Victorian Labor leader Daniel Andrews supports push for medical cannabis

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Victorians with life-threatening conditions would be able to access medicinal marijuana without breaking the law if Labor is elected at November's state election.

Labor wants to legalise cannabis oil for the treatment of conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma and Parkinson's Disease.

Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said cannabis should be available for people who needed treatment in exceptional circumstances, but he ruled out legalising marijuana for recreational use.

"In some cases, parents are forced to choose between breaking the law and watching their child suffer," Mr Andrews said.

"Children are in pain, families are suffering, people are living in fear, and outdated laws are getting in the way."

The move follows public campaigns by Victorian families who have successfully treated their chronically ill children when other medicines have not worked.

If elected in November, Labor will seek advice from the Victorian Law Reform Commission on the prescription, manufacture and distribution of medical cannabis.

Labor will not legalise the smoking of marijuana for medical purposes.

Just three weeks ago, a Labor spokesman told The Age that the party had no plans to legalise the medical cannabis. It is understood there has been intense discussions within the party since then about changing their position.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/v...l-cannabis-20140824-107qma.html#ixzz3BJEvxJb4

 

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Fuck, this country is so slow on the uptake. How could anyone argue against such a medicinal herb being used?
So many horrendous pharmaceuticals get approved and scripted liberally (seems like antipsychotics are the latest in this disturbing trend - never mind the side effects of some of them, such as diabetes) yet a herb unrivalled in treating a range of terrible illnesses (and my sleep aid of choice - taken orally - incidentally) and it makes headlines for a politician to speak out in favour of it.
Gee, maybe in 20 years terminally ill patients will legally be allowed to use this benign herb.

States in the US were holding referenda on this topic in the 1990s. California voted in favour of MMJ in '98 iirc.
And don't get me started on the fact that hemp foods are legal worldwide...except for Australia and NZ.
Downright embarrassing and backwards.
Fuck the 'pharmaceutical industrial complex' (is that a term, or did I make it up?). Like practically every other corporate agenda, it has Australia totally under control.
Was told yesterday that the driving force behind the renewed uranium industry push in Australia is the arms industry (told by someone who would know, when I went to see the former Japanese PM speak about his time as leader of Japan when the tsunami hit - and how he is urging Australia to stop exporting uranium to Japan; the Fukushima plant was full of Australian uranium.

That's a bit off topic, but this nation is one of apathetic, gullible citizens and corporate crooks that get away with murder.
Cannabis should never have stopped being used medicinally. It is time we seceded from Uncle Sam's consumer cartel IMO.
Making hemp - in any form - illegal is utterly illogical.
Team Australia, my arse.

 

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This same guy is now calling for mandatory 25 year sentences for anyone caught selling "ice" near a school 8)

 

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Yeah, too right, fucken mr whippy corrupting our kids. Lock 'em up, throw away the key.

I propose we change the name of this nation to Reactionaria.