Greens senator David Shoebridge said this morning it was “about time” road laws were reformed to account for drivers with medicinal cannabis prescriptions, following a major change that will see NSW introduce a medical defence model.
Drivers with lawful cannabis prescriptions will be offered a medical defence and subjected to a three-strike impairment test under the new laws.
“I mean, about bloody time. People have been getting prescription cannabis, just like they get other prescription drugs. And now, and the law, as it currently stands, is if you have the tiniest amount of prescription cannabis in your system, not impairing your driving, just the tiniest amount, you might have had some prescription cannabis the day before, or two days before, you lose your licence,” Shoebridge told Sky News.
“Now, I can’t believe that getting these reforms has taken years. I’ve been campaigning for this, my party, the Greens, have been campaigning for this for years and years. This is like a tiny little commonsense reform, no doubt.”
Under the scheme, people with a valid cannabis prescription will register with Transport for NSW. The defence will only apply to unrestricted licences. Learners, provisional and commercial drivers will be excluded.
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