Terminally ill patients will now have faster access to medicinal marijuana.
They will also be able to import their own personal supply, thanks to a vote in the Senate where the Greens teamed up with Labor and One Nation.
Not everyone agreed with the decision made yesterday.
Health Minister Greg Hunt called the move “reckless and irresponsible”, saying it would put lives at risk by paving the way for dodgy unregulated products, and also make it easier for criminals to get their hands on drugs. “It is a potential risk not just to health but to lives. It is unfortunately a reckless and irresponsible decision,” Mr Hunt told media.
Read more: Medicinal cannabis ‘supplier’ vows to right on.
Pauline Hanson said she had been misled before the previous vote, when she voted against it last month. This time her One Nation party was for it. “I will not stand in the way of dying patients’ dignity,” she told the Senate.
Read more: New changes announced over medical cannabis supply.
The binding vote means medicinal cannabis will be put on the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Category A list, which gives patients expedited access. It was previously listed as Category B list where approvals can take much longer.
Senator Di Natale says waiting times for the sick and dying will now be reduced to days or even hours, down from weeks or months, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.