Medical cannabis 'needs real law behind it': One Nation MP

[lookinggoodguys]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/medical-cannabis-needs-real-law-behind-it-one-nation-mp-20170214-gucb1y.html

 

One Nation MP Steve Dickson has begun his first week in Parliament representing his new party by proposing steps to make whole cannabis plants available for sick Queenslanders - and subsidised by the government.

The member for Buderim, who has been moved from his place among his former colleagues to a lonely seat in the back row since defecting from the LNP, introduced a private member's bill on Tuesday morning.

Mr Dickson cited medicinal cannabis as his reason for leaving the LNP, but members of his party voiced their doubt.

The Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill passed in 2016, allowing doctors to apply for access to medicinal cannabis for patients.

• But growing whole plants for personal medicinal use remains illegal.  

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Dickson said local production was not yet available for Queenslanders and the "wheels of government are not turning fast enough".

 

"These people have been relying on illegal, black-market options and there is no relief in sight," Mr Dickson said.

He suggested the CSIRO could become involved to ensure products were safe. 

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http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/c/d/p/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gucb1y.png/1487047445309.jpgOne Nation MP Steve Dickson, Independent MP Rob Pyne and councillor Jonathan Sri lead a rally supporting medicinal cannabis outside Queensland Parliament. Photo: Felicity Caldwell

There are no businesses licensed to manufacture medicinal cannabis in Australia, meaning products must be imported.

Mr Dickson said it could take some time for people to receive products from overseas, and an amnesty was required.

His bill asks the health minister to "take steps to ensure whole plant medicinal cannabis is affordable".

It asks the minister to negotiate with the Commonwealth to ensure the "applicable law of the Commonwealth regulating the importation of whole plant medicinal cannabis does not unnecessarily restrict the importation of whole plant medicinal cannabis from particular foreign manufacturers".

It also calls for state or federal governments to subsidise the cost of lawful treatment with whole plant medicinal cannabis imported from overseas. 

Mr Dickson spoke at the Enough is Enough rally, organised by the Australian Cannabis Coalition and held outside Parliament on Tuesday morning, which was also attended by Greens councillor Jonathan Sri. 

"This is a real product that needs real law behind it to allow everybody to use it every day that needs it in this country, without prosecution from the law, without the government knocking on your door late at night," Mr Dickson told the rally.

"That's why I put my job on the line, that's why I've got Senator Hanson pushing the Prime Minister in the federal government as we speak to change the law so that everybody has got the use of whole plant medical cannabis."

Mr Dickson told the small group he was limited in what he could propose in a bill in Queensland.

A supporter yelled out: "Steve Dickson for Premier!" as he finished his speech.

Independent member for Cairns Rob Pyne, who also attended the rally, said he would support Mr Dickson's bill. 

Mr Pyne said dealing with serious illness was expensive and stressful.

"Why should we force people to spend money on pharmaceutical products if you can grow the whole plant organically in your backyard for medicinal use?" Mr Pyne said.

"Police have better things to do than to look over fences of the ill."

Mr Pyne said he also supported an amnesty for anyone charged for purchasing or accessing medicinal cannabis.

"I have previously stated my support for Steve Dickson on this and continue to do so," he said.

The bill has been referred to a parliamentary committee for consideration.

[Sugar]

Awesome! It's good to see the consistent message from the One Nation party regards medicinal cannabis and whole plant availability and pro legalisation.

 

Here's Pauline Hanson and one of her senators speaking with supporters at the medical marijuana rally outside parliament house last week:

 

 

And Here's  Derryn!!! Onya Derryn Hinch, also speaking on behalf of medical cannabis

 

 

 

I loved these signs at the rally:

 

 

Jenny Hallam's rousing speech

 

 

[MongyMan]

Steve Dickson is full of shit. And so is Pauline Hanson. They only have corporate interest on their agenda not the patients. Ask Steve who Adam Benjamin is and what discussions they have had for a start. They need to be put on the shame file not applauded.

 

This is just deceptive vote chasing from them at their worst......

 

Look at the greens if you want to see REAL change to benefit patients and Australian growers. https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/topic/77444-make-it-medicine/

 

MongyMan

[merl1n]

Hey MM,

              Please explain a bit more for us ignorant sods (me included) who have no idea.

[MongyMan]

What do you want to know merl?

 

MongyMan

[merl1n]

Who is Adam Benjamin? What's his association both with One Nation and/or Canna and/or Corporate?

Why the shame file?

Personally I think the whole of Canberra should be in the shame file.

If the average 'Joe' tried 1/2 the shit they (the pollies) get away with we'd be looking at a prison term, but when it's in the name of politics or behind the veil of Canberra, ohh shit, anything goes. So long as it's lining someone's pocket (and they get their cut), limits? what limits. Criminal? Not in Canberra. It's political, not criminal.

[MongyMan]

Who is Adam Benjamin? What's his association both with One Nation and/or Canna and/or Corporate?

Why the shame file?

 

Adam Benjamin is behind a company called Medifarm in Qld. They are the company on the sunshine coast you might remember Pauline was 'promoting' last year for votes. They grow hemp. Their original business plan (that both Pauline and Steve - and others including the H.E.M.P party of all people - supported publicly and led people to believe was about patient access to THC and whole plant medicine) was in reality for MediFarm and similar companies to profit from trials and CBD hemp from their crops under a TGA system by selling it as a regulated medicine which they would be licensed to grow and sell whilst cannabis still remained illegal for patients and everyone else to grow or sell. A corporate dream with none of that 'evil druggie' THC to complicate things Profits before patients.....grrrrrrr

 

It is no coincidence that they are getting away with this BS though, as whilst the rest of the world classes CBD and hemp as a food, Australia is regulating it as a medicine. Australia is the ONLY country on the planet where hemp and CBD are not regulated as a food and they can get away with this crap because here, other than the few genuine compassion groups that exist who have been fighting the BS for real full plant medicine access for the patients, almost every Company here has been pushing for hemp as "Medical Cannabis" and unfortunately most people and the majority of cannabis advocacy groups have been blindly following and supporting them either through nativity in a belief this was about real medical cannabis and the patients or because they also have their own financial vested interests or are chasing Face Book "likes" and self promotion on the back of the publicity people like Steve and Pauline and the H.E.M.P party etc. have generated by publicly promoting these companies agendas as a good thing.

 

Now MediFarm and similar companies are realising their whole CBD/Hemp plan got so regulated by the government that even they can't profit form their hemp farms in Australia as medicine like they thought they would they are talking about now importing cannabis medicines from other companies in countries like Israel and Canada to supply "all patients in need". The fact Israel has no laws allowing this as yet and Canada has strict limits on amounts that can be exported seems irrelevant to them Aaaaaaand again enter Pauline and Steve and the rest to promote the plan under the guise of real medical cannabis again.

 

Don't be fooled. These people DO NOT have the patients interest first.

 

One nation and many others might be in public claiming to be for REAL medical cannabis but it's all BS. They are in bed over their heads with either their own or others corporate interests over patient interests. The money comes first.

 

The greens also started down that same track unfortunately after promising so much after learning about people like Dan Haslam but they seem to have realised now what a mistake they made and that the patients have to come over corporate interests and they are trying to fix the mess Australia is now in with legal access to medical cannabis for the patients. ALL the Greens senators are united and behind Senator Richard Di Natale on this and they are getting growing cross bench support daily. I'm hoping they keep running with this and don't drop the ball again but until they do I'll back them over the One Nation etc BS anyday.

 

Patients need medicine and they need it NOW.

 

MongyMan