Polynesia: Tahiti Herb Culture plants a cannabis plant on the Assembly lawn

Tahiti Herb Culture, a Polynesian organization that provides information on cannabis, sought to draw the attention of elected officials to the situation regarding medical cannabis in the archipelago by planting a cannabis plant on the lawn of the Assembly of French Polynesia last Thursday.

As a result, its president, Karl Anihia, has been placed under judicial supervision pending his court appearance. His trial is scheduled for March 30.

Medical Cannabis in French Polynesia

Although it is part of France, French Polynesia has certain specific areas of jurisdiction through its parliament, including health care. Thus, even if the Sativex is legal in France While it is available in mainland France, it is not available in Polynesia. Detractors will say that this makes no difference in pharmacies, and they would be right, since Sativex has never been sold in pharmacies in mainland France.

However, French Polynesia is not part of France’s medical cannabis pilot program. In fact, its representative, Moetai Brotherson, has intervened with Health Minister Olivier Véran, who gave his approval for an extension experimentation for the archipelago.

The Tahiti Herb Culture association advocates for legal access to medical cannabis for patients and, more broadly, to cannabis for adults. A proud participant in the “18 Joint” rally since 2012, it already supplies patients with cannabis oils and other cannabis-infused monoi products.

Since politics doesn’t wait for the sick, Tahiti Herb Culture took action by planting a 2-meter-tall cannabis plant in front of the local assembly.

«We are still subject to the law. The law is simple: it has a zero-tolerance policy; therapeutic use or any other use is completely prohibited (…) Today, we are here to ask the assembly to enact a law allowing the therapeutic use of cannabis—it’s as simple as that,», explains Karl Anihia, president of the Tahiti Herb Culture Association.

Paka's foot was finally pulled off by law enforcement, and Karl Anihia was taken into custody. The next hearing is scheduled for March 30.