MLAs back cannabis oil legalisation

| 10/10/2016 | 31 Comments

(CNS): In an historic moment in the Legislative Assembly on Monday afternoon, all members of the parliament backed the government’s amendment to the drugs law to pave the way for the use medicinal cannabis oil. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who is also the health minister, presented the bill on Friday but the debate began this afternoon, and in a show of unity all of the legislators backed the change. There are still hurdles ahead for those suffering from conditions where the oil may help with pain or even offer a cure, as sourcing it could still prove difficult.

After the debate the premier thanked the members for their support for what he said would be an important piece of legislation that could, in the future, benefit a lot of people. The decision by the government to press ahead, however, seemed to be a lot more about hope than any conviction that the drug is as miraculous as many believe.

Answering some concerns raised by members about the wording of the law and how the drug would be imported, the premier acknowledged that this remained a major problem, as the use of cannabis oil is still illegal in many countries. On the international stage it is still a schedule 1 drug, with almost no national government formally accepting that the drug has any medical properties, despite the mounting evidence that it does.

Dennie Warren is one of the people who had directly petitioned the government to legalise the oil for medical use after doing considerable research, as his own wife is suffering stage four lung cancer. He offered his thanks to the members for supporting the first step to getting his wife the treatment she needs.

Warren said he was looking forward to seeing the “look on their faces when the day came when science gives cannabis the credit it deserves”, as it was merely a matter of when and no longer if. But he said the decision in the LA Monday “took courage” and it was a “very important step for the world as it will be of great benefit for many people and I look forward to the final approval of the bill”.

Already aware of the challenges that are ahead to get the oil here, Warren believes that the oil can be imported from Canada. He said he had passed the details to government of a lawyer he has been in discussions with that can assist with the export licence now that the drug’s medical use and importation will be legal here. “So we can move this forward,” he added.

While there are only a few countries at present where medical cannabis oil is permitted, there are indications that it will be legal in many more next year, including neighbouring Jamaica, as well as Germany and Colombia.

The debate in the LA was all about using the product to help those in medical need. Most members of the LA are not yet ready to entertain the legalisation of recreational use, though some are leaning towards the decriminalisation of consumption and personal possession.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Tags: , , , ,

Category: Health, Laws, Medical Health, Politics

Comments (31)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Foreign Devil says:

    Legalize all drugs and stop trying to tell adults what they can do to and with there own bodies. Crime will drop 50% and convictions for whatever crimes are left will go up 50%

  2. UNLEARN says:

    Well, let them go ahead and debate the medical use of cannabis that has been used for medicinal and spiritual practice for at least 2400 years.

    I am not sitting around and letting any Govt decide whether I die or not! And especially with the regs coming re: what I can medicinally use it for. “you can use it for that, but not that”.. I would rather live illegally , than die legally.

  3. anonymous says:

    Hah hah
    Now let’s wait and see how long it is going to take before one person will be prescribed and able to obtain the oil. As few have already mentioned the only way to practically obtain the oil is to grow it locally.

  4. Anonymous says:

    See the documentary “Weed” by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN. It’s absolutely incredible the positive effects of Cannabis Oil on children suffering with Epilepsy.

    One small step for Cayman, one giant leap for mankind.

    • Anonymous says:

      I wonder now how long before the oil will be available for this lady. Waiting around cannot be the best way. Why didn’t they go to a country where the treatment is already available? I hope she gets the treatment before it is too late.

  5. Anonymous says:

    So we’re going to legalize weed but not same sex marriage

    • Anonymous says:

      No, “weed” is not being legalised, medical cannibis is. if you did some research you would understand why there is a difference.

      • Anonymous says:

        Lol. It’s processed and put it in something that looks like it comes from a pharmacy so of course it’s not the same thing as those kids are smoking. This is a completely different thing.

  6. 345 says:

    Smoke and Mirrors. Contact the Pharmacy Council and you will find out that their research shows, that no jurisdiction producing cannabis oil, is able to or willing to export this product.

    • Anonymous says:

      Well the obvious solution to that is to produce the oil ourselves.

      • Anonymous says:

        Agree but that will not happen overnight unless the Rum distillery has an idea. It is a chemical process and that requires oversight and licensing, cannot just be done at the local crackhouse. It is a prescription drug like any other, the quality and process has to be monitored and controlled.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Does this now mean I can keep any square grouper I find on the beaches?

  8. Cocomojoe says:

    Maybe we should grow it and make the oil here?

  9. Anonymous says:

    Thank you CIG.

  10. Michel Lemay says:

    I applaud the Govt. on this. There is a medical cannabis lab hete in Powell River,BC and liscenses are being issued for use. Canada is pro Cannabis medicinal mafgt. in general. Congratulations Dennie and our Govt. officials. We are moving in the right direction

  11. Anonymous says:

    Lets not make them run us in circles! The oil cannot be sourced internationally, as we cannot pay for it in nothing other than hard cash as no bank will facilitate the transfer of these funds for the purposes indicated. We will have to grow the plant and manufacture the oil on Island (Seed to oil) as the plant has to be grown to the highest standard organically in order to achieve the highest purity and quality of oil. I suspect a private/public partnership would be the way to go and some kind of regulating body will need to be formed. They cannot expect to do this half way! If they want the oil, it has to be manufactured here!!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    Well done Dennie and CIG – Cannabis oil has many benefits medically. I truly hope this will bring about some positive advancement in the fight against cancer. There is some research supporting the use of cannabis oil to treat the effects of ADHD which, if accurate, could make medications such as Adderall and Ritalin unnecessary. This is a monumental step forward!

  13. Anonymous says:

    It is a continual surprise that no one ever mentions Israel. This country has hospitals and serious studies dedicated to discovering uses and benefits of Marijuana, which shows there are many benefits to this plant.
    Henry Ford discovered a way to make material similar to plastic, and clothing. The threat to DuPont, and their new product, nylon, contributed to the schedule 1 drug designation, and time has come to change this.

    • Anonymous says:

      Ford even made a car of his new hemp material that was stronger than steel and twice as light.

  14. One of your neighbors. says:

    Congrats Dennie. I’m happy this has gone through and I thank Dennie for pushing this on and hope with this comes more better news.

  15. scuba steve says:

    Fantastic for showing some compassion to your people.

    • Born Atheist Born again Atheist says:

      That is perfectly normal and fine for most of the members of the LA not to be ready to entertain recreational and medical use of cannabis, the same mindset can be predicted among unsophisticated uncritical thinkers.

      • Born of God, Dead through Adam, Born Again through Jesus. says:

        Tried the herb in Jamaica. It really did me in. That was the last time and was over 30 years ago. Drugs should be used with care and under correct legislation which is why we need mature laws.
        I once had a serious injury playing rugby and needed intravenous pethidene. I have never felt so high in my life. Again, this was delivered in a controlled environment. I can see how users get hooked on opiods.
        I don’t think it is wise to use the words drugs and recreation together lightly.
        After all, we do enough damage with alcohol, smoking and caffeine.

        • Born of Zues, Cloned from Thor and Evolved into FSM says:

          Your unfortunate experience with cannabis should not weigh in the debate of recreational use of the drug. Often it is an underlying medical or mental illness that is exacerbated by the mild hallucinogenic herb.

  16. MV says:

    Congratulations Dennie for pushing this through. I hope it proves beneficial for Lydia and many others. Also, a job well done to the Government of the Cayman Islands for having the courage to support a bill which will hopefully benefit those who are ill.

    Marius V.

    • Anonymous says:

      I still wonder why he did not try to raise funds to take her where the oil is already available. Perhaps it would have been better if government was asked to assist with the cost, especially that she is a civil servant.No one knows how long it will take to get the oil on island. I hope it won’t be too little to late. Trying to prove a point sometimes is not worth the effort.

      • Anonymous says:

        Thought I was the only one that was thinking down that line. I always wondered why he did not get the support and go to the source so that the myth can be solved. Alden and his CIG will be blamed if something does not turn out the way he has imagined. The claim would be CIG took too long to get it approved.

        Guess poor old Sour Sop will have to take a back seat to cannabis even though all the research show that it can cure cancer as well.

        I feel sorry for Alden, Now he did his part and being accused that he supposed to go around the world and tell them to change their own laws to allow the export of the illegal product to Cayman.
        But we lock up and charge tourist with a single bullet that can be proven was left over from a legal gun club event? Ohh The irony of it all.

        But we must now expect consideration from other countries? What if a Cayman Resident travels and makes it to Singapore with a little bottle and the drug sniffing dogs locates the “forgotten” oil in the luggage? Then we run to the Queen for her help,

        I’m not for or against this being passed into Law, but with all the expectations and the “Google internet” research being done, it is a very dangerous road to venture on. Since as they would say, the proof is in the pudding.

  17. Anonymous says:

    a rare small step forward for cayman….

Leave a Reply to anonymous Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.