Swarbrick ChlöeCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green): Tēnā koe e Te Māngai. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. I'm not going to speak to the specificity or sections of the bill that comes up for vote later today but I will however speak to the general thrust. Yesterday in the reading of the Government's bill—which obviously concerns a similar topic that of medicinal cannabis—I heard a number of National Party MPs stand up and critique that Government's bill. Today they have the opportunity to fill those gaps. I heard Dr Jonathan Coleman refer to the Government's bill as half-baked". I heard Dr Shane Reti refer to a conversation that New Zealanders want to have saying that they the National Party wanted to have it as well.All members in this House have experienced the pain and the suffering of a loved one—of a family member or of a close friend—and I ask the members of this House in considering the bill later today to put themselves in another person's shoes. This issue is bigger than politics or the likes of the political suffering with regard to the wounds of political pride that are so often dashed across the headlines in the media. What we are talking about today is the House of Representatives' role as a gatekeeper to a broader conversation that New Zealanders can have at the select committee stage.I ask the House: is it better in the current situation under the current legal framework to be a bystander to the pain of a loved one when the only medicine that works for them is medicinal cannabis or is it better—is it more ethical—to break that law? The reason that I mention this is because I think it is crucially important to raise the point that the law is not natural when people are in pain or are suffering—indeed the law is man-made and we in this House have the opportunity to make that law; to put it right when it is wrong.Today I had the privilege to meet a number of patients those who could benefit from legalisation around medicinal cannabis use as is outlined in my bill and those who are currently breaking the law in order to get the relief that they need. I spoke with a young woman Grace whose family currently is able to access medicinal cannabis only by way of fund-raising the $1200 a month that it costs to get the product through the Ministry of Health. Her family believes that the best course for this House to chart forward is to vote my bill through to select committee so that members may hear their case.SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will resume her seat. I know that the member has been briefed on anticipating debates. I've been listening very carefully and this is about the third or the fourth time that she has referred to her bill and asked members to consider matters relating to it. Can I ask her to stick to the general principles of the issue and not to refer to the bill again?CHLÖE SWARBRICK: Absolutely Mr Speaker. I will then refer to the point of conscience. This as you have confirmed will be a conscience vote. I ask that members consider their conscience. There have been many issues before this House where members have been asked to vote in conscience: the likes of gay marriage for example. I think it's important to note that our former Prime Minister Bill English mentioned recently—last year I believe—that he probably would have voted differently now knowing the impact that the passage of that law has had on society: that the sky did not fall in that people had access to equality. I simply ask that members consider their conscience and vote in line with that. Thank you Mr Speaker."