MAGISTRATES and police prosecutors are becoming “increasingly uncomfortable” with medical marijuana patients being hauled before the courts, a leading barrister has warned.
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Hobart barrister and drug reform advocate Greg Barns is part of a landslide of support for medical cannabis reform, claiming the nation’s “irrational obsession with prohibition” was turning victims into perpetrators.
Mr Barns will be a keynote speaker at the Australian Symposium on Medical Cannabis, to be held at TRECC on November 22 and 23.
“I have acted for many clients over the years who have been discriminated against by the law simply because of their choice of pain relief,” Mr Barns said.
“People in pain can go to the chemist and buy Panadeine Forte with no problem, yet if they choose to use cannabis to deal with their pain they are hauled before the courts and face a criminal conviction.
“Magistrates and prosecutors are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with having to deal with these people and it’s the overwhelming view of lawyers that the medical use of cannabis for medical purposes should not be a criminal offence.”
He said a regulated medical cannabis market would bring the issue “out of the shadows” and make the drug even safer for patients.
He rejected claims from some politicians legalisation would be a complex process that could take years.
“You don’t need a highly sophisticated regulatory framework to deal with this,” Mr Barns said.
“You just need a simple, fair process to deal with quality control, security and issues around selling it to minors.”
He said he preferred a model where the product was grown by private enterprise, not the government. He also paid tribute to Tamworth mum Lucy Haslam and the wider community for helping put the issue on the national agenda.
“It’s only when you get people pushing the boundaries of the law do you get change,” Mr Barns said.
“We need people like Lucy Haslam if we want a fairer and more compassionate society.
“Having a media outlet like The Leader pushing it so hard helps enormously too.”
He urged the community to attend next weekend’s symposium, saying it would send a resounding message to lawmakers.
“We need to push the message that this isn’t about mythologies or pushing drugs to kids, it’s about a plant that has been around for centuries,” Mr Barns said.
“There’s overwhelming evidence from around the world that this can have a positive medicinal effect.”
