 | NORML News: Medical marijuana moves forward |
 The push to legalise medicinal marijuana in New Zealand has gained momentum in recent months and now a group of experts is planning the next step reports NORML News Winter 2004.
Parliament's health select committee recommended last year that the government consider making cannabis-based medicines available to suffering patients. However, no consensus exists concerning how best to proceed in thisdirection.
The Drug Policy Forum Trust, an independent group of doctors and other professionals encouraging more evidence-based policies on currently illicit drugs, recently invited expertsfrom The Netherlands, Canada, and the United States to describe government-sanctioned medical-cannabis programmes in these countries and explore the potential relevance and applicability of this experience to New Zealand.
The experts included Willem Scholten, Head, Office of Medicinal Cannabis, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, Corral, Wo/men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana; and Peer Neeleman, Head, Pain Center, Department of Anesthesia, University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Presentations were held in Wellington and meetings arranged with health ministry and parliamentary advisors. Having surveyed the scene, they then retreated to the splendid isolation of Kaikoura to come up with a plan.
Greg Soar of the medicinal cannabis patient's support group Green Cross, was there and told Norml News that the way forward is through grass roots activism. "We need to help ourselves because we're not going to see any movement in a political sense. How long are we expected to wait?"
Green Cross needs more members, and Greg reminds patients they should join before getting busted, not after. No members have ever been busted. Greg would also like growers to donate a portion of their crops to Green Cross so they can distribute it to those in need.on the web:
www.drugpolicy.org.nz
Pictures: The Netherlands; HilaryBlack, Director of theBritish ColumbiaCompassion ClubSociety; Robin O'Brien,medical marijuanaconsultant to HealthCanada; Valerie and Mike
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