Terminally ill Australians to get faster access to medicinal cannabis

Terminally ill Australians will now have faster access to medicinal cannabis after the Senate today voted to be reduce patient waiting times.

Today’s vote will fast-track access to medical cannabis for a small group of terminally ill patients who have already been prescribed the treatment.

The Greens motion to disallow the rule that makes it harder to access medicinal cannabis had been marred by a series of mistakes and backflips, including when crossbench senator Jacqui Lambie said she accidentally missed the vote in May because of miscommunication with her staff.

She told the Senate today she would have supported the disallowance, ensuring its success.

The Greens push was narrowly defeated by one vote during last month’s vote, after it was tied 32-32.

Today, however, the motion was passed 40-30 after securing support from Ms Lambie and four One Nation senators, as well as Labor, Derryn Hinch, Lucy Gichuhi and David Leyonhjelm.

The government opposed the motion, claiming it would open the floodgates for other drugs to come into the country.

In a statement, Ms Lambie said her vote today “makes people’s lives better”.

“The government’s attempt to block my vote was shameless and spineless,” the senator said.

“My vote today will make people’s lives better. It is a vote to see terminally ill people be treated with dignity and respect.

“It is a vote to show some decency to those in their dying days.”