he has made millions of dollars from his cannabis businesses. So, you've done this before. You've done it in Aussie? Several times, yeah. Where does medical cannabis sit with` with the move to recreational? In my view, the government is forgoing a lot of revenue at the moment. New Zealand, we've got a similar population to Colorado. Now, Colorado has had legal medical cannabis, and recently legal recreational adult-use cannabis. Now, the tax revenue alone on that is just under $250 million. In tax. That's enough that we could fix New Zealand roads, right? We could call it 'Operation Pothole'. Right? (LAUGHS) I mean, the opportunities are simply huge. The Wolf has smoked weed recreationally since he was a teenager, but now he vapes marijuana for pain relief. He says he has a seriously bad back. And of course, at the moment that's actually illegal. Well, it's a crime, uh, in this country. But globally, uh, it's not. In 10 years' time people will look back and go, 'Why did it take us so long?' Is medical cannabis just the start? How does it work from a business perspective? Medical cannabis is` no question in my mind, is the Trojan Horse for recreational cannabis. Medical cannabis is just the start here in New Zealand. Absolutely, Pat. The cannabis industry here in New Zealand will grow initially as a medical product, and then ultimately ` however long it takes ` this is gonna be a product that's gonna be available for adult use. And you want in. I guess you want more than in, here? That's why you're back. That's why the Wolf's back. Correct. Under his company, Weed Inc, the Wolf wants to bring to the market classic New Zealand marijuana strains like Te Puke Thunder and Coromandel Gold. Thought to be long gone, the Wolf reckons he has found these valuable plants. How the hell have you got your hands on these bloody strains? As a long-term guerrilla grower, I simply used technologies of today. I picked spots where you can guerrilla grow and I literally helicoptered in and went looking and uh, isolated these genetics and, uh, been working on them ever since. You snuck in and got Te Puke Thunder? I did. You snuck in and got Coromandel Gold? I did. That was exciting. (LAUGHS) And for that to qualify` You really are the Wolf, aren't you? (LAUGHS) You are the Wolf of Weed. Well, mate, I've been around a while. I know what I'm doing. (LAUGHS) I mean, you're gonna put the shits up some people, Wolf. Well, it's not my problem. But there is a romantic idea out there amongst the weed community that, you know, everyone's gonna get to have a crack and it's gonna be a good time for everyone. That's` That story begins with 'once upon a time', Pat. It's a fairy tale. I just want to see the industry done properly. And to do that, that's about large corporations, it's not about backyard` backyard farmers, all right,... growing lawn clippings. The next Zespri will be, uh, all built around cannabis. One of the Wolf's New Zealand businesses, called Medicann, attracted $1.4 million in investment. It has now been put into liquidation. A legal battle is underway to figure out just who is to blame. But I'm sure we haven't heard the last of the Wolf. What could a successful New Zealand business look like? When Colorado legalised recreational weed back in 2012, John Lord, a former Kiwi farmer, decided that his medicinal cannabis company would also produce recreational weed. Alongside his son, Mike, he has turned LivWell into one of the biggest names in cannabis. We'll get you to present your passport to the guard. Look at that. See? We've got the vicious attack Kiwi. What's all this? Whoa. These are some of the permits and licences that we must maintain in this particular building. This is what you need to grow what you grow in here? Just for this building. Yeah. (LAUGHS) A little bit of regulation. One of LivWell's many products is weed sold by the ounce. It feels worlds away from Jay's tinny house. So, this is an ounce. Ounce of cannabis. How much will this sell for? Because this is gonna cost $450 to $600 on the street in New Zealand. I mean, around US$400. How much are you guys selling these for? This is US$60. US$60?! At retail? At retail. It's cheap. Yes. That's fully tested, clean, compliant cannabis. Yeah. With taxes paid, testing by an independent third-party lab. It's safe for sale and safe for consumers. That is the destruction of the black market right there. And legalisation of recreational marijuana also consistently creates a decline in medical cannabis sales. Whoa. How much of your business is medicinal, how much is recreational? The split these days is about 15% medical, 85% recreational. It's a recreational business now. It is a recreational business, even if that recreational product is used medically. Whether you're consuming this cannabis medically or recreationally, the exact same effect is taking place inside your body, right? You don't care to even try and say you're a medicinal grower now. No. There's a perception that recreational cannabis and medical cannabis is a different quality level ` that medical would be a higher level than rec, or that you're fundamentally selling two different products. Yeah. You're not. Just to break it down into the reality, the only difference in the state of Colorado between medical and recreational cannabis is the tag around the base of the plant. Blue is recreational. Right behind you there ` yellow is medical. What you're saying to me is 'forget about the distinction'. Yep. There isn't one. Cannabis is cannabis. That night, John invited me to a barbie at his house as the LivWell team were celebrating the signing of a major deal. ALL: Cheers! (APPLAUSE) You did a $14 million deal today. $14.5 million. (BOTH LAUGH) Yeah, US. (BOTH LAUGH) I'll tell you something that's been worrying me about cannabis. Yep. It freaks me out a little with pushing it and making it lollies and in water. I'll be honest, it makes me a bit uneasy. OK. In a totally illegal market, all those things were available. Now, what's the difference today? Education. Bring it out into the open and educate. Do we, in New Zealand, need the full commercial thing that you've got here? You know, like, it just seems` I think the bottom line is you can't do it half`arsed. You either do it or you don't do it. And, OK, you know, my advice is to do it. You either do it and do it properly ` with all the appropriate boundaries and regulation around it ` and get it right, or don't start down the path. (DOG BARKING) Hey, doggie. (DOG HOWLING) Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah. I know. It's nearly dinner time. It's either war on drugs or go all the way? Yep. And do it properly. There you have it. In 2020 we will get to vote if we want to go all the way. What happens if we do? There's money to be made, for sure. But there's also marijuana stronger than you can imagine. (COUGHS) Oh yeah. Families love perfect pizza. With more fresh ingredients, our DOM Pizza Checker quality guarantee, and any pizza from $15 delivered, with Domino's, everyone's happy. Like, you could get the legendary off-road performance of a Land Cruiser Prado VX - if you wanted to. You could tow a boat towing a hippo. You could chauffeur royalty with leather interior and heated seats. Plus, with Toyota Safety Sense tech, like Lane Departure Alert and Autonomous Emergency Breaking, you could say it's nearly as smart as you. If you wanted to. And you could drive it away for just $79,990. In New Zealand we are spending around $200 million a year enforcing our marijuana laws, with over 3000 people a year convicted for cannabis offences. The legalisation in Colorado has reduced police expenditure and convictions. And when it comes to personal use, pretty much anything goes ` including dabbing. One dab is like smoking a whole joint in one hit. Put this guy on there and hit it. Dabbing is the future. Yeah. Oh yeah, definitely. Dabbing is the latest trend where you fire up a gas torch, heat up a bowl to ultra-high temperatures, use ultra-high concentrated cannabis resin, and get ultra-high. A dab can be 10 times stronger than a regular joint. It is truly next level. (COUGHS HARSHLY) Legal recreational marijuana means dabbing exists out in the open. But for the Colorado police, there's one area that is a real problem ` driving under the influence. I'm joining Sergeant Blake White from the Colorado State Patrol. We're on the lookout for stoned drivers. Whoa, he's` he's all over the show. We'll stop him for speed and weaving a little. (SIRENS WAIL) Stay in your lane, buddy. Dealing with this is difficult because there's no reliable roadside testing like there is with alcohol. Blood tests are required to detect THC, which is both expensive and impractical. I'm Sergeant White with state patrol. The reason I'm stopping you is you're weaving and you're also going a little bit fast there. It's a 35 and you were going about 43`ish. Is there anything in the car I need to know about? Any drugs, marijuana, guns, weapons? I do have some marijuana that I just picked up at the store. You do? I'll just grab the bag. I'll take a look. If it's legal and all that, you're not in any trouble for it. I am gonna take a look and just kinda see what you have. He's got the receipt for it. Um, he's got two different containers of, um, what's resin. You've got Phoenician Haze and Banana Kush. Yeah, I'm gonna guess that he's probably` what he would say is dabbing. Do you dab? Do you` Yeah. OK. When's the last time you used? Uh, yesterday. Just looking at this ` you've got a lawful amount. I'm gonna give that back to you. Um, I appreciate you being honest about things. You gonna go home and have a couple of dabs of that resin tonight and relax? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Sergeant Blake decides this guy isn't stoned and lets him drive home to get on with his dabbing. Well, that was pretty weird. You know, in New Zealand that guy` you know, caught with weed in the car and that'd be that. And for me this is normal. (SIREN WAILS) In the US, the white population and African Americans basically use cannabis at the same rates. But where marijuana has been prohibited, African Americans are almost four times more likely to be arrested. Blaqstar is a black-owned weed business in urban Los Angeles. Its CEO is Bryant Mitchell. He started underground in a hidden labyrinth of grow rooms. It was dodgy and it was dangerous. It's a relief. You know, it's like you take a deep breath. It's like, good God, I get to wake up and not worry about, you know, someone stealing, someone breaking in through my roof, someone putting a gun to my head, the police knocking at my door. Bryant is one of just a handful of black owners to make it in California's legal weed business. While the war on drugs discriminates, the new legal industry also discriminates. Are black operators like yourself getting boxed out of the industry already? The story has to be told. We made this industry. And I say 'we', meaning blacks in America. Snoop Dogg, rappers ` they were the ones that took the chance of talking about, you know, 'I smoke weed all day and it's cool,' but they were persecuted too. They served jail. And so seeing the war on drugs impact us the way it did ` and yet it's run 90% by, you know, white males. What you're saying is you've been persecuted for use` been persecuted while it's been illegal,... That's right. ...but now you're not a big part of the industry. Now we're not a big part of the industry. Isn't that amazing? In New Zealand it's the same story. Maori are over-represented in arrests and convictions, and there is a real concern that Maori may be left out of the economic boom that would come from legalisation. Back in the 1980s, Ruatoria was notorious for weed and Rastas. REPORTER: The isolated town of Ruatoria is no Sleepy Hollow. For years there's been warfare between locals and a group of Rastafarians. There have been over 50 arsons and four killings. Local cannabis company Hikurangi is out to change Ruatoria's bad reputation. They've set up a course at the local polytech to help get people ready for a future industry. But for now the students can only grow hemp, not actual marijuana. I joined this course because I believe that the` we're not only just growing a plant itself, I think we're growing opportunities. And with that, hopefully will come employment for our people. And, uh, hopefully bring us out of the darkness into the light. Well, I've been growing the ganja for a while. I'm just trying to get some employment in with our people and our kids. I'm hoping that when Hikurangi become established that everyone that's done this course can get a job with them so that we can all share the knowledge that we know. Cos all of us here know something about marijuana. Kia ora, everyone. (EXHALES LOUDLY) My name's Paddy. This is my first time on the cannabis course. My first day. (ALL LAUGH) I'm hoping that I learn some new skills today. Haven't done too much undercover growing like a lot of you, so maybe I'll be a bit of a novice. Now let's get on and learn about this cannabis, eh? (ALL LAUGH) We believe that hemp is the new alternative plant crop to grow on the East Coast. Hemp has a low THC level. Whoa, I'm gonna` got a question. How frustrating is it that you can't actually just get on and grow real cannabis? (LAUGHS) It's very frustrating. I enjoy this course, but my plants at home are better. (LAUGHTER) I met with a recent graduate of the course. Brandon has been growing marijuana since he was a teenager. It's something that I'm good at. I know I'm bloody good at it. A lot of people look at you when they find out ` 'Oh, you're just a crim,' you know. Oh, I'm not a criminal. I never saw myself as a criminal. It's been more of a means to put extra on the table and, you know, provide more for my kids. Now he has gone legit and works as the head grower for Hikurangi. You don't wanna be sneaking around any more? Oh, shit. Yeah, you try and live your life looking over your shoulder all the bloody time, waiting for` for somebody to bust your door in at 5 in the morning while your kids are asleep. It sucks. You've been growing for 33 years and you've never got a conviction. Yep. You must be pretty bloody good. I am. (BOTH LAUGH) And you're lucky, too. Yeah, yeah. In some ways you're lucky. We do have too many Maori locked up in prisons for bullshit offences concerning cannabis, and it's gotta stop. A big question is whether people with low-level marijuana convictions can be involved in this new legal industry. You think that these convictions need to be wiped, and they should at least be allowed into the industry to grow? Yeah. They should. They should. And just like everybody else, there's gonna be rules and regulations. See, I can't go and illegally grow any more. Well, that's sweet with me. I'm making good money. I've got a job. I'm not gonna go and do something stupid to jeopardise my job. It's gonna be the same for the bros, too. Cos at the end of the day, all they wanted was to provide for their families. Just getting` getting a record for cannabis in the first place is fucking bullshit as far as I'm concerned. You know, this industry has the potential to get our Maori up and being awesome. You know, and our young people to get involved in things like marketing, lab technicians. It's not just growing dope. It's more than that. Let the guys with convictions... Let them grow. Give them a chance, for fuck's sake. You know, instead of just fucking locking them up all the time, give them a chance to use the skills they have, and you will see a difference. Should we wipe marijuana convictions? If we really want to stop the black market, we will have to consider letting those with low-level convictions work in a future legal weed industry, giving them a shot at a normal life. But the really big question when it comes to voting in the 2020 referendum is working out if the benefits of legal cannabis outweigh the harms. If you start using during adolescence and you continue using on a regular basis, your IQ points will drop by eight. In 2018, Canada fully legalised recreational cannabis. All right, guys. Welcome to Vancouver. How's everybody feeling? (CHEERING) Yeah. Ready to explore some cannabis? ALL: Yeah! Got the best bud in town ` BC bud. BC bud. Known as Vansterdam worldwide. (CHEERING) Vansterdam! We are on a bud crawl ` a pub crawl with weed. I just want to make it very, very clear to everyone here this is my first and only bud crawl. ALL: Yeah! In Vancouver, if you're over 19 you can bud crawl as much as you want. But what's the downside? What are the ill effects of marijuana use? The internationally renowned Dunedin study has tracked 1000 New Zealanders for the last 46 years, and has the world's best data on the long-term effects of using cannabis. If you start early ` and by early I mean in the adolescent years ` and persist in your use, then the likelihood of developing a number of difficulties will increase. During that period the brain's undergoing a lot of changes, so it's particularly sensitive to the effects of, in this case, THC. We've shown in a much-cited piece of work that if you start using during adolescence and you continue using on a regular basis up to the age of 38, that if you're in the highest use group, your IQ points will drop by eight. The chance of developing psychosis also increases. If you start using cannabis during mid-adolescence and you have a certain genetic makeup, your risk of becoming psychotic by the time you're in your mid-20s is increased elevenfold. Joseph Boden, the director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, which has been tracking 1200 Kiwis for 42 years, has more bad news. There are several important issues arising. So, the first is what we call an amotivational syndrome. And essentially what it means is if you start using cannabis more heavily at a younger age, you're less likely to achieve your educational qualifications, you're more likely to experience longer periods of unemployment, and you're more likely to become welfare dependent. And some people may become dependent on marijuana itself. Is it addictive? There is a cannabis dependent syndrome. It includes withdrawal symptoms, with headaches and related fatigue. About 15% of the people who use cannabis become dependent at some point in their lives. Like cigarettes and alcohol, there's a definite downside. So where does this leave us? If you use occasionally for recreational purposes, there are very few negative effects. To be completely honest, and it sounds like what your grandma says, use everything in moderation. And a take-home message for young ones is stay clear of substances, cannabis, until you're around the age of 18. In Vancouver, recreational cannabis is pretty much out in the open. You can smoke a super-strength dab in a weed bar. To me, it still feels a little seedy. Are you guys, sort of, a bit out there on the stoner side of things, or is this mainstream now here? I think that, uh, Vancouver is one of the most cannabis- or weed-friendly places in the entire world. It's getting more mainstream every day. We're not that out there. This is pretty acceptable here. For many in New Zealand, this edgy recreational side of marijuana is a big concern. And from what I've seen, once cannabis is legalised it seems to have a momentum of its own. What do you think? After seeing everything? I just think you just can't` you actually can't stop it. You know, you can put a few rules around it that, sort of, slow it down, but I don't reckon you can actually hold it back forever. Everybody say 'Weed.' ALL: Weed. Commercial interests have the money and the incentive to encourage more sales. This is one of John Lord's LivWell dispensaries. John reckons New Zealand should go all the way or not do it at all. Are we prepared for what that entails? What's the strongest weed in here? Without a doubt, the concentrates. Right. If you want to be higher than you've ever been` This is dabbing. This is dabbing. You really want to take a dab if you wanna maximise the potency. And a lot of customers are definitely on the hunt for maximum potency. The increasing availability of high-THC products is just one of the things making some question the wisdom of Colorado going legal. Smart are a non-profit trying to put the brakes on the commercialised cannabis industry in Colorado. My job is to keep kids safe. And we have a problem. I am not able to do that. Just yesterday at a high school, we had a student that had dissolvable high-concentrate THC that they can put in a water bottle, shake up, and consume throughout the day. Smart aren't opposed to legal marijuana, but they reckon the industry is currently out of control. There's no limitation on the sales of these products. You're talking products that it could be up to 90% THC. The constant innovation of the industry is staggering. Your regulators don't even know what's on the market. A regulator said, on the record, 'It is like chasing cheetahs with butterfly nets.' So once it's in` once it's out there, it's hard to put it back. It's hard to put the genie back in the bottle, absolutely. What should New Zealand do? However you regulate drug products in New Zealand, regulate it like any other drug, because it is. You know what? You're gonna have a hard time because once money gets into it, money starts driving. Don't do it. You do have a problem in terms of, particularly, young kids. It doesn't tear me up to know that adults are using marijuana, but it does tear me up to see how many unintended consequences that flow from that. Recreational I-I've been kind of open to, you know, but what I've seen here in Colorado is you've just unleashed this fury of all different kinds of product ` the high-concentrate stuff, the dabbing, and actually, you haven't thought about the consequences. Because you know why? We haven't limited anything. And I'll just be honest, I never thought, ever, it was gonna look like this. Ever. You can decriminalise it without having all this commercialisation. Absolutely. I mean, I'm worried about New Zealand unleashing this beast. I know New Zealand, and I understand how the government works there. Voters vote yes or no, and if they vote` if they vote yes to legalise, then that's it. I kind of think we're gonna` we're gonna do this and we're not gonna` we're not gonna have a plan. In New Zealand we've failed miserably trying to deal with synthetic cannabis ` plant material, like tea leaves, sprayed with chemicals that you smoke to get high. It was made illegal five years ago, and since then synthetic cannabis has gone underground and the situation is even worse. There's been a huge increase in people dying from synthetic cannabis. According to the Coroner, the drug has killed as many as 45 people in the past year. If we give users access to legal cannabis, could we see an end to synthetics? Would it be any different? At least real cannabis has no known lethal dose. I've learnt a hell of a lot about weed. In Colorado, California, and Canada I have seen what our future could look like. In all of these markets, medical came first and recreational followed. And in this Nelson court a decision is about to be made that radically changes the legal status of medical cannabis in New Zealand. Rose Renton is a green fairy. She supplies cannabis illegally to over 1000 people who want it for medical use. She is facing cannabis cultivation charges. If found guilty, Rose could be locked up for 12 years. And I accept that your motives were, uh, really altruistic in nature. You were trying to help people. Times not long gone, cannabis cultivation was regarded very seriously and, indeed, was often the subject of quite serious outcomes and sentences. I recognise that, to a large extent, the world has moved on a little. You've stood up for what you believe, and for all of those reasons I now discharge you without conviction in terms of the outstanding charge of cannabis cultivation. You're free to go. Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Hey, Paddy. How about that? Yeah. What an outcome. I didn't think you deserved to get a conviction. (LAUGHS) Thanks, Paddy. So, when the judge said 'the world has moved on,' it kind of meant something to me, cos I've seen it. I know it has. People like you get... BOTH: Paid. Not convicted, Paddy. They make` make lots of money or they get to help lots of people. I've moved on, too. Medical cannabis has the potential to help people right now ` the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who are in pain. I definitely would have given it to my mum when she had cancer. But for me, making recreational use legal is a hell of a call. One reason for legalising is simply to reflect reality. 200,000 Kiwis use it every week, and we're criminalising them for something that loads of us accept. There will also be weed businesses, jobs, we will get more taxes, and the police and the courts can put their time and money somewhere more useful. But there's reasons against, too. The new marijuana is ridiculously strong, and when alcohol and cigarette use is declining, do we really want to increase the use of another drug? Could it make weed more acceptable and accessible for our kids, when we know that it damages young people's developing brains? This decision is not easy. We're all going to have different limits. But no matter what our position, in 2020 the country will decide whether to make weed legal or not.