FAR Northern MP Warren Entsch (pictured) has started drafting a private member’s bill to legalise medicinal marijuana.

He told The Weekend Post that he planned to introduce a bill during the next two weeks of sittings of parliament to start legal trials of people using marijuana for medical purposes.

“I’m drafting it at the moment in the next week or so to call on the Government to initiate trials particularly for people suffering from cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other areas where there is a real prospect of pain relief or other medical benefits,’’ Mr Entsch said.

The veteran Liberal member said the trials, if successful, would be followed by a bill or bills to legalise the use of medicinal marijuana and for it to be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

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Mr Entsch said it was unacceptable for everyday Australians to be forced into “dark alley deals” to provide relief for loved ones suffering from life-threatening diseases.

A Port Douglas mother of a young woman diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder is delighted that Mr Entsch was taking the next steps to legalise the drug.

The mum, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said her 22-year-old daughter, who was preleukemic, had shown signs of improvement within two weeks of taking cannabis oil. She said her platelets moved into the normal range and two weeks later her haemoglobin levels had started to rise.

“The specialist, the doctors don’t know she is taking the cannabis oil. But they told her whatever you are doing, keep doing it. They were quite impressed,’’ the woman said.

“I’m ecstatic about what Mr Entsch is doing.’’

Mr Entsch said legalising cannabis for medicinal purposes had been on his radar since he lost a family member to an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis nine years ago.

“The only thing that could stop the horrific shakes he had no control over was marijuana,” he said.

But Mr Entsch said if the man’s mother and sister were caught they could have gone to jail for buying the drugs.

He said there was clear evidence medical marijuana had made a huge difference for families with severely epileptic children.

“When you have a situation where a kid is suffering over a hundred fits a day and by using this as medication it gets down to single digits, you’ve got to say why the hell aren’t we doing this,” he said.

He said the legislative changes was to allow people suffering from various diseases to use marijuana to improve their quality of life, provide pain relief and, in some cases, improve their health.

The Member for Leichhardt admitted to trying marijuana in his youth.

“I’ve tried it. I had a few sucks when I was 16 or 17,’’ he said.

“I am vehemently opposed to legalising marijuana for recreational use. I have seen the impact on members of my wider family and the chronic use and that is why I am vehemently opposed to its recreational use.’’

The Australian Medical ­Association has called for more research into the benefits of medicinal marijuana.

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