Labour to review medicinal cannabis laws

NZ Herald 5 April 2016
Family First Comment: NZ’ers need to be aware of the smoke-screen of ‘medicinal marijuana’. The strategy of groups who want dope legalised is to promote medicinal marijuana which simply manipulates society’s compassion for people with serious pain and health concerns. But marijuana will then be diverted from medical programs to ‘recreational’ purposes.
Note however that Family First IS supporting further quality research into the components of the marijuana plant for delivery via non-smoked forms and responding to individuals with serious medical conditions where traditional methods have failed.

Labour leader Andrew Little says his party wants to make it easier to access medicinal cannabis.
The Labour caucus is now debating the issue and will come up with a formal position in the next few weeks, Mr Little told reporters at Parliament this morning.
“We are aware that this is an issue and there is a willingness to look at our current policy and see whether it meets current scientific understanding,” he said.
The Labour leader would not say whether the party wanted decriminalisation of marijuana use for medical purposes. But he said that the process for applying for medicinal cannabis products needed to be simpler.
“It’s about accepting there is enough medical evidence around now that under proper or appropriate supervision from a GP or specialist that this isn’t a form of treatment that ought to go through a series of hoops to get a ministerial sign-off.”
The party currently has no formal position on recreational or medicinal use of cannabis.
Labour’s review of its position comes as Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne approved an application for a cannabis-based product for just the second time – for a patient with severe Tourette’s Syndrome.
READ MORE: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11617227
Call for Caution On Medicinal Marijuana Laws
Media Release Oct 13 2015
Family First NZ is calling for politicians to reject knee-jerk law changes to medicinal marijuana, and wants them to comprehend the concerns around the real agenda behind liberalising drug laws and also the abuse of medicinal marijuana. However, Family First is supporting further quality research into the components of the marijuana plant for delivery via non-smoked forms and responding to individuals with serious medical conditions where traditional methods have failed.
“NZ’ers need to be aware of the smoke-screen of ‘medicinal marijuana’. The strategy of groups who want dope legalised is to promote medicinal marijuana which simply manipulates society’s compassion for people with serious pain and health concerns. But marijuana will then be diverted from medical programs to ‘recreational’ purposes,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director.
https://www.familyfirst.org.nz/2015/10/call-for-caution-on-medicinal-marijuana-laws/