Lay summary
Cannabis use in Aotearoa/NZ is currently responsible for $911 million of harm per year including convictions, youth use, and mental illness. Māori are three times more likely to be convicted for cannabis offences, with lifetime impacts on employment, travel, and imprisonment. Progress on improving health outcomes and addressing enforcement bias related to cannabis is currently constrained by gaps in evidence and lack of consensus regarding the effectiveness of overseas reforms. Decriminalisation and non-commercial supply options were outside of the scope of the recent referendum. More evaluation data is also now available to better understand overseas reform outcomes. However, overseas reforms must be carefully translated to the health, cultural, social, and institutional context of Aotearoa/NZ, particularly for those disproportionately affected, such as Māori and Pasifika. This study will model overseas reform options to Aotearoa/NZ drawing on overseas case studies, cross-country surveys, and group decision-making workshops with national stakeholders and affected communities.