 | Press Releases: Medicinal Cannabis Possible Under Existing Laws |
 The Medicines Act and the Misuse of Drugs Act already allow exemptions for medical use, so no law change is actually required in order to allow patients to have legal access to medicinal cannabis.
"United Future's refusal to help seriously ill and dying people does not matter", said Norml spokesperson Chris Fowlie.
"The Medicines Act and the Misuse of Drugs Act both contain exemptions that allow a doctor to prescribe cannabis to a patient. All that is needed is Ministerial approval, not a law change, so not even Peter Dunne's pigheaded attitude can stop it," he said.
"The Government's supply agreement with United Future only prevents the Government introducing legislation to change the law. The Medicines
Act already allows doctors to prescribe any cannabis product approved by an overseas medicines regulatory authority."
Several countries have so-far approved cannabis medicines, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Isreal. Last month the
Netherlands' Bureau of Medicinal Cannabis became the first authority to approve whole smoked cannabis for distribution through pharmacies.
A medical practitioner could procure a supply of cannabis for medical purposes under the Medicines Act (sections 25 and 29), and directly import the cannabis for their patients without the need for cannabis being Gazetted as an approved medicine or the Misuse of Drugs Act being changed.
"All that is required is Ministerial approval for the medical practitioner. Once this is given, the cannabis can be imported and prescribed and the patient may lawfully consume the drug," said Mr Fowlie.
"The Misuse of Drugs Act also allows clinical trials to be approved, but there seems little point in replicating costly and time-consuming clinical trials that have already proved successful overseas."
The health select committee has said it will release its long-awaited inquiry into the legal status of cannabis by the end of next month. Every other government-level inquiry into cannabis laws around the world has recommended law reform.
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