Kanongata'a-Suisuiki AnahilaANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI (Labour): Happy New Year Mr Speaker. It's a privilege for me to stand today to speak for the first time in 2018. I would like to acknowledge this opportunity to speak on the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis and Other Matters) Amendment Bill which was in the name of Julie Anne Genter and is now in the name of Chlöe Swarbrick.I would like to honour the memory of those New Zealanders who have passed away that had the belief that the Government could have intervened in their pain relief using the healing properties of cannabis. I would also like to acknowledge those who are currently terminally ill or are suffering who are in pain—who are in pain and who are looking for alternative medication to relieve the pain. My empathy with the family and friends of those New Zealanders who hour by hour minute by minute think of and love their friend who is currently suffering in their time.I want to acknowledge the Labour-led coalition. Yesterday after nine years of a National Government that had known the conversations that New Zealanders have about the healing or the pain relief properties of cannabis and had appealed on many occasions by—we've heard today from the member who's bringing this bill to the House about leaders who are actually supporting the healing properties of cannabis. So I want to acknowledge the leadership of the Hon David Clark for his bravery in bringing the Government's bill yesterday.I'm going to read the reason why I am acknowledging that bill the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Bill. The reason why I loved what the Government had put forward is that it reads and I want to read this because I want people who are laypeople like myself—I'm a first-term member of Parliament so before then I didn't know many words. I want to acknowledge the learned colleagues the two doctors who were sharing their knowledge of medicine and giving us an insight that some doctors are bad—in the words of Dr Coleman—and may use this bill if it comes into law in other negative matters.But the Government bill yesterday seeks to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975: The Bill will introduce an exception and a statutory defence for terminally ill people to possess and use illicit cannabis and to possess a cannabis utensil; and provide a regulation-making power to enable the setting of standards that products [are] manufactured …". We had a Medicines Act in 1981 that sets out many standards—pages after pages of standards—and I agree with the Government's bill that there need to be standards.The bill that we are talking about Ms Swarbrick's bill—what concerns me is that yes it acknowledges changes and acknowledges terminal illness but what concerns me is it is to cultivate and possess cannabis products or have a family member or named person cultivate and supply this for the named person.I am a descendant of medical healers. My brother currently mixes herbal medicines and he provides that freely to people who believe in his medicine. My father is a traditional healer who through compassion and love—it will be three o'clock in the morning or four o'clock in the morning and people are knocking at his door asking for his healing thoughts to prescribe to their illness.I unfortunately haven't inherited any of those healing powers or knowledge but what I can share is an insight I heard from the member today about Grey Power supporting this bill. I had an experience with a few elderly ladies in an organisation that I belong to and they talked about how good their medication is. It's doing really great for them and through their compassion and their love they share their medication—"OK you take a couple of pills and I'll take this and it's going to do you wonders." So they self-prescribe and share the pills.I'm concerned about human behaviour—human behaviour in terms of sharing your home-grown cultivation of cannabis and its healing powers. As a person if I've got someone who is in pain that I love it comes to a point that I can share this medicine with them. If it's about love—I can honestly say that I may not follow the rule of law if it's about love.But to end this—if you allow me to make another call Mr Speaker so I can finish my story—SPEAKER: You're not having a whole new call but wind it up.ANAHILA KANONGATA'A-SUISUIKI: Wind it up—OK. It is human behaviour to share something that is going to benefit another human being who is suffering. If I am the person who's been approved to cultivate and supply to person A this healing power of the medicine for them to make them feel better—I put this question to you all the members of this House. We've had an opportunity yesterday to discuss the healing powers of cannabis. I put this to you: would you deny your loved one that healing power of cannabis if they're not the named person person A? So I—SPEAKER: Order!"