Craig LizDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour): Thank you Madam Chair. I'd just like to take a brief call on clause 5 which as we know outlines the defence for possessing and using illicit cannabis. I just want to talk to Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 177 that the Minister's put forward and the impacts of the changes on that.As we've sort of canvassed already we are proposing that we're changing the definition which was previously a terminal illness where a patient was likely to die within 12 months. What that SOP is proposing is that we take that broader approach to palliation and it's a person requiring palliation if in the opinion of a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner the person has an advanced progressive life-limiting condition and is nearing the end of their life."Just talking to the point that Mr Doocey was making about how do we define that well I think it comes back to "in the opinion of a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner". It comes back to medical expertise as opposed to having some broad definition so I don't think there are any concerns around that. The reason why we did broaden it was because we were getting that feedback from select committee—people with say neurological conditions that felt like their condition wasn't recognised under the previous definition so we did move in response to that.But the other question we've had raised is is it still too narrow? And a range of people have submitted that chronic pain and other conditions—it should be broadened out much more loosely. We actually queried some advice at select committee about that and why we couldn't broaden it and I guess the feedback that came back was that what you're weighing up is that compassionate approach versus—what you're actually then otherwise saying is that you've got a defence for using illicit cannabis where that cannabis isn't created with any safety standards; we haven't got any idea of what the THC component is in that cannabis so you could have any concentration of psychoactive properties in that cannabis and the person using it wouldn't know until they experienced the effects. We do know that some of those effects can be anxiety psychosis etc. So it was about weighing up the potential benefits versus the harms and that's why the call was made.But the problem we're hearing a lot is that there seems to be a bit of confusion. What we're not talking about in that definition is who can be prescribed medicinal cannabis because this bill in no way changes what a doctor can prescribe. A doctor can always still prescribe as under the current regime medical cannabis for any condition that they feel the patient may benefit from. So people can still access cannabis at the moment by prescription for any condition not just those with a palliative condition.The issue though—and this is what this bill is trying to do and will do—is it's trying to make products available that doctors can then prescribe safely having that security that they know that it's produced to an effective standard. So what we're talking about here is just a temporary measure that we're putting in place until such time as that medical cannabis scheme is up and running. Just taking the point that—Chris Bishop: How long's that going to take?Dr LIZ CRAIG: Well what we've said is that we'll put those regulations in place within one year.But the other issue we've got is that Mr Woodhouse was talking about the fact that we needed a sunset clause. What we've got in the bill at the moment—and it was there right the way through select committee—is an undertaking that this would be reviewed within a 24-month period so that the legislation would be reviewed in terms of the statutory defence because it was only ever a temporary measure.So as Minister Clark was saying what we've got is a two-year period where we then review it and then if the scheme is up and running that defence may well be looked at and removed. But we've got to have the regime in place to have that so that people can access medical cannabis that is produced to a high standard. Therefore I support the SOP that's being proposed by the Minister. Thank you."