By Jon Hiltz
A member of Parliament for the Australian Government has introduced a bill for Aussies to grow their own medicinal cannabis.
Steve Dickson recently joined the One Nation Party after leaving his former colleagues at the Liberal National Party of Australia (LNP). In his first week on the job under his new party banner, Dickson called for whole plant cannabis cultivation to be allowed for patients with a valid prescription.
According to Dickson, he left the LNP over the medicinal cannabis issue and went on record stating that “the wheels of the government are not turning fast enough.”
Australia has a medical marijuana plan that allows doctors to apply for access, but no domestic Australian crops are currently available. The MP believes it’s time for patients to be allowed to cultivate their own medicine.
Speaking to Parliament on Tuesday, Dickson said that potential cannabis patients “have been relying on illegal, black-market options and there is no relief in sight.”
Currently, there are no licensed producers to manufacture medical marijuana; cannabis products in Australia are being imported from Canada. The Member of Parliament cited that it could take some time for people to receive their medicine from overseas, which is why he called on Australia’s health minister to “take steps to ensure whole plant medicinal cannabis is affordable.”
On the same day he spoke in Parliament, the MP attended a rally arranged by the Australian Cannabis Coalition. At the event, Dickson said “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.”
Another elected official attending the rally, Independent MP Rob Pyne went on record as saying that he would support the bill. “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,” Pyne stated.
The bill has been presented to a parliamentary committee for consideration with the hope that patients will be allowed to cultivate their own cannabis in the future.
