The Government's medicinal cannabis legislation passed its second reading yesterday - with some changes and renewed support from National, which had backed out in July to introduce a competing proposal.
But so far, says former "drug czar" Peter Dunne, the legislation is "well intended and well-meaning but it doesn't really deliver".
"The changes are good but they don't go very far," he told TVNZ 1's Breakfast today.
The proposed law now makes an estimated 25,000 more people eligible for using medicinal cannabis - expanding it from only those with terminal diseases and less than 12 months to live to all people in palliative care. The change was proposed by coalition partner New Zealand First.
Yesterday's vote also included an amendment that requires a regulatory system be set up within a year of the bill passing.
“It's been a conscience issue for politicians, why shouldn't it be a conscience issue for the public?” Ms Ardern asked. (Source: Other)
But the devil's in the details, and we won't know the details until a regulatory system is announced, Mr Dunne said today, adding that he would "unquestionably" be supporting legislation "to make access to these products much more widely available" if he was still an MP.
"But I'd rather we had the setup out there for people to see exactly how it's going to work first, rather than sort of, 'Trust us. We'll develop regulations a little later on,'" he said. "I think that's a recipe for uncertainty at a time when people are craving some degree of certainty."
National has previously called the proposal "loose and unworkable", and to a certain degree they have a point, added Mr Dunne.
"National Party put up an alternative proposal which actually set up the system at the same time as making these changes," he said. "That bill's still sitting before the House.
It comes as National pulls its support for the Government’s own medicinal cannabis bill. (Source: Other)
"I think the solution's going to be to meld the National Party bill and the Labour Party legislation together into one workable piece, but at the moment I think it is a bit loose, it's a little unclear."
Mr Dunne, who has served as Associate Health Minister in both Labour- and National-led governments before retiring from Parliament last year, said he has faith that such a "meld" is achievable.
"I think it's possible if there's good will. And I think it's desirable that there be in this case such good will, because it give permanence and stability to the regime," he said. "It's not going to be a difficult thing to achieve because the building blocks are there.
"It's just a matter of being able to come across political differences to achieve that."
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