A former National minister has come out against the party's policy to drug test beneficiaries, saying it stigmatises a struggling group.
Last week, National promised to introduce random drug testing for those on the jobseeker benefit to ensure they're "ready for work".
A policy document released by the party said New Zealanders were regularly required to pass drug tests to get or keep a job, and it was "not too much to ask" that people getting Jobseeker Support take "reasonable steps to remain work-ready".
But former National health minister Dr Jonathan Coleman told Midday Report the policy assumed there was a relationship between drug use and beneficiaries.
"Look, it's just very punitive ... I think life is tough enough for beneficiaries anyway, especially in this economy," he said.
"I think most people would prefer not to be on a benefit, and addiction is a related conversation, but it's really a separate issue.
"There's an assumption here that there's some causative relationship between drugs and being on a benefit and there are some beneficiaries who take drugs.
"[But] there are some lawyers who take drugs ... there's people right throughout society who take drugs."
Coleman said drug testing wasn't at all relevant to getting people off benefits, and some people had an addiction they couldn't help.
He said National's policy wouldn't work.
"You need to have a health-based approach rather than what appears to be a very punitive approach that's not going to achieve anything and is further going to stigmatise a group of people in society that are having a pretty tough time already," Coleman said.
He said most people he knew with serious drug addiction problems would love to get off them permanently.
Many had accessed services but for some, it just didn't work, he said.
"They get off for a while, then they come back to it," Coleman said.
"The other issue really, and the real flaw in this policy, I think, is the availability of assessment and treatment services."
Coleman said Community Alcohol and Drug Service (CADS) did a great job, but some were turned off by group sessions.
He said alternative private treatments were very expensive.
"Most people I see who have problems with alcohol and drugs, they are not on those substances or on the alcohol because they want to," Coleman said.
"They're on it because they actually have a serious addiction problem, which needs a health-based approach, and the best thing is not to get on these substances be exposed to alcohol in a way that causes you to abuse it in the first place."
"I don't know why they put this policy out. Look, I am a National supporter. I do believe that it is good to get people back into work."
"But I've had a lot of feedback in the last few days from basically people who are going to vote for centre-right parties who have said this is a viewpoint that I've expressed in that op-ed that they totally agree with. A lot of positive feedback. I haven't had any negative feedback."
