Power To Act On Drugs Sought

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31005, 10 March 1966, Page 3

Power To Act On Drugs Sought

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 9.

If the illicit drug traffic in New Zealand was to be controlled, the police must have the power to act immediately to safeguard the public, said the Minister of Health (Mr McKay).

“If it were necessary for the police first to obtain a warrant, the culprits and the evidence could have dispersed by the time the police returned.” he said in a statement today. Mr McKay was commenting on a statement by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) that a small body of senior legal officers and representatives of citizen groups should be established to consider a balance between authority and liberty. In his statement on Monday, Mr Kirk referred to the Narcotics Act passed by Parliament last year. “I am sure Mr Kirk is aware of the growing evils of the traffic in illicit drugs that cause addiction,” said Mr McKay. “There is no doubt that the illicit traffic in New Zealand could become a potential danger unless adequate measures are taken to control it—and while I fully agree that it is necessary for any Government to preserve the rights of the individual—the community has a right to be protected against the possible dangers of these illicit drugs. “One has only to see the

result in other countries to appreciate the need for strong measures in New Zealand. “Illicit drugs cannot be sold legally and it is necessary for adequate powers to be available to stamp out a vicious trade that preys on depraved youth,” he said.