SYDNEY: Reforms to allow the medical use of cannabis by patients with terminal illness and AIDS have been recommended by a New South Wales (NSW) Parliamentary committee.
The recommendation, if adopted by the NSW government, allows patients with certified medical conditions to possess and use up to 15 grams of dry cannabis, Xinhua news agency reported.
The committee said yesterday it is preferable for patients to receive the benefits of the drug through pharmaceuticals “which are standardised and highly regulated by the Commonwealth Government,” said Committee chair Sarah Mitchell.
“We recognise the risks and negative effects of crude cannabis use particularly via smoking.
“The Committee considers that on the basis of the available evidence, providing for a very small and specific group of patients to use crude cannabis products for medical purposes is both appropriate and compassionate,” she said.
The recommendation is the result of an inquiry by a NSW legislative council committee formed last November to look at the efficacy and safety of cannabis for medical purposes.
The committee found there is scientific evidence to support the value of cannabis in the treatment of certain medical conditions — particularly a number of painful illnesses that do not respond to existing medications.
The committee also recommends that patients and carers be registered with the NSW Ministry of Health, and protected from arrest and prosecution.
“People who are at the end of their life and take measures to either relieve their severe pain or stimulate their appetite should not be criminalised,” Mitchell said. — Bernama