Parliamentary Question Without Notice | Driver Licensing and Medical Cannabis Use
13/11/2014
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure questions regarding driver licensing and the use of cannabis for the management of medical conditions and disability.
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: It has come to my attention that there may be some anomalies which require clarification in the Motor Vehicles Act 1959, in particular section 80, following information from a constituent who has had their licence removed following the use of a drug to manage their medical disability. My questions to the minister are:
1.Does the minister agree that anyone who uses cannabis for pain relief on a regular basis should have their licence removed, even if they have never driven under the influence of this drug?
2.Does the minister agree that drugs under the act are defined as only illegal substances, and the definition does not include all drugs that are sold as medications, and that this is concerning, given that many medications specify that one should not drive while under the influence of those?
3.Does the minister agree that if cannabis is legalised for medical purposes, all those who regularly use it for pain relief will still be defined as dependent on it and therefore must forfeit their licence? If this is not the case, will the minister ensure that, in the event that cannabis is legalised for medical purposes, people will not lose their licences if they are using it for medical purposes?
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) : I thank the honourable member for her most important question on this issue. With her permission, I might actually take that question to the Attorney-General in the other place, as well, possibly, as the Minister for Transport, but I suspect there are cross-portfolio issues to be dealt with there, and I will seek a response on her behalf.
