A winning case
12 Nov 2019
He may not yet be old enough to vote but, in advance of next year’s referendum, Year 10 student Thimeth Wijesinghe has already considered the pros and cons of legalising cannabis in New Zealand. His cogent essay on this contentious issue recently won first prize in the Year 9–10 category of the UC Law Essay Competition 2019.
The competition asked students to write a short essay on either of two topics: legalising cannabis or the Ihumātao land protests. Thimeth chose to write about both. “I like to watch the news and stay informed, keep abreast of events, talk about what’s going on and develop opinions. The competition was a way for me to explore and share my thoughts on these issues.”
Thimeth enjoyed working on the essays, weighing up the evidence and presenting his ideas in a way that reflects New Zealand’s legal context. “There are so many different viewpoints and opinions. I felt it wasn’t so much about the content, but more about communicating a viewpoint, and everything had to be able to be justified in law.”
Click here to read the winning essay.
