Former cop, widow, Chlöe Swarbrick and more speak out for Gandalf, the arrested green fairy

Police allege he's a criminal. But politicians, his patients and even a former police officer who once helped bust "Gandalf" are describing him as a hero.

Gandalf is one of New Zealand's most well-known "green fairies", a term used to describe those who provide black market medicinal cannabis.

The former police officer spoke to Stuff on condition of anonymity and confirmed that police officers in the district knew for decades about Gandalf's operation. This former officer is now one of Gandalf's patients - and he's worried about what's going to happen to the hundreds of others relying on this supply of affordable medicinal cannabis.

On Wednesday, Gandalf spoke out for the first time without his pseudonym, revealing himself as Paul Smith, a 66-year-old Northland man.

A police summons Smith supplied to Stuff showed he was charged with cultivating and supplying cannabis after police raided his home on Tuesday. During the raid, more than a dozen police officers destroyed his "poly-house" - a plastic grow shed - and took away six months' worth of oil that he had ready for hundreds of patients.

Since news of his arrest broke, there has been an outpouring of support for Smith. Among the supporters is the former police officer and Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick, alongside patients and their families.

Swarbrick called to "free Gandalf", telling Stuff: "It's just appalling. This is an absolute waste of police resources and time. We know from data out of universities that about two thirds of patients are getting medical cannabis from the illicit market."

She said she met Smith a few years ago, and had met other green fairies during her time campaigning for drug law reform.

"What I've found with the green fairy community is normal, often elderly people, putting themselves and their livelihoods on the line to provide healthcare to communities. They risk arrest to help," Swarbrick said.

A police spokesperson said there were "ongoing" inquiries into Smith.

"Further charges cannot be ruled out," the spokesperson said.

Asked if police felt this issue met the police's public interest test for prosecution, the spokesperson said they would be able to answer that once the court case was completed.

"Given there will be matters put before the court, it is inappropriate for police to engage further public commentary at this point," the statement said.

Adding, "We are open to providing further comment once we are able to do so."

One of Smith's supporters, who spoke to Stuff on Thursday, was Deliah Quedec. She lost her partner, John "Bing" Bradford, to cancer in September 2023. He was diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer in 2020 and given two months to live.

"Gandalf was the godsend to us. Most people would be upset if they knew what was happening to him now," she said.

She credited Gandalf with giving Bradford "three quality years" - letting him travel and even build a tiny home for them to live in.

"If it wasn't for Gandalf, we wouldn't have had Bing until 2023," Quedec said.

When Bradford had cancer, Quedec said they told their doctor supported their plan to use medicinal cannabis. The doctor also looked into sourcing medicinal cannabis through the legal market, but Quedec said the cost would have been $400 per fortnight.

They paid Smith half of that, and when they didn't have money to pay for it after a house fire he gave the CBD oil to them for free.

"He's not doing this to for him to to get rich. You could see that if have you that," she said.

"He looks like a lost hippy, with no shoes on. He drives an old truck thing. Honestly, he's just doing this to help people because he cares and doesn't like seeing people suffer. He is not a criminal."

That was sentiment shared by many who contacted Stuff after Smith spoke out on Wednesday.

The former officer said police should explain how this charge met the Solicitor General's prosecution guidelines, which stated that charges should pass a "Public Interest Test".

"I used to be one of those cops, when I first started, that used to lock up dope smokers. One joint, we'd lock you up. And honestly, I'm embarrassed about that," the officer said.

He said police should be looking at what harm is being done.

"The community are obviously aware of what he's been doing for a long time, including the police community. Pretty much, they've turned a blind eye to it," he said.

If something had changed, then the officer said that could help to explain the decision. But police have declined to answer Stuff's questions about the "public interest" of this case.

The former officer said closing down Smith's operation would leave him - and many others - in a tough position, either forced to pay hundreds more or go without.

"He's doing a real service for the public. For me, personally, I was on a cocktail of all sorts of drugs which affected me big time," he said.

But once he got a cannabis-based oil from Smith, the officer said he was finally able to sleep and no longer needed to take morphine and tramadol. The medicinal cannabis he gets from Smith doesn't contain THC - the substance which gets users "high".

"It doesn't give me a high. It's just a pain relief and enables me to sleep. And I just fully support what he's doing and how he does it. He makes it affordable," the former officer said.

Drug Foundation boss Sarah Helm also questioned the worth of prosecuting green fairies. She said hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders use cannabis for therapeutic reasons, but most cannot afford to buy it through the legal channel.

"Green fairies still serve this group, and many of the people they supply have chronic conditions or are in palliative care," she said.

"We've long said that these police raids aren't a good use of police time and resources, especially when they are impacting green fairies and the people who they care for," she said.

Helm said police should use their resources to target the supply of more dangerous drugs, such as methamphetamine and cocaine.

Smith is set to appear at the Whangārei District Court on Monday. Supporters were planning for a protest outside the court that morning.

Local MP Shane Reti, who was the former health minister, was approached for comment.

- Stuff