Australia: Senate Passes The Greens’ Medical Cannabis Bill

For months, we’ve been fighting the Liberals over their cruel denial of access to medical cannabis for terminally ill patients. I’m so pleased to tell you that, this morning, the Senate has passed the Greens’ Bill.

This bill secures timely access to medicinal cannabis for the people who need it most, and creates a level playing field for the emerging medicinal cannabis industry. Getting it through the Senate is a huge win!

To bring these changes into law, we now need to convince just one or two MPs in the House of Representatives to join with us and vote for relief for dying patients. Share now to celebrate this win and send a message to Malcolm Turnbull: let’s make this medicine!

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By blocking access to terminally ill patients (many of them children), the government has been deliberately defying the will of the Senate. That’s why I’m delighted to see my Senate colleagues support the Greens and vote for what is right.

As a doctor, I have seen people all over Australia suffering and in awful pain. It’s truly harrowing. For the most vulnerable patients, speedy access to medicinal cannabis is the difference between being able to eat or wasting away. This Bill will ensure that medicinal cannabis is available under Category A of the Special Access Scheme — so whether it is imported or produced here in Australia, those in need will have quick access.

Very little reporting on the subject. Luckily SBS bothered to cover it.

The Turnbull government has “blood on its hands” for not making it easier for terminally-ill patients to access medicinal cannabis, parliament has been told.

“They are responsible for terrible unnecessary suffering and very likely a number of premature deaths,” Liberal Democrats senator Senator Leyonhjelm during debate on a private bill that aims to make medicinal cannabis importation simpler.

The changes would give terminally-ill patients quicker, easier access to doctor-prescribed medicinal cannabis by allowing access under the Therapeutic Goods Administration category A list.

Access is now available under category B, which senator David Leyonhjelm, who also supports legalising recreational marijuana, says is slowed down by bureaucratic process.

“The government and its Health Department officials have blood on their hands,” he told parliament on Thursday.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who proposed the bill, urged government MPs to cross the floor in the lower house to pass the changes.

“It is simple cruelty from this government,” he said.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/10/19/medicinal-cannabis-bill-passes-senate

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