Submission

No 58






INQUIRY INTO USE OF CANNABIS FOR MEDICAL
PURPOSES


Organisation: NSW Council for Civil Liberties
Date received: 15/02/2013



The inquiry should only consider the health impacts relating to the medical use of cannabis and not
any wider impacts. To consider a wider range of issues may deny patients the potential benefits of the
use of cannabis.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties considers that drug use should be addressed as a health issue,
not a legal issue.
The use of cannabis for medical purposes should be decriminalised to allow its use if medically-
qualified people consider that it has health benefits.
The Committee should recommend that a trial of medical cannabis be commenced as soon as
practicable.
NSW Council for Civil Liberties Inc.

Postal address: PO BOX A1386 SYDNEY SOUTH NSW 1235
Office address: suite 203, 105 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000
Phone: 02 8090 2952 Fax: 02 8580 4633
Email: office@nswccl.org.au Website: www.nswccl.org.au


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ccl ls commltteJ to ptotectloq ooJ ptomotloq clvll llbettles ooJ bomoo tlqbts lo Aosttollo.
ccl ls o Noo-Covetomeot Otqoolsotloo lo 5peclol coosoltotlve 5totos wltb tbe cooomlc ooJ 5oclol
cooocll of tbe uolteJ Notloos, by tesolotloo 2006/221 (21 Ioly 2006). ccl wos estobllsbeJ lo 196J
ooJ ls ooe of Aosttollos leoJloq bomoo tlqbts ooJ clvll llbettles otqoolsotloos. Oot olm ls to secote
tbe epool tlqbts of evetyooe lo Aosttollo ooJ oppose ooy obose ot excesslve powet by tbe 5tote
oqolost lts people.

We Lhank Lhe Ceneral urpose SLandlng CommlLLee no. 4 for Lhe opporLunlLy Lo conLrlbuLe Lo Lhls
lnqulry.
1he 1erms of 8eference for Lhls lnqulry lnclude Lhe followlng.
1. 1haL Ceneral urpose SLandlng CommlLLee no. 4 lnqulre lnLo and reporL on Lhe use of
cannabls for medlcal purposes, and ln parLlcular:
(a) Lhe efflcacy and safeLy of cannabls for medlcal purposes,
(b) lf and how cannabls should be supplled for medlcal use,
(c) legal lmpllcaLlons and lssues concernlng Lhe use of cannabls for medlcal purposes, and
(d) any oLher relaLed maLLers.
1he nSW Councll for Clvll LlberLles (nSW CCL) campalgns for evldence-based drug pollcy. ln lLs 2012
submlsslon Lo Lhe nSW LeglslaLlve Councll Legal CommlLLee lnqulry lnLo law reform lssues regardlng
synLheLlc drugs, Lhe nSW CCL sLaLed:
'8ecognlslng Lhe fallure of prohlblLlon, Lhe CCL malnLalns LhaL Lhere should be a
comprehenslve revlew Lo ldenLlfy whlch laws lmpacL adversely on publlc healLh and requlre
amendmenL, and should explore and seek Lo lmplemenL workable alLernaLlves Lo currenL
pollcles. 1he Legal CommlLLee ls urged Lo recommend such a revlew.
Parm reducLlon should be Lhe sLandard agalnsL whlch we measure Lhe success or fallure of
drug laws and proposals for change.
urug addlcLlon and Lhe use of dangerous drugs should be addressed as a healLh lssue, noL as
a legal one.
We should look Lo regulaLe Lhe sale and use of drugs whlch are now banned, as we regulaLe
Lhe sale and use of Lobacco and alcohol.
rlson should noL be a senLenclng opLlon for use or possesslon. 1he offences of Lhe use of
an llllclL drug and Lhe possesslon of a small quanLlLy for personal use should be abollshed.
1he experlence of oLher counLrles, especlally orLugal, ln whlch an approach oLher Lhan
bannlng Lhe manufacLure, sale, possesslon and use of drugs ls used, should be carefully
sLudled. ollcles on drugs should be based on research evldence.'
1he nSW CCL reafflrms Lhls sLance, and conslders LhaL Lhe use of cannabls should be decrlmlnallsed
and regulaLed. ln llne wlLh Lhls vlew, Lhe use of cannabls for medlcal purposes should be
decrlmlnallsed and sub[ecL Lo Lhe same regulaLory reglme as Lhe use of any oLher subsLance for
medlcal purposes.
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We undersLand LhaL cannabls has been used for Lhousands of years for medlcal purposes and may
be used for medlcal purposes ln a number of [urlsdlcLlons ouLslde AusLralla. As aL 2006, Lhese
lncluded Lhe u.k., uenmark, Lhe Czech 8epubllc, AusLrla, Sweden, Cermany, Spaln, Canada, lLaly and
new Zealand. As of now, Lhey lnclude aL leasL 17 of Lhe sLaLes and Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla ln Lhe
unlLed SLaLes.
A number of lnqulrles over Lhe lasL Lwo decades have examlned Lhe use of cannabls for medlcal
purposes. ln nSW, Lhe 2000 kepott of tbe wotkloq lotty oo tbe use of coooobls fot MeJlcol
lotposes by Lhe unSW naLlonal urug and Alcohol 8esearch CenLre examlned Lhe maLLers LhaL form
Lhe sub[ecL of Lhls lnqulry. 1he nSW arllamenLary Llbrary 8esearch Servlce produced a research
reporL ln 2004 enLlLled MeJlcol coooobls ltoqtoms. A kevlew of 5electeJ IotlsJlctloos. 1he currenL
lnqulry should conslder Lhese and more recenL resources.
ln 2003 Lhe nSW CovernmenL proposed a four year Lrlal of medlcal cannabls. 1hls Lrlal has noL yeL
commenced and we sLrongly urge Lhe CommlLLee Lo recommend such a Lrlal sLarL as soon as
pracLlcable.
1he commlLLee should examlne Lhe poLenLlal use of cannabls for medlcal purposes purely as a
funcLlon of lLs medlclnal quallLles and noL ln relaLlon Lo wlder soclal, economlc, or crlmlnal grounds.
1he use of Lhese 'wlder' grounds may provlde a convenlenL way Lo deny people any beneflLs of Lhe
use of cannabls. We undersLand LhaL sLudles lndlcaLe LhaL whlle Lhere are some beneflLs from uslng
cannabls for medlcal purposes, Lhere are also harmful consequences assoclaLed wlLh long-Lerm and
lnapproprlaLe use.
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As menLloned above, we conslder LhaL cannabls should be able Lo be used for medlcal purposes.
needless Lo say, lf lL ls Lo be supplled for medlcal use, lL should be supplled ln a way LhaL ls safe for
paLlenLs - whlch mlghL have lmpllcaLlons for Lhe mode of dellvery.
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1here are a number of poLenLlal legal lmpllcaLlons and lssues regardlng Lhe use of cannabls for
medlcal purposes. CurrenLly:
Lhe possesslon and use of cannabls, cannabls resln or hash oll may resulL ln a flne of up Lo
$2,200 and/or communlLy servlce or a 2 year [all Lerm,
growlng, lmporLlng or seellng cannabls can resulL ln hlgher penalLles, and
pollce can lssue a cauLlon Lo adulLs ln possesslon of up Lo 13g of cannabls leaf.

lf cannabls was permlLLed Lo be used for medlcal purposes, Lhe producLlon, supply (along Lhe enLlre
supply chaln) and use of lL for approprlaLe medlcal purposes should noL aLLracL penalLles. Whlle we
advocaLe LhaL lLs non-medlcal use should be decrlmlnallsed, lf Lhe non-medlcal use of cannabls was
Lo conLlnue Lo aLLracL penalLles, a regulaLory reglme may need Lo be developed Lo regulaLe lLs
medlcal use.
Cur lnlLlal vlew ls LhaL such a regulaLory reglme may have complexlLles, poLenLlally requlrlng sLrlcL
governmenL regulaLlon surroundlng Lhe growlng of and supply of cannabls for medlcal purposes.
1here are a range of regulaLory reglmes ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes surroundlng Lhe medlcal use of
cannabls and lL mlghL be useful for Lhe commlLLee Lo conslder Lhese and oLher reglmes.
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1he lnqulry should only Lake lnLo accounL Lhe healLh lmpacLs of Lhe medlcal use of cannabls and noL
any wlder lmpacLs. 1o conslder a wlder range of lssues may deny paLlenLs Lhe poLenLlal beneflLs of
lLs use. 1he use of cannabls for medlcal purposes should be decrlmlnallsed Lo allow lLs use lf
medlcally-quallfled people conslder LhaL lL has healLh beneflLs.

ur Sacha 8lumen
Co-convenor, ollce owers and Clvll 8lghLs Sub-commlLLee