Where do you stand?

Support. Don’t Punish. Tautāwhihia. Kaua e whiu. Global day of action 26 June.

To keep up pressure for a move to healthy and just ways of dealing with drug problems, New Zealanders are invited to join the global Support. Don’t Punish. day of action.

Rather than convicting people for minor drug offences we want to make sure people can get the support they need. Our goal is to ensure drug laws in Aotearoa New Zealand:

• Provide those in need with appropriate health and social care services, including choices of effective drug treatment
• Stop demonising people who use drugs that have been deemed illegal
• End the criminalisation of people who use drugs, as well as other low-level, non-violent drug offenders. 

Join in this campaign to help keep up the pressure for change. Following on from the big global United Nations meeting on drug policy in April there is a renewed momentum around the world for healthy drug law.

Show you care in 2016

Show your friends and the world that you back Support. Don't Punish. We want photos to show there are people everywhere in NZ behind this campaign.

Here's what to do:

1. Print a Support. Don’t Punish. Tautāwhihia. Kaua e Whiu. poster,
2. Find a well-known Kiwi monument or stunning vista,
3. Take a photo holding the poster,
4. Then upload it and email to admin@drugfoundation.org.nz,
5. Share on social media.

All photos will go in the draw for a great prize. Entries due Friday 24 June.

Get a copy of the poster and more details on how you can help map Support. Don’t Punish. in New Zealand.

You can also share campaign messages on FB, Instagram, Twitter and other networks using the #supportdontpunish #sdp16nz tags.

Support. Don’t Punish. last year

On 26th June 2015 people in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland joined in the Support. Don’t Punish. global day of action alongside people from another 150 cities.

Events on the day gave us a chance to acknowledge people working in the AOD treatment sector. We were delighted to see Odyssey, Higher Ground, Matua Raki, Care NZ, Alcohol Drug Helpline, Roger Wright Centre and Mirror Trust join in.

Where Support. Don’t Punish. came from

The 26th June is the United Nations’ International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – a day which has traditionally been used by governments to ‘celebrate’ drug arrests, seizures and even executions. The Support. Don’t Punish. “Global Day of Action” aims to change the narrative, and to highlight the need for a better approach. The campaign is coordinated from London by the International Drug Policy Consortium. It has been running since 2012.

Also Support. Don’t Punish. Facebook page and Support. Don’t Punish. on Twitter.