12 Dec 2018

Medicinal cannabis users call for growing at home

From Morning Report, 8:10 am on 12 December 2018

The Health Minister David Clark has hailed the government's medicinal cannabis bill as the most progressive legislation of its type ever passed in Parliament. But National is calling it "decriminalisation by stealth". The bill passed its final reading in parliament last night and will soon become law. It allows for medicinal cannabis products to be made by New Zealand companies for the local and international market, with the regulations, licensing rules and quality standards to be set by the end of next year. In the meantime, people in palliative care will be able to use cannabis without fear of prosecution. Guyon Espiner talks to two people who use medicinal cannabis: Sonia Howes has a terminal cancer diagnosis, and Pearl Schomburg suffers from chronic pain.