Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2016
Source: Southland Times (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2016 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
Contact:  http://www.southlandtimes.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1041

PETITION SEEKS REFORM FOR MEDICINAL CANNABIS

Medicinal cannabis campaigner Rose Renton has started a new petition 
calling on the Government to make cannabis-based medications 
available in New Zealand without delay.

The petition, which was launched yesterday, urges "reform of the law 
to allow access to quality, affordable cannabis for medical use" and 
says current efforts to regulate access to pharmaceutical-grade 
cannabis products are "too strict, too slow and too expensive".

Renton hoped the petition would draw between 50,000 and 100,000 
signatories and more discussion in mainstream media.

She believed a March 16 change to guidelines on medicinal cannabis on 
the Ministry of Health website indicated a move towards stricter 
approval criteria for products other than Sativex, currently the only 
variety approved for prescription in New Zealand.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said changes on the website 
were merely grammatical, or to redirect searches for "marijuana" to 
medicinal cannabis information.

But Renton said she saw "a tightening of restrictions".

"We have been having this conversation for over a year but only last 
week the minister of health set an impossible criteria."

Renton said Dunne's indication in March that New Zealand would likely 
follow Australia's lead on medicinal cannabis trials and legislation 
would take years too long.

Renton, whose son Alex was the first New Zealander to be treated with 
medical cannabidoil oil Elixinol, said Sativex has a higher THC 
content than some other medicinal cannabis products, making it 
unsuitable for many conditions and lifestyles.

"We have very limited options in palliative care and the conditions 
that cannabis is known to support, heal and nurture are very clear 
worldwide. I think New Zealanders are feeling very unheard. We are 
asking for quality of care and access to medicinal cannabis. I don't 
think we have two years to wait."

She hoped news that prominent Kiwis broadcaster Paul Holmes, cricket 
star Martin Crowe and trade unions president Helen Kelly had used 
medicinal cannabis would "enable other ordinary New Zealanders to 
stand up and not be afraid".

"These are people that are dying, and that's a scary position because 
I don't want to break the law but I remember what it was like with 
Alex and I want them to be proactive in their own healing.

"Every time something comes up about medicinal cannabis, it has 
Alex's name on it so it would be lovely to give his memory a voice. 
He was against prohibition and he would be horrified that the 
criteria had become so difficult."

Renton said discussions around medicinal cannabis needed to take 
"unprecedented" public support for legalisation into account.

"The only way to get what we wanted for Alex was to go public. We had 
a lot of pressure on us to play by the rules and in the end we didn't 
but we have managed to start a national conversation."

FAIRFAX NZ
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