Whakamana Cannabis Museum

Whakamana Cannabis Museum of Aotearoa is New Zealand's first museum dedicated to the history of cannabis use and culture. It opened in October 2013. The museum is located in Caversham, Dunedin, in what was formerly a residential house. The museum serves as an information service on drug use. Its director is long-time drug reform advocate Abe Gray, who co-founded the museum along with Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party (ALCP) regional spokesperson Julian Crawford. Cannabis, while still a criminalised drug in New Zealand, has moved some way towards grudging acceptance, at least as a subject for open discussion. The museum, in David Street, is designed to be an information centre on aspects of the history and legislation surrounding the drug, and also a national centre for the ALCP, a minor single-issue political party. Dunedin has had a long history of advocacy for marijuana law reform, largely through the University of Otago's branch of NORML New Zealand. Alongside regular exhibits, the museum houses a library of books relating to cannabis use and culture, many of them unavailable in more general libraries around the country. The museum hosts regular screenings of the 2015 documentary Druglawed which features Abe Gray and explains his protest history. In addition to acting as a museum and serving as a centre for drug law reform advocacy, Whakamana promotes open-source computer software. It also features meeting rooms and a digital multimedia studio. The museum operates within New Zealand's laws and does not allow the use or sale of the drug on its premises. Gray has stated that the presence of the museum and Dunedin's history of support for law change relating to drug use and possession would put it in the ideal position to become a centre for cannabis tourism should the drug ever be legalised in New Zealand.