Medicinal cannabis a step closer

The Government should consider allowing doctors to prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes, a parliamentary committee has recommended.

The health select committee has been unable to agree on the legal status of cannabis but says officials should give a review of its classification high priority.

However, it has also recommended that the Government "pursue the possibility of supporting the prescription of clinically tested cannabis products for medicinal purposes".

The long-awaited report on the committee's three-year investigation into the health effects of cannabis was tabled in Parliament today.

The committee's brief in 2000 was to find the most effective strategies to minimise the use of the drug and evaluate the harm it caused.

The committee said in its report that cannabis had been shown to be effective in providing relief for some medical disorders.

However, some on the committee did not want the medicinal use of cannabis to have the potential to be a "back door" to legalisation of the drug.

The committee said the majority of submitters to its inquiry favoured legalisation of cannabis, with 52.3 per cent favouring legalisation and regulation.

Under its agreement with United Future, the Government promised not to introduce legislation changing the legal status of cannabis.

Cannabis resin (hashish) and cannabis oil (hash oil) are classified as Class B1 while cannabis leaf and seed is classified Class C1 under the schedule of controlled drugs.

It recommended the expert advisory committee on drugs give high priority to its reconsideration of the classification of cannabis.

Among other recommendations, the health select committee said people with first offences for possession and use of cannabis should be diverted to compulsory health assessment instead of getting a criminal conviction.

It was concerned young people were not being told clearly enough that they should not use cannabis, particularly given the "severe effects" it might have on their health.

The Government needed to develop policy to reverse the trend for increasing consumption of cannabis by young people, it said.

It recommended further research into the relationship "between cannabis use and both suicide and road accidents".

Green MPs Nandor Tanczos and Sue Kedgley today welcomed the report, saying it presented a compelling case for change.

"In the light of the current concerns around increased use of methamphetamines, the comment in the report that 'prohibition facilitates the black market and exposes cannabis users to harder drugs' should make us all sit up and take notice, " said Mr Tanczos.

Ms Kedgley said the report acknowledged that for the majority of occasional cannabis users there was a low risk of cannabis-related harm.

United Party leader Peter Dunne told NZPA he had not had a chance to read the full report, but was happy with what he knew it contained.

"I'm pleased with the recommendations overall," he said.

- NZPA