ALCP announce Medical Cannabis Scholarships

With availability of medicinal cannabis looming as an election issue, the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party today proposed founding tertiary scholarships for postgraduate students interested in researching medicinal uses of the cannabis plant.

ALCP Education Spokesman Vince McLeod suggested that an ALCP Government would use some of the windfall from cannabis law reform to establish tertiary scholarships for promising New Zealanders looking to research medicinal applications of cannabis.

In particular, researching the potential for cannabis to treat glaucoma, insomnia, arthritis and Crohn's disease ought to be funded.

"With the potential of medicinal cannabis being acknowledged by law changes all around the world, why is New Zealand throwing away its major competitive advantage by missing the boat on this one?" Mr McLeod said.

"A small economy like New Zealand relies on being nimble and forward-thinking. With the medicinal cannabis industry set to explode in coming years, we ought to swallow some humble pie and focus on creating, rather than destroying, ways we can benefit."