IN THIS game of political dominoes, the push to legalise medical marijuana for the dying now has irresistible momentum.
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The Victorian Opposition’s announcement on Sunday that it would allow sufferers of a range of life-threatening conditions to freely use cannabis oil marks the most promising development yet in the four-month campaign.
And Opposition leader Daniel Andrews, a $1.24 favourite to topple premier Denis Napthine in November’s election, didn’t need to bother with polling to arrive at his decision.
Because the push to decriminalise grass for the terminally ill has remarkable grassroots backing.
Successive polls by The Northern Daily Leader, Daily Telegraph and Channel 7’s Sunday Night program have all shown more than 95 per cent support for a medical marijuana policy.
A petition launched by Tamworth’s Haslam family has almost 200,000 signatures and a public call to establish a campaign fighting fund last month sparked an avalanche of donations.
Even more impressive is the diversity of those championing the cause.
It has emerged as an issue that transcends politics, with supporters young and old and from the left and right of politics.
The mere fact Tamworth – a regional city with a staunch conservative history – is backing such a “progressive” campaign shows just how deeply it resonates on a human level.
The reason for such bipartisan support is simple.
Australians might be notoriously disengaged in the political process, but they understand the value of a fair go.
And regardless of your political bent, there is nothing fair about unnecessary human suffering.
There’s nothing fair about a child being denied a potentially life-saving medicine or a proud older person being robbed of their dignity on their deathbed.
In a few weeks, Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson will table a private member’s bill allowing his parliamentary colleagues to legislate medical cannabis for the terminally ill.
If those MPs truly represent their constituents, there is only one course of action available – to support it.