NSW motorists who use medicinal cannabis may soon be able to drive without fear of major penalty

Motorists who use medicinal cannabis may soon be able to drive on New South Wales roads without fear of a severe penalty as the Minns government announces long-awaited reforms. The government announced on Thursday it would introduce legislation which would see drivers with a medicinal cannabis prescription no longer face a three-month licence suspension or fine for having the THC component of cannabis in their system. Under the proposed new system, drivers with a full licence can drive with THC up to a threshold. However, if the driver – who will be required to register that they have a prescription with Transport NSW – returns a positive test they will still face a 24-hour ban while a laboratory tests the results. If the lab result shows the person’s THC levels were above the allowed threshold, they will receive a warning on the first and second occasion to give them an opportunity to adjust their use. If it happens a third time within two years, the person will face a minimum three-month licence suspension and a $704 fine. The government noted in its announcement that 1 million Australians use medicinal cannabis and up to a third of those people are in NSW. “For thousands of people, medically prescribed cannabis is life-changing medication that is necessary for people to go about their daily lives,” the premier, Chris Minns, said. …