It's cruel to deny cannabis to the terminally ill
Last
year, NSW's minister for health rejected recommendations that cannabis
should be decriminalised for those in pain at the end of their lives.
But the fight isn't over yet
Fearmongering and prejudice have once again trumped common sense and
humanity in the debate over the legality of medicinal cannabis.
In a victory for cannabis hysteria, the NSW Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, took the politically expedient path of rejecting the unanimous findings of a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry that the terminally ill be allowed to possess and use small quantities of crude cannabis.
In May of last year, the Upper House committee conducting the inquiry recommended that people dying from diseases such as cancer and end-stage HIV and their carers be exempted from prosecution for possession of a very small amount of crude cannabis.
Recommendation number two in the committee’s report was that the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 be amended to provide “a complete defence from arrest and prosecution for the use of cannabis and possession of up to 15 grams of dry cannabis or equivalent amounts of other cannabis products, and equipment for the administration of cannabis,” for the medical use by patients with terminal illness and those who have moved from HIV infection to AIDS.
The committee reached that conclusion after taking extensive evidence, including from those who had benefited from the use of raw cannabis to deal with pain and nausea associated with HIV and cancer.
While just 15 grams of cannabis for a patient and 15 grams for the carer would hardly turn them into a two-person drug cartel, the evidence showed clear benefits for some who would otherwise have to go without or break the law.
Even though the police and the conservative anti-cannabis professionals were predictably hostile, every member of the committee was persuaded that our duty was to focus on the possibility of providing some relief for those who were nearing the end of their lives.
The committee broadly represented the body of New South Wales politics: two Coalition members, including a conservative Liberal; two Labor members; one Shooters and Fishers Party member; and one member of the Greens.
The unanimous finding gave hope that for once this State's decisionmakers would do something unexpected and find the collective courage to confront the hysteria that surrounds any mention of cannabis.
Instead, the O'Farrell government took the politically expedient path. Health Minister Jillian Skinner’s response to the inquiry’s recommendations, tabled in parliament last November, will leave thousands of terminally ill patients with the awful choice of either breaking the law or suffering unnecessary pain and nausea in the last few months of their lives.
Despite the committee targeting those with little time to live, the minister rejected the findings, arguing that cannabis can be a harmful drug with a number of health impacts. She studiously ignored the reality that people who would be eligible for an exemption from prosecution for possessing small amounts of cannabis are dying. Long-term health impacts are irrelevant to those who have only a few months to live. The argument that allowing patients wracked with nausea and pain to access cannabis will somehow glamorise the drug is similarly absurd.
The committee was mindful of so-called leakage issues. It proposed the creation of a register of authorised cannabis patients and carers to address this issue, and actually divert cannabis out of the recreational market. If anything, the committee's recommendations would have reduced the amount of cannabis available for illegal users. The committee did not go down the Californian pathway of cannabis dispensaries as a surrogate for decriminalisation.
While the Greens have long held the view that NSW should follow the example of a growing number of jurisdictions around the world in moving cannabis out of the hands of organised crime, the committee focused on the needs of the dying. The O’Farrell government ignored this focus, proving that they are more concerned about avoiding a minor backlash from anti-cannabis than helping cancer sufferers cope in the last few months of their lives.
The government accepted the Committee's recommendation that products like the sprays and tinctures that have no perceptible psychoactive effects should be treated as normal pharmaceuticals. This aspect of the report was uncontroversial and required no political courage to act on.
End stage cancer patients and those who have moved from HIV infection to Aids have become yet another set of victims of the war on drugs. Rationality takes a back seat when politicians are confronted with the need to stand up to radio shock jocks.
In the absence of any rational or humane response from government, the Greens are giving parliament the opportunity to implement the key recommendation of the Upper House committee.
We are drafting a Bill to amend the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 to add a complete defence to the use and possession of cannabis for authorised medical use by patients with terminal illness and those who have moved from HIV infection to Aids.
The bill will be introduced into the Upper House of the NSW Parliament when it resumes in March this year. All members of the Legislative Council will have the chance to endorse the unanimous findings of their colleagues who carefully and sensitively assessed the evidence brought before the inquiry.
The Greens will continue to advocate for sensible evidence-based drug law reforms. We will work to ensure that people suffering from illnesses such as cancer and Aids are not denied access to vital palliative care such as medicinal cannabis.
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In a victory for cannabis hysteria, the NSW Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, took the politically expedient path of rejecting the unanimous findings of a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry that the terminally ill be allowed to possess and use small quantities of crude cannabis.
In May of last year, the Upper House committee conducting the inquiry recommended that people dying from diseases such as cancer and end-stage HIV and their carers be exempted from prosecution for possession of a very small amount of crude cannabis.
Recommendation number two in the committee’s report was that the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 be amended to provide “a complete defence from arrest and prosecution for the use of cannabis and possession of up to 15 grams of dry cannabis or equivalent amounts of other cannabis products, and equipment for the administration of cannabis,” for the medical use by patients with terminal illness and those who have moved from HIV infection to AIDS.
The committee reached that conclusion after taking extensive evidence, including from those who had benefited from the use of raw cannabis to deal with pain and nausea associated with HIV and cancer.
While just 15 grams of cannabis for a patient and 15 grams for the carer would hardly turn them into a two-person drug cartel, the evidence showed clear benefits for some who would otherwise have to go without or break the law.
Even though the police and the conservative anti-cannabis professionals were predictably hostile, every member of the committee was persuaded that our duty was to focus on the possibility of providing some relief for those who were nearing the end of their lives.
The committee broadly represented the body of New South Wales politics: two Coalition members, including a conservative Liberal; two Labor members; one Shooters and Fishers Party member; and one member of the Greens.
The unanimous finding gave hope that for once this State's decisionmakers would do something unexpected and find the collective courage to confront the hysteria that surrounds any mention of cannabis.
Instead, the O'Farrell government took the politically expedient path. Health Minister Jillian Skinner’s response to the inquiry’s recommendations, tabled in parliament last November, will leave thousands of terminally ill patients with the awful choice of either breaking the law or suffering unnecessary pain and nausea in the last few months of their lives.
Despite the committee targeting those with little time to live, the minister rejected the findings, arguing that cannabis can be a harmful drug with a number of health impacts. She studiously ignored the reality that people who would be eligible for an exemption from prosecution for possessing small amounts of cannabis are dying. Long-term health impacts are irrelevant to those who have only a few months to live. The argument that allowing patients wracked with nausea and pain to access cannabis will somehow glamorise the drug is similarly absurd.
The committee was mindful of so-called leakage issues. It proposed the creation of a register of authorised cannabis patients and carers to address this issue, and actually divert cannabis out of the recreational market. If anything, the committee's recommendations would have reduced the amount of cannabis available for illegal users. The committee did not go down the Californian pathway of cannabis dispensaries as a surrogate for decriminalisation.
While the Greens have long held the view that NSW should follow the example of a growing number of jurisdictions around the world in moving cannabis out of the hands of organised crime, the committee focused on the needs of the dying. The O’Farrell government ignored this focus, proving that they are more concerned about avoiding a minor backlash from anti-cannabis than helping cancer sufferers cope in the last few months of their lives.
The government accepted the Committee's recommendation that products like the sprays and tinctures that have no perceptible psychoactive effects should be treated as normal pharmaceuticals. This aspect of the report was uncontroversial and required no political courage to act on.
End stage cancer patients and those who have moved from HIV infection to Aids have become yet another set of victims of the war on drugs. Rationality takes a back seat when politicians are confronted with the need to stand up to radio shock jocks.
In the absence of any rational or humane response from government, the Greens are giving parliament the opportunity to implement the key recommendation of the Upper House committee.
We are drafting a Bill to amend the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 to add a complete defence to the use and possession of cannabis for authorised medical use by patients with terminal illness and those who have moved from HIV infection to Aids.
The bill will be introduced into the Upper House of the NSW Parliament when it resumes in March this year. All members of the Legislative Council will have the chance to endorse the unanimous findings of their colleagues who carefully and sensitively assessed the evidence brought before the inquiry.
The Greens will continue to advocate for sensible evidence-based drug law reforms. We will work to ensure that people suffering from illnesses such as cancer and Aids are not denied access to vital palliative care such as medicinal cannabis.
Studio33
http://www.amazon.com/shops/studio33
Virgin Atlantic Airways
http://tinyurl.com/pjbm6r6
Luxury French Lingerie
http://tinyurl.com/o7qcz7m
From chocolate eggs to chocolate coins, give your sweet tooth a treat with our delicious products.
http://tinyurl.com/nragc9j
Astore
http://astore.amazon.com/nevinghomebas-20
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