New South Wales Premier Bob Carr (Labor Party) is considering legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to a recent Associated Press report. “Carr has said he has a moral obligation to consider legalizing the use of marijuana to relieve the pain of seriously ill people,” AP said.
The announcement comes nearly one year after the release of an Australian Parliamentary study recommending “the introduction in New South Wales of a compassionate regime to assist those suffering from [a] range of illnesses … to gain the benefits associated with the use of cannabis without facing criminal sanctions.”
Also backing the law change is the NSW branch of the American Medical Association, which supports legalizing “the currently prohibited drug in specific medical cases to alleviate patient suffering and facilitate research.”
Presently, possession and cultivation of marijuana for recreational use is a non-criminal (fine-only) offense in several Australian states, including the Australian Capitol Territory (ACT) and South Australia. Possession of marijuana in New South Wales remains punishable by a fine and up to two years in jail.
No Australian state currently has separate laws regulating marijuana for medical purposes.
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8751.
