Dear Editor, In 2020, Te Marae Ora, through the Director of Clinical Services put out a release that stated “There are no laid down import regulations for methadone”. Methadone is a Class B controlled drug in the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004.

Methadone is an opioid.

But in 2022 TMO stated they are guided by an approved process for all medication imported into the Cook Islands.

Given there has been no legislative enactments between 2020 and now to lay down clear import regulations, there can be no process that TMO is guided by on the importation of medication into the Cook Islands.

TMO, Crown Law and Customs are making it up as they go along? 

A Government that cannot keep track of its own laws cannot be trusted to faithfully and even-handedly execute those laws.

This exposes that these three ministries are not binding the acts of the Crown, but rather are acting like three disjointed and dysfunctional serfdoms, and we are their peasant serfs when it comes to them trying to dictate what the laws of medicinal cannabis should be

And of course, as the Minister of Public Service, the Prime Minister Mark Brown is allowing this farce to continue.

But instead of applying TMO’s 2020 version of the regulation, Mr Brown is allowing in this day and age of medicinal cannabis, approval by the Cook Islands people to allow the three serfdoms to apply a more stringent version on the regulations of medical marijuana.

And the PM is allowing for them to keep up with a hectic and furious pace of its own rulemaking.

These so-called authorities in our nation don’t even know their own regulations.

Why in the world would we ever trust them to do what is right for the Cook Islands people in order for us to receive all the medicinal cannabis products that other nations are providing around the globe for their citizens to relieve their pain and suffering?

The Government itself, the very “expert” agencies responsible for putting into effect, “law”, no less is not able to keep pace with its own frenetic made up law-making.

Sincerely,

By Steve Boggs