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New Zealand: National cannabis bill would not allow any smoking Henry Cooke Stuff.co.uk Wednesday 25 Jul 2018 It goes further than the Government bill in setting up a regulatory regime but is more harsh on the method of consumption that most people envision - smoking. It would make medicinal cannabis products a pharmacist-only medicine which could be quasi-prescribed by doctors, who would authorise a photo ID medicinal cannabis card that would then allow patients to buy cannabis products from pharmacists. This means doctors would not need to prescribe the cannabis over and over again. This would contrast with the Government bill, which provides a legal defence for cannabis possession and consumption for those with terminal conditions, but does not provide a legal path to selling or obtaining it. Some medicinal cannabis products are already available but are prohibitively expensive. National's bill, in the name of MP Shane Reti, would allow for "fast track" MedSafe consenting of new cannabis products and domestic production to attempt to offset this. All loose-leaf and edible cannabis products would remain illegal but pills and liquids would be allowed. The bill would need to be pulled from the lucky-draw ballot and attract the support of at least one of the Government-coalition parties to pass. It's likely that the Greens are the main target for National to pull support from, as the party has a long-standing policy to introduce medicinal cannabis. NZ First could also be a target however. A spokeswoman for the Green Party said National had not reached out to discuss the bill yet. National leader Simon Bridges said the bill would support greater access to "high quality medicinal cannabis" to ease suffering. "Unlike the Government, National has put a huge amount of thinking and research into this," Bridges said. "Over the past few months the National caucus has been considering the issue of medicinal cannabis while our Health Caucus committee members have been hearing submissions on the Government's own, limited, medicinal cannabis bill." "New Zealanders deserve greater access to high quality medicinal cannabis products to ease their suffering but we must have the right regulatory and legislative controls in place." Health Minister David Clark said when introducing the bill that it was as far as all three Government parties could agree on – indicating NZ First were holding them back from more comprehensive reform. It's unclear whether National's bill will apply to those with just terminal illnesses or would also cover people with other serious illnesses. National whipped its MPs to vote down a members' bill by Green MP Chloe Swarbrick earlier in 2018, which some of their more liberal MPs had expressed support for. Her bill, which also went further than the Government's, would have allowed the sick to grow their own cannabis. Swarbrick said she was "stoked the Nats have come around to understanding the need for more comprehensive and sensible cannabis legislation, but I'm gutted they have wasted time and public money by voting against my bill which would've open the scope just six months ago." She did not rule out supporting the bill, but said it was "unfortunate" that National were tabling their own bill instead of working with the Select Committee process. She said her party had requested to see the bill as soon as she found about it in the media, but had not been sent it. "A prescription-based model is exactly what we proposed in our bill, and it was voted down." "It's better late then never, but I urge the Nats to put the political football in the bin and progress crucial change, because people are presently in unnecessary pain and suffering under a status quo demonstrably unfit for purpose." Health select committee chair Louisa Wall - who released the select committee report on the government bill today - said National were subverting the usual Parliamentary process. She noted National had kept their work on the bill secret from the select committee, who had accepted all of the recommended changes from its National members. Asked why his party had not moved on the issue during their nine years in Government, Bridges said it was an issue "whose time had come" - and noted the fact that he was a new leader. "We do have a new leader in me - who is listening. I've went out and about and I've heard people," Bridges said. "New Zealand is in quite a different space on this." Several polls suggest the New Zealand public are overwhelmingly supportive of cannabis legalisation for medicinal use. A July 2018 poll from the NZ Drug Foundation found 87 per cent of Kiwis support legalised or decriminalised cannabis for pain relief. The Green Party secured a referendum on personal cannabis use during coalition negotiations. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105735521/national-put-up-new-medicinal-cannabis-bill
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