In connection with the parliamentary elections on 17 October in New Zealand, two referendums were held.
And now that only 17 percent of the votes remain to be counted, 65.2 percent have said yes to euthanasia, while 53.1 have said no to the legalization of cannabis, where the final result will be presented on 6 November.
50 percent of the votes were needed for the euthanasia law to win and the euthanasia law to enter into force on 6 November 2021.
New Zealand thus becomes the seventh country in the world to legalize euthanasia and many in the country were relieved after the victory as support for euthanasia has been high for many years in the country.
Among other things, the Prime Minister of Jacinda Ardern voted yes in both referendums.
"Relieved and grateful"
David Seymour, a member of New Zealand's parliament, has long been an advocate for getting the law passed.
"I think it's time for New Zealand to move towards a more compassionate and tolerant society," he told The Guardian.
Matt Vickers, who has been a widow since 2015 when his wife died of a brain tumor, was relieved by the news.
"I feel relieved and grateful that the people of New Zealand have chosen to implement this change in the law and give the terminally ill a choice about how they will die," he told The Guardian.
So many have tried cannabis
In the case of cannabis, it is not certain that it would have been approved even if the yes side had won the referendum.
Unlike the issue of euthanasia, cannabis still needed to be debated in government and approved by politicians to go through.
Cannabis is the country's most used drug and according to a recent survey, over half a million people, who are around 15 percent of the country's population, have used cannabis at some point in the last 12 months.