While reading an excellent article about the use of medical cannabis derivatives for treatment of chronic and long-term degenerative diseases, including cancer and HIV/AIDS, I was once more galled at the inhumane barriers established to prevent its palliative use.

In the United States, Nevada, Colorado, California and Oregon have technically decriminalised the use of medipot, and there are even pharmacies and dispensaries where medicinal users can purchase it for palliative purposes. However, George W. Bush is an extreme prohibitionist, unswayed by the volume of evidence-based research that shows wide palliative effectiveness for medipot across a range of medical conditions. As a result of this, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency raids such establishments on a regular basis. In addition, criminal gangs are intent on ransacking and rifling them, caring little for those who need it for palliative purposes, and too much about their profits from black market sales. Tragically, one Colorado medipot activist, Ken Gorman, was shot in his home back in February 2007 for probably exactly that reason.

Because of that drawback, dispensaries can be armoured and scary places. At the Los Angeles Herbal Nutrition Centre, PLWAs and others can use a vending machine, with prepaid cards and fingerprint scans, whereupon they obtain an envelope of their green medicine. Across the border in Canada, Health Canada dispenses permits for medical cannabis users to purchase amounts from regulated sources, although medical users often complain about the quality of such sources and pace of permission approvals, and use “Compassion Clubs” instead.

One wonders how long New Zealand will take to catch up to these civilised and humane countries and provinces?