Page 457 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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briefly on the issue of medicinal cannabis, which is an area I will be looking to address through amendments.
I recognise that medicinal cannabis is very different from recreational cannabis. The products are heavily regulated so that strength and properties are controlled, and use can be monitored by a doctor. But it is clear that, while the ACT has a medicinal cannabis scheme in place, it remains overly restrictive and hard to access for those who need it. Medicinal cannabis patients should not have to resort to growing their own supply to get relief from pain or nausea, but for many people that remains their reality.
The process under the current scheme for getting approval through the TGA is extensive and involves trialling medications in every other drug category, many of which have significant side effects. There are very few doctors in the ACT who will prescribe medicinal cannabis, and pharmacists are required to get approval from the Chief Health Officer each time they dispense it, even to the same patient.
I understand the need for controls, but the current system is so restrictive that many people simply give up. I raise this as part of this debate because we need to consider how this can be improved. This bill will not fix this issue, and any amendment will be an imperfect solution, but doing nothing and sticking with an unworkable scheme is not good enough. I look forward to discussing this issue more during the detail stage, along with a range of other amendments relating to artificial cultivation, establishing an independent advisory council, and more.
The Greens support this bill as part of a long journey of drug law reform that I hope will ultimately see personal drug use treated as a health issue, not a criminal issue. Drugs are present in our society whether we like it or not, and the answer is not simply to say no, to make drug possession illegal, and to try to arrest our way out of this current problem. The war on drugs has failed, and it is time for a new approach. That is why the Greens will be supporting this legislation.
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (11.35): The Canberra Liberals will not be supporting this legislation in principle today. We believe that it should be referred to a committee for inquiry to sort out what is clearly a complex issue but also flawed legislation. I note that there are numerous amendments to be moved not only by the Greens but also, as I understand, by the government, potentially by several ministers. The fact that there are so many competing amendments to this bill should be sufficient to raise real caution with the legislation, particularly as it stands.
Our approach is based on exactly that: reasonable, responsible caution. I do not have my head in the sand, and nor do my colleagues on this issue, and in no way do we support an overly punitive approach to cannabis use. I have children, and I would not want to see them locked away because they smoke a joint. No-one is suggesting that. But, equally, I have seen firsthand the devastation that cannabis can cause in some people, and I genuinely feel that making cannabis more available and more prevalent will increase the risk of harm. We have a responsibility to highlight the potential harms of cannabis use and make sure that lives are not ruined, particularly of young
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