 | NORML News: Why Home Grown Medicinal Cannabis? |
 NORML NEWS SUMMER 2008. BY METIRIA TUREI, GREEN MP.
Our medicinal cannabis
bill has come under some
criticism because it proposes
that patients registered as
medicinal users should be
able to grow cannabis for their
own medical use. This part of
the bill is used by those who
argue that the bill is simply a
mechanism for recreational
users to access cannabis.
What they fail to acknowledge
is that cannabis is extremely
expensive to purchase in any
form, whether for recreational
purposes or more importantly,
for medicinal purposes.
While great emphasis is
put on the pharmaceutical
options I understand that
Sativex could cost at least
$300 per week for a low level
use. Unsubsidised this is a
completely prohibitive cost
that 90% of medical users
simply could not entertain. Many patients have chronic
illnesses that have left them
dependent on the sickness
benefit or only able to work
part time or sporadically. Many have very expensive
additional medical needs
such as specialist equipment,
other medications, transport
to medical services or
home alterations. Some of
these costs are covered by
the Ministry of Health but
certainly not all of them. And in any event, such a
person on a very low income
would struggle for the basics
regardless.
The other important reason
for a grow your own model is
that the international research
shows that it is the extracts
from the whole plant that
have the highest level of
effectiveness for pain and
symptom relief. All other
forms of pharmaceuticals that
isolate compounds for specific
or targeted use have been
found to be either ineffective
or cause wildly fluctuating
side effects that render it unuseable. There is simply no
point in that.
Our inclusion of a grow
your own model in the bill
is a mechanism to enable
patients to access their
preferred therapy that is
truly effective. With the
other safeguards in the bill,
particularly registration with
the police and the Ministry of
Health, most of the other risks
that arise out of a grow your
own model can be mitigated.
But there is simply no point
allowing for legal use of the
therapy if we cannot also
make sure that it is accessible
to all those who so desperately
need it.
Background info on the Green's Medicinal Cannabis Bill
The Greens’ Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal
Cannabis) Bill will legalise the medicinal
use of cannabis for patients who have the
approval of their doctor.
The bill would cover
any condition “where
the use of cannabis
may alleviate the
pain and suffering
associated with that
condition or the
treatment of that
condition”. Patients
would register with
the Ministry of Health
and be able to use
and grow their own
medicinal cannabis.
If they are unable to
grow their own, they
could nominate a friend
or caregiver to do it
for them. Seeds would
be supplied by the
Police from confiscated
stocks.
Doctor’s Survey
A survey of 500 New
Zealand doctors by the
Green Party in 2003
revealed that the more
knowledge a doctor
holds, the more likely
they are to support
the use of medicinal
cannabis.
> One in five doctors
had patients already
using cannabis
medicinally;
> 47 per cent had
patients who had
discussed the option
of using cannabis;
> 32 per cent would
consider prescribing
legal medicinal
cannabis products.
 For more info see the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill
 Share your experiences in the Medical Marijuana Forum
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