In an historic moment in the Legislative Assembly on Monday afternoon, all members of the parliament backed the government’s amendment to the drugs law to pave the way for the use medicinal cannabis oil. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who is also the health minister, presented the bill on Friday but the debate began this afternoon, and in a show of unity all of the legislators backed the change. There are still hurdles ahead for those suffering from conditions where the oil may help with pain or even offer a cure, as sourcing it could still prove difficult.
After the debate the premier thanked the members for their support for what he said would be an important piece of legislation that could, in the future, benefit a lot of people. The decision by the government to press ahead, however, seemed to be a lot more about hope than any conviction that the drug is as miraculous as many believe.
Answering some concerns raised by members about the wording of the law and how the drug would be imported, the premier acknowledged that this remained a major problem, as the use of cannabis oil is still illegal in many countries. On the international stage it is still a schedule 1 drug, with almost no national government formally accepting that the drug has any medical properties, despite the mounting evidence that it does.
Dennie Warren is one of the people who had directly petitioned the government to legalise the oil for medical use after doing considerable research, as his own wife is suffering stage four lung cancer. He offered his thanks to the members for supporting the first step to getting his wife the treatment she needs.
Warren said he was looking forward to seeing the “look on their faces when the day came when science gives cannabis the credit it deserves”, as it was merely a matter of when and no longer if. But he said the decision in the LA Monday “took courage” and it was a “very important step for the world as it will be of great benefit for many people and I look forward to the final approval of the bill”.
Already aware of the challenges that are ahead to get the oil here, Warren believes that the oil can be imported from Canada. He said he had passed the details to government of a lawyer he has been in discussions with that can assist with the export licence now that the drug’s medical use and importation will be legal here. “So we can move this forward,” he added.
While there are only a few countries at present where medical cannabis oil is permitted, there are indications that it will be legal in many more next year, including neighbouring Jamaica, as well as Germany and Colombia.
The debate in the LA was all about using the product to help those in medical need. Most members of the LA are not yet ready to entertain the legalisation of recreational use, though some are leaning towards the decriminalisation of consumption and personal possession.(CNS)
