Terminally Ill Get Faster Access to Medicinal Cannabis After Senate Vote

Following a vote in the Australian Senate on Tuesday, June 13, terminally ill patients will be able to import a three month supply of medicinal cannabis as part of their treatment.

The motion to overturn a government regulation was put forward by Greens leader Richard di Natale, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

This was the second attempt by the Greens to get the motion through the Senate, according to the ABC.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie was able to cast her vote in support of the motion, unlike in the first bid on May 11.

“I do not believe this disallowance will open the flood gates, I reckon that’s rubbish,” Lambie told the Senate. “I think that all it will do is help make the last few months in the lives of some very sick people a little more bearable for them. I wish it could go further; I wish veterans who are suffering from PTSD could access medicinal cannabis if their doctors think it would help them.”

The move was criticised by federal health minister Greg Hunt, who said it would diminish protections on the quality of medicinal cannabis, the Herald reported. Credit: Jacqui Lambie via Storyful