But Tamworth medical cannabis crusader Lucy Haslam, who spearheaded the fight on behalf of her terminally-ill son Dan, says the situation is getting worse for patients.

She has come out swinging at the federal government for setting up a system that’s “made to fail” ahead of the two-year anniversary since her son lost his battle and one year since the bill was passed. 

Mrs Haslam is a courageous woman who has poured countless hours and energy into fighting for a cause so close to her heart. 

It has been a campaign The Leader has supported and driven over the years.

Few people could understand how valuable medical cannabis is to terminally-ill patients as much as Mrs Haslam. 

She has seen first hand what benefits and relief it can bring to those in their dying hours.

Mrs Haslam says the current pathway through the Special Access Scheme can leave patients waiting for up to a year-and-a-half. 

It is simply not good enough. 

Even worse, when patients are lucky enough to be afforded access to the medicine, they are only issued with a three-month supply.

So difficult is it to secure medical cannabis through legal channels that desperate users and their families are forced to turn to the black market. 

It seems the bill has done little but back people into a corner.

There are only 23 authorised prescribers in the entire country – little wonder people are turning to other channels.

As Mrs Haslam puts it, “there’s bugger-all hope for families who want to access it legally”.

If people are turning to the black market, what purpose does the bill serve? 

“The whole reason for putting a scheme into place, was to get people away from the black market, get them to a safer supply and they’ve put so many barricades in front of people to actually get there,” Mrs Haslam told The Leader.

The good thing is, there still is many moving parts to the debate, as Mrs Haslam continues to lobby state and national politicians.

Now is not the time for them to sit on their hands. We hope that they listen and act.