Labor backs medical marijuana

Daniel Andrews talks with mother Cheri O'Connell. Photo: Getty Images/Graham Denholm

Victorians with life-threatening conditions would be able to access medicinal marijuana without breaking the law if Labor is elected at November's state election.

Labor wants to legalise cannabis oil for the treatment of conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma and Parkinson's Disease.

Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said cannabis should be available for people who needed treatment in exceptional circumstances, but he ruled out legalising marijuana for recreational use.

"In some cases, parents are forced to choose between breaking the law and watching their child suffer," Mr Andrews said.

Advertisement

"Children are in pain, families are suffering, people are living in fear, and outdated laws are getting in the way."

The move follows public campaigns by Victorian families who have successfully treated their chronically ill children when other medicines have not worked.

If elected in November, Labor will seek advice from the Victorian Law Reform Commission on the prescription, manufacture and distribution of medical cannabis.

Labor will not legalise the smoking of marijuana for medical purposes.

More here:
Labor backs medical marijuana