Today’s report in the Mercury again highlights why Tasmania’s medicinal cannabis laws need to be fixed to ensure prescriptions from interstate doctors are recognised as fully legitimate in all cases, including in our driving laws.
Reform advocates and medicinal cannabis users have long pointed out the problems with state law, and how it is creating unfair and unworkable situations. Seeing someone having their driver’s licence suspended for ‘drug driving’ even though they have a legitimate prescription is a clear example of why we need change.
When it comes to medicinal cannabis use and driving, the only thing that should matter is the prescription – not the doctor’s postcode.
We have a situation right now where if someone has a prescription from a Tasmanian GP they are allowed to drive, but if they had an identical prescription from an interstate doctor – such as one provided through telehealth – they would be breaking the law if they got behind the wheel. It’s an absurd situation, and it’s not fair.
Medicinal cannabis is used legally and legitimately to treat pain – often pain that is not able to be managed with other drugs. Our laws need to treat it just like any other prescription drug.
With more Tasmanians than ever using telehealth, the state government needs to act to resolve this issue.
