Tony Abbott Supports Legalisation of Medicinal Marijuana

In a twist that perhaps nobody saw coming, fearless leader Tony Abbott has thrown his unconditional support behind the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes in Australia, saying it should be legal here as it is in other parts of the world. 
The Sydney Morning Herald report that Abbott, in a letter to talkback radio host Alan Jones, said that he has “no problem” with the medical use of cannabis, just as he has no problem with the medical use of opiates.
Jones has recently been campaigning on behalf of 24-year-old cancer patient Dan Haslam, a regular user of cannabis to relieve nausea associated with chemotherapy, and he read the letter out aloud on his show today.  
“If a drug is needed for a valid medicinal purpose though and is being administered safely there should be no question of its legality,” Abbott said in his letter. “And if a drug that is proven to be safe abroad is needed here it should be available.” 
“I agree that the regulation of medicines is a thicket of complexity, bureaucracy and corporate and institutional self interest.  My basic contention is that something that has been found to be safe in a reliable jurisdiction shouldn’t need to be tested again here.”
Put that in your pipe and … smoke it, I guess? Look for more on this story as it develops.
Photo: Indranil Mukherjee via Getty Images

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