The Government’s medicinal cannabis bill is back before parliament, and we’re urging MPs to do what’s best for patients, not politics.
After hearing from hundreds of patients and caregivers, as well as medical groups and patient advocates, the Health Select Committee reports back today on possible changes to the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill.
The bill creates an exemption for terminally ill people to obtain and use cannabis, removes cannabidiol (CBD) from the Misuse of Drugs Act, and allows new standards for cultivating, manufacturing and distributing medicinal cannabis products.
Submissions were overwhelmingly in favour of allowing medicinal cannabis use for chronic pain, and for locally-made products to be more affordable and widely available.
The bill passed the first reading unanimously. National MPs told parliament they saw the bill as “a tentative step in the right direction” and that they would work with Government MPs to “provide greater access.”
It now seems the National Party intends to withdraw their support for the bill, and introduce a private member’s bill in the name of Shane Reti. National leader Simon Bridges told NewstalkZB:
“National supports greater access to high quality medicinal cannabis products to ease people’s suffering but we must have the right regulatory and legislative controls in place.
“Among other things, our bill is going to make clear who can buy medicinal cannabis, who can sell it, and exactly how that will work.”
However, there is no guarantee their new bill will ever be heard by parliament, as it may never be drawn from the ballot.
To be clear: it is great National are now competing to have the best law.
This represents a massive shift from just a year ago, when National were dragged kicking and screaming – by Peter Dunne of all people – into accepting only minor changes in response to public demands for medicinal cannabis law reform.
And it’s possible the changes now being mooted by National will be even better than the Government’s bill.
But we need to keep the focus on patients, and that means no more delays.
MPs need to work together now to fix the proposed legislation and give patients urgent protection. While they squabble patients are still getting busted, or dying without medicine.
The latest shenanigans over medicinal cannabis follow a Curia poll, released this week by the New Zealand Drug Foundation, which found increased support for all options, including 87 per cent support for allowing medicinal cannabis for chronic pain relief.
The message MPs should take from this poll is: Don’t panic, and do what is best for patients.
Patients, caregivers and advocates will send their own message to MPs on Saturday 4th August. Auckland Patients Group and NORML are organising “Pots for Patients”, a rally supporting medicinal cannabis law reform, at 2pm on Queen Street (opposite Aotea Square). I’ll be there, and you should too.
I agree, but since when have politicians ever made a decision that’s best for people and not politics?
Labours lipstick facade has worn off leaving both them and the Greens looking rather naked and exposed. The new Emperors have no new clothes.
“When in opposition you can say anything you like, but when in Government you are watched with every word you speak”.
Quoted; from a speech given at the Napier Greypower General Meeting May/June 2018 by a Government Minister.
I can’t see why the Greens are looking naked given they are the only party who want to see cannabis legalised.
The Nats see the financial windfall but are to gutless to enact the required legislation, Labour is awaiting permission from crooked Hillary and the Dems to compete with the US in drug production.
Bye the way The wording on the misuse of drugs act says that cannabis has no medical value… obviously wrong, provable in court? Time for the government to drop that legislation immediately.
50 years of crimes against our community’s is more than enough, knee Jerk reactionary’s fed bye misinformation and blatant media hysteria and propaganda, theres a lot to answer for and blaming the pot heads has gotten as old as blaming the poor for economic problems brought about bye greed!!
Whatever they decide, it must be kept out of the hands of Big Pharma. There’s no point in legalising even medicinal use if people can’t afford the exorbitant costs currently being demanded.
National’s approach is in synch with dependence on the expensive products of Big Pharma.
It is a barrier to cultivation of new (lower THC) crop varieties for the specialist medicinal marijuana market – much cheaper than the non smoked patented lab drug form.
Once again National pandering to offshore interests rather than the development of local industry.
Their approach would have it restricted to the middle class who can afford it, and or be limited by condition so Pharmac can afford to subsidise the high cost imports.
“To be clear: it is great National are now competing to have the best law.”
I don’t think they are competing to have the best law. They are trying to keep general cannabis illegal and only allow medical cannabis via pharmaceuticals. So in reality they are giving away almost nothing.
I don’t use cannabis anymore, it had bad effects on me, so I only use the ‘legal drug’ now, also harmful, but less so for me.
I am all for medicinal use of cannabis, but I fear the discussion here is getting ridiculous.
Allow those that want to use the drug, as long as they are at least 18 or say 21 years old, to use it, same as those are allowed to consume alcohol.
It is a soft drug, it has maybe some negative effect on some people, especially the very young ones, but control and regulate it, and let it become legal like in Uruguay and Colorado, problem solved.
And keep politicking about it, that turns people right off.