TANCZOS SUPPORTS WAIMATE WOMAN

Green MP Nandor Tanczos spoke out yesterday in support of the 68-year-old
Waimate woman sentenced to community work after she grew cannabis to assist
with pain relief for her husband's medical condition. The MP called on
supporters of medicinal cannabis to make their voices heard in support of
Dawn Willis. She was sentenced to community work for cultivating and
possession of cannabis, after being discovered with 80 plants and a variety
of baked goods containing cannabis butter which she prepared for her
husband who is a stroke victim.

Mrs Willis is her husband's full time caregiver, and said the cannabis
assisted her husband with pain relief. Her cannabis growing operation could
only be described as naive, but was clearly in her husband's best interests.

Her husband has recently been admitted to hospital as his condition has
deteriorated. She declined to speak to the Herald further until her husband
had been informed of the situation.

Mr Tanczos said the Green Party strongly believed cannabis should be
available for people that need it for medicinal reasons. A Private Members
Bill to this effect was before Parliament.

The Bill suggests people who want to use the drug to assist with pain
relief or with a medical condition should be able to apply with the support
of their doctor. If approved, they would be given a card which could be
used as a defence in court.

He said studies had found cannabis provided one of the best forms of relief
for those suffering from nausea and as an anti-spasmodic drug. People
undergoing chemotherapy and those diagnosed with HIV also found it
alleviated the extreme nausea caused from the treatments for this condition.

He said it was ironic doctors were consistently happy to prescribe
morphine, a class B addictive drug which had considerable side effects, as
a pain reliever when cannabis would be the more effective solution.

One in five New Zealand doctors surveyed last year said they knew some of
their patients were using cannabis medicinally and many more said they
would consider prescribing it if they were allowed.

Of the 500 doctors surveyed, 10 per cent said they had patients who could
benefit from medicinal cannabis. Nearly one third said they would consider
prescribing cannabis if it was legal to do so. Thirty per-cent said they
believed GP's should be able to prescribe it.

"The decision about whether or not to medicate with cannabis should be
between the patient and their doctor," Mr Tanczos said.

"Those wanting to access the drug now had to put themselves at considerable
risk -- dealing with the criminal fraternity and often paying heavily
inflated prices, or grow their own which made them more vulnerable to being
convicted, or they just don't use it leaving them to suffer," he explained.

He called on the Government to minimise the dangers these people were
forced to face.

"It's just shameful. We're not talking about radical policy here. A number
of countries have approved it."

Canada, Holland and eight states in the United States allow cannabis to be
used for medicinal purposes. Doctors in Holland can prescribe it. In some
of these countries consumers are permitted to grow it; in others they are
supplied with cannabis cookies. New South Wales also announced late last
year it will permit cannabis to be used for medicinal purposes.

In these areas different strains of cannabis are being identified as more
beneficial for certain conditions.

Medicines Control, Medsafe, and Ministry of Health spokesperson David
Buckle explained New Zealanders were able to apply to a doctor for
ministerial approval to prescribe for a patient under their care. The legal
provision has been in place since the Misuse of Drugs Act was passed in
1975. A doctor must want to prescribe the cannabis for a patient. There
have been about 16 applications made to the minister, he said, yet none
have been granted.

These have not been approved because cannabis is not available in an
appropriate medicinal form, he said, and smoking cannabis will not be
approved by the minister because smoking is damaging to health.

He advised Mrs King would only consider applications for special approval
once the cannabis-derived spray, under trial in the United Kingdom, is
licenced.

Mr Tanczos, however, queried the minister's stance.

"It's not known if or when the spray would be available and in the meantime
these people will suffer."