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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1684 ..

Mr Berry: I do not think it has run out. We still have time.

Mrs Carnell: Okay; if we have a bit more time, go ahead.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Berry, for you to speak you would need leave.

Mr Berry: Would I? I do not know whether I would get that.

Mrs Carnell: Yes, you would.

Leave granted.

MR BERRY (5.15): I am glad that the Government has given me their time. They were asking for extra time to do their business earlier this morning. I want to clarify a few points. Mr Moore makes all sorts of accusations against me, but he knows that I have the runs on the board when it comes to dealing with the issue of illicit drugs. He knows that I was probably the first Minister to raise the issue of deregulation of drugs and drug trials at the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy. He also knows that I took the first move to expand the rather conservative methadone program here in the ACT to try to deal with the issue of the use of illicit drugs. But he will never cause me to forget the "grow it down the backyard and treat yourself" marijuana plan. Really, that is what it was. It was something that was criticised. I do not disagree that there may or may not be some good use for marijuana in the treatment of maladies; but at the end of the day it has to be resolved by a body such as that which was mentioned by Mrs Carnell - the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy - and, ultimately, I expect, the National Health and Medical Research Council when it comes to its medicinal use in the community. That is the course that it should take.

I do not mind the debate, but I certainly will not be getting on board a program which sends the wrong sort of message to the community. We have to be very careful with this issue. I do not think we have been careful enough up to this point in terms of the message that we are sending out to the community - and to the police, for that matter. We can all reflect and have a bit of a giggle about events of the past, in particular the legislation which Mr Moore referred to. We were strenuously opposed to that because we thought the way it was set up was quite wrong.

Mrs Carnell: You just used it politically.

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell interjects, "You used it politically". The fact of the matter is that the legislation that you proposed was so that people who were terminally ill could grow their own marijuana down the backyard and treat themselves whilst they were on a drug program supported by a medical practitioner. It was a dumb, silly idea. How on earth could you expect terminally ill people to grow their own drugs to treat themselves? It was a silly move that was criticised roundly out there in the community, and it should have been. It should not be forgotten either. It should be a good lesson for everybody about the way you deal with drugs out there in the community.

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