One Love organiser rejects legalise marijuana petitioner's request

The organiser of this weekend's One Love festival in Tauranga has turned down a cannabis petitioner's request to set up a marquee at the event.

Thousands of concert-goers are expected to attend the reggae festival at Tauranga Domain.

David Tank asked festival promoter Pato Alvarez if he and fellow campaigners could set up and collect signatures at the event.

However, Alvarez said he did not want to politicise the event.

"He is more than welcome to buy a ticket just like anyone is welcome to come to the festival. But if he is going to do something he is not allowed to then he will be asked to leave."

Tank's petition asks the Coalition Government pledge to hold a referendum on making recreational use of marijuana legal and to hold a vote on January 26 next year.

If carried, the petition asks that marijuana be made legal as of January 1, 2020.

Last year's One Love Festival at crowded Tauranga Domain. Photo / File

The petition had reached 1000 signatures since it launched last week and Tank said he had hoped to give festival-goers at One Love the opportunity to sign too.

He said there would still be a campaign presence outside the event.

Tank said he understood Alvarez's concerns.

"I am confident given the nature of the concert people who will be there it will go down beautifully, and there wouldn't be any dramas," he said. "It is a perfect opportunity and the right place to start the debate."

Tank said the petition was not only to set a voting date but to provide a mechanism so Members of Parliament could gain feedback on the benefits of legalising marijuana.

"The vast majority of people are using marijuana for medicinal purposes... this petition would give them the opportunity that the current petition is far too limited to do as much good as it should."