Some of New Zealand's top medical experts want a "yes" vote in the upcoming cannabis referendum

An editorial published in the New Zealand Medical Journal calls the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill referendum a once-in-a-generation "opportunity to place evidence-informed controls around a substance that is widely used and unregulated".

The article says a yes vote is a vote in support of placing public health controls around a substance that is currently left to the black market to manage.

The authors - specialists in addiction treatment, public health, Maori health equity and epidemiology - say if the referendum is successful, it will result in public health legislation with world-leading goals and aspirations that could serve as a model for other countries.