A police crackdown on an alleged medicinal cannabis operation run by renowned “green fairy” Paul Smith, also known as “Gandalf,” has sparked widespread outrage and support. Police raided Smith’s rural Northland property in New Zealand. Medical cannabis has been legal in the country since 2020 but obtaining prescriptions can be difficult and expensive. Supporters accuse the authorities of wasting resources in a misguided “war on drugs,” and blame the high cost of official cannabis for forcing patients to seek it from unofficial providers. Co-leader of the Green Party Chloe Swarbrick criticizes the police raid, referencing a Massey University study that shows only one-third of medical cannabis users have legal prescriptions, with the rest relying on the black market.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/03/gandalf-alleged-sale-medicinal-cannabis-new-zealand-charges-ntwnfb