NSW parliamentary inquiry into medical cannabis - due Feb 15

[mjbarratt]

I thought contributors to this part of OZStoners would be very interested in this inquiry. Here is a quote from NSW parliament media release:

 

On 22 November 2012, the NSW Legislative Council referred an Inquiry into the medical use of cannabis to General Purpose Standing Committee No. 4. The Committee, chaired by the Hon Sarah Mitchell MLC of The Nationals, includes representatives of the Australian Labor Party, the Greens and the Liberal Party.

 

The motion to refer the Inquiry to General Purpose Standing Committee No. 4 was put forward by Labor member the Hon Luke Foley MLC, and was agreed to without opposition from Council members.

 

The Committee Chair, Mrs Mitchell said, 'The Committee will be examining the safety and efficacy of cannabis for medical purposes as well as considering if and how cannabis should be supplied for medical use. In addition, the Inquiry will investigate the legal implications of cannabis use for medical purposes, as well as any other related issues.'

 

'There is a diverse collection of views held on this issue by the community, and the Committee wishes to hear from the widest possible range of stakeholders.'

 

Submissions are now being called for by the Committee from interested organisations and individuals. The closing date for submissions in Friday 15 February 2013.

 

The Committee will to hold two Sydney hearings, in March 2013. Detailed information about the dates and times of these hearings will be advertised on the Committee website following the closing date for submissions. The Committee is scheduled to report to the House by 14 May 2013.

 

For further information about the Inquiry, including its terms of reference, and for more on how to make a submission, please visit the Committee's website at: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/gpsc4, or call the Committee Secretariat on (02) 9230 3081

 

Click here to lodge your submission - before 15 Feb 2013!

 

And if you haven't already, you can also complete our anonymous study of Australian cannabis growers. We will be using this information to make an official submission to the inquiry so this is another way you can have your voice heard.

[ichykoo]

Does any one know of a political organisation who is pro mj reform?

[MongyMan]

The hemp party

 

The sex party

 

The greens (sort of)

 

Labour atm as this thread shows

[The Bush Administration]

Don't get your hopes up. There is absolutely no way in the world that politicians in NSW or any other Australian state would legalise, even under the "medicinal" moniker that is in such great circulation now in the states. The only way they would HAVE TO LEGALISE is if there was a referendum. The very sad thing is that if there was a referendum tomorrow it would certainly be a majority YES to legalisation. But how do you get a referendum to happen? The referendum is supposed to be a pillar of democracy but i cant even remember when we had one last time... i know from studying history that there was one in 1969 or something like that... 

 

WE NEED A REEFERENDUM!!!

 

Does anybody know more about the political process than me? What do we have to do to get a referendum to happen? 

Or did they sneak in some new laws when the olympics happened that make it impossible to have referendums any more? 

 

Btw, as for the whole "medicinal" thing, whenever somebody uses cannabis it is having a medicinal effect. Therefore, all use of cannabis is medicinal. It is in greatest need for people who suffer from ailments, but people who wish to medicate preventatively should not be discriminated against in "medicinal" cannabis legalisation.

[louise]

Historically, Australians behave conservatively when it comes to voting on a referendum. Of the 44 questions have been brought to the public in referenda since federation... only 8 gained enough yes votes to be carried. The one you are remembering from "history" is the 'aboriginals question' (the classic "should aboriginals be counted amongst the population?") from the 1967 referendum which carried with a whopping great 90% yes vote.

 

Since then, there were national referenda held during 1973, 74, 77, 84, 88, and 1999.

 

You'll find plenty of information on the process at the AEC http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/referendums/

Edited February 7, 2013 by louise

[The Bush Administration]

Thanks for the link Louise. Yeah so i checked out a bit on the topic, and yeah kinda what i expected, typical of the democracy lite version we are burdened with here in Australia. There is absolutely no way that members of the public can band together and get a referendum, or plebiscite as they are also know, to happen. Unlike other democratic countries such as the USA where their system allows citizens to petition for a referendum to happen, in Australia we have no such right.

Therefore, there is absolutely no chance whatsoever of even one Australian state legalising, let alone the domino effect they are having in the states, through a referendum/plebiscite unless elected members of parliament decide to have one. This knowledge has now somewhat dampened my enthusiasm on the prospect of legalisation through referendum, like what has been going on in the states.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this review thing they are doing, but somehow i dont think that any of the elected members are going to suggest we have a plebiscite in nsw as a result of this review.

[The Stoned Jester]

bout time lets hope something actually happens

[Naycha]

bout time lets hope something actually happens

 

I hope people are writing their own submissions rather than relying on enough other people writing submissions (not aimed at you Jester). Without a lot of public support I don't expect much positive to happen.

 

Naycha

[mjbarratt]

We have submitted ours. As those of you who have submitted would be aware, the inquiry forbids people from publishing their submissions. Not my preferred option but we will be complying. Hopefully they will publish it soon after submissions close so we can show it to you.

 

In the end we went with a brief submission and an invitation to expand on our research in person in March.

[Oz]

Not sure if it's been said already but I was talking to someone who was under the impression you have to be a user of medical cannabis to make a submission. This is not the case at all as submissions are open to everyone. A submission can be anything from an essay with facts and references or simply a few paragraphs with your personal opinions on why you think cannabis should be available for medical use.

[The Stoned Jester]

yeah i made a submission about 400 words or so - just about me and why i need / use cannabis medically / recreational also the usual eye opening points and facts.