Medicinal cannabis advocates argue against new laws which stop users from driving

USERS of medicinal cannabis will not be allowed to drive with the drug in their system under new laws which have passed State Parliament.

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USERS of medicinal cannabis will not be allowed to drive with the drug in their system under new laws which have passed State Parliament.

MPs have been debating laws proposed by the State Government to strengthen drug driving penalties but were divided on whether to allow people using medical marijuana to get behind the wheel.

Dignity MP Kelly Vincent had proposed allowing users to seek a doctor’s approval to drive, and use that to defend any drug-driving charges if they were tested by police and brought before a court.

She was initially supported by Opposition and crossbench MPs, but the Opposition changed its stance this week.

Following negotiations it agreed to support the Government position that any motorist who tested positive to THC - the active ingredient in cannabis - would be penalised.

The outcome has enraged advocates of medical marijuana.

Medicinal Cannabis Campaigner Jenny Hallam. Picture: Dylan Coker

Cannabis oil producer Jenny Hallam argued it was possible to use the drug for medical purposes without feeling any psychoactive effects.

“Just because it’s in your system doesn’t mean it’s actually affecting you,” she said.

“If you’re using it responsibly, at a low dose, it does not affect you.”

Ms Hallam stressed that roadside drug tests registered the presence of a drug but not the level of impairment it caused.

She also argued that using pharmaceuticals, particularly opiates, while driving could be as, or more, dangerous than medical cannabis.

People who are found to have THC in their system are currently given a written direction not to drive for five hours.

In return for Liberal support of a harsher stance on medical marijuana, the Government dropped a push to enable police to search the vehicles of drivers who tested positive for drugs.

People who are found to have THC in their system are currently given a written direction not to drive for five hours.

Figures presented to Parliament show that between 2012 and 2016 there were 4,474 people who tested positive for THC while driving on South Australian roads.

Thousands more tested positive to THC in combination with another drug, such as ecstasy or ice.