Leavasa Dr Anae NeruDr ANAE NERU LEAVASA (Labour—Takanini): Thank you Mr Speaker. It is a privilege again to speak to this amendment bill No 2. But like my colleagues Dr Gaurav Sharma Dr Liz Craig I just want to acknowledge Dr Shane Reti—I think it's the whole collegiality of being in the medical field as well so ngā mihi to Dr Shane Reti for the work he's put into this bill.Just up off the Zoom session with my Pacific peer group which is a group of medical doctors that discuss such matters specifically to our Pasifika and our community in South Auckland and this is one of the topics that was discussed briefly discussed and is such an important thing. Because I guess an experience that we have in South Auckland and I guess just in the whole medical community that we see we see a lot of our multiple comorbidities chronic-care patients and those who are on palliative care as well. And we see the struggle that we have to manage with our dear patients in regards to pain relief and the pain team that are involved the palliative team that are involved and a number of specialists that have to juggle a number of medicines to help with our patients. So that's why when it came to late 2017 when the principal bill was introduced there was the delight from my colleagues including myself that there was another form of medicine that we can use in our tool kit to help families and those patients in the suffering of loved ones.The principal bill that again we look at again with my colleagues that have expressed—currently like the notion goes the medicinal cannabis scheme does exist at the moment and it enables access to quality products. And I know that Mr Bishop has mentioned Where are the products?" but I do you know—these sort of products do take time. And there are two products that have been verified not too long ago 5 March and there is a couple of the Tilray products that are going to be going through the process but they've been verified by the ministry. There is also the Sativex spray as well that is currently available under prescription.So with the current bill thirdly it removes cannabidiol from the schedule of controlled drugs. And again I say this this bill that tries to amend the principal bill the scheme that currently exists and I see that it is fit for purpose at this time.With the new technology we see with new research the evolvement of medicines. I believe the proposed new amendment will be too restrictive. This the principal bill needs to be allowed to be flexible so that we have expert regulators that can keep up with these evolving medicines technology and research. And I feel like this new proposal would restrict that.It is already available for patients via prescription. Yes I acknowledge that there is still education to be done for those who do prescribe. In my clinic in Māngere we do assign one person who has that special interest and I know that other clinics have done so so that there is at least one clinician who keeps up with all the changes in research as well and provides for the clinic. So I acknowledge that there are other clinics that are trying to do the same in order for patients to access these products.Thirdly I will talk to the loose-leaf cannabis as this amendment would restrict that. And again if my electorate of Takanini would know that when it came to the referendum you know in terms of speaking to the other cannabis referendum I was opposing that referendum. But when it comes to medicinal cannabis and our discussions with our community the vast majority supported this bill when it was first introduced and on our talks about what the provision is like with the current scheme they still support that as well.So when I see this bill and the amendments I acknowledge what Dr Reti is trying to propose but I still think that the current bill as it stands is still fit for purpose at this time and that's why I oppose this bill. Thank you Mr Speaker."