01:20 EST, 27 May 2014
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01:20 EST, 27 May 2014
Terminally-ill patients in NSW would be free to use cannabis for pain relief but supplying the drug would still be illegal, under laws being proposed by the Greens.
Greens NSW MP John Kaye will soon introduce a bill which would allow people with a terminal illness to apply for a card that would prevent them from being prosecuted for possessing a small quantity of cannabis.
The card would be issued by the Department of Health based on advice from the patient’s treating doctor and would be “tightly monitored”, Dr Kaye said.
He said the measures would mean that thousands of people in NSW would no longer have to make the “terrible choice” between breaking the law and suffering.
“It is time for science and compassion to win out against prejudice and hysteria,” he said in Sydney.
But the bill will not address the issue of supply, he said.
“The Greens recognise that there are limits on what we can do,” Dr Kaye said.
“It is our assessment at this point in time that this is the best we can achieve.”
Last year, a bipartisan parliamentary committee recommended AIDS and terminally-ill patients be allowed to possess and use up to 15 grams of dry cannabis.
The committee also recommended a register of authorised cannabis patients to protect medicinal users against prosecution.
But the NSW government knocked back the proposal, saying the potency and safety of the products, which includes cannabis in plant, resin or liquid form, could not be guaranteed.
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Legalise medicinal cannabis in NSW: Greens
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