Plans to legally grow and distribute medicinal marijuana in NSW
Growing marijuana for medicinal use is on the cards for the near future in NSW.
IT’S currently all but illegal to grow medicinal cannabis in NSW but it’s a situation that’s almost certain to change in the near future.
In the last year, the state and federal governments have both made significant moves towards making medicinal cannabis more accessible after recognising the benefits it has for people suffering from serious illnesses.
The point of the changed approach is to ensure people who suffer from debilitating medical conditions have access to safe and legal medicinal cannabis.
The NSW government has established three clinical trials to look into the effects of medicinal cannabis.
One is examining the effects of cannabis in reducing the suffering of terminally ill people, another is looking a its effects on children with drug-resistant epilepsy, while a third will study the impact it has on people suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy.
The experts on the trials will then inform the government of their findings.
The state government has issued guidance to the NSW police not to charge people with a terminal illness if they are registered with the Terminal Illness Cannabis Scheme and are in possession of under a certain amount of cannabis in leaf, oil or resin form.
Meanwhile, the federal government has announced a plan to introduce a licensing scheme to allow cultivation of cannabis for medical or scientific purposes.
If passed, cannabis cultivated in Australia, under strict regulations, will be used to manufacture products in accordance with the Therapeutic Goods Act, according to a government fact sheet.
There are already rules in place that allow the manufacturing of cannabis in certain forms.
The government moves were prompted after The Sunday Telegraph revealed the suffering of cancer patient, Dan Haslam, who convinced Premier Mike Baird to act.
Recreational use of cannabis will still be illegal.
