Buderim MP Steve Dickson has jumped ship to One Nation. Credit:Tony Moore Mr Dickson said his decision to swap parties was based on the issue of medicinal cannabis, which would not be available until the second half of 2017. "I've had families come to me over the last couple of weeks who have sick and dying children," Mr Dickson said. "They're utilising whole plant medical cannabis to keep their children alive." Mr Dickson said he called on Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to grant an amnesty to parents who provided medicinal cannabis to their children, but was unhappy with the reaction.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Credit:Lisa Maree Williams "The only politician in this country who came and offered me any help is standing besides me - Senator Pauline Hanson," he said. "I'm putting my career on the line today. "Today I'm announcing my resignation from the Liberal National Party because I want to draw a line in the sand, I believe we have to put people before politics. "I also believe that the major parties have lost their way."

Mr Dickson said he knew his colleagues in the LNP would likely be disappointed in his statement, and he had called the party leadership. "I've also emailed all of my parliamentary colleagues and I say to all of them, I'm not the enemy. I'm going to work with you, I want the Queensland parliament to be much more bipartisan." Mr Dickson said the decision did not come easily. He will stand for One Nation in the seat of Buderim at the next Queensland election. Ms Hanson stressed that she did not encourage Mr Dickson to join her party "at any stage".

She said there was a lack of foresight or leadership from Ms Palaszczuk or Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls. "People are now saying we don't have to put up with what we've had for many years, we have a choice now," she said. "We can really drive this next election and I'm really going to give them hell, and so are you [Mr Dickson], to make them answer the people of Queensland, that we expect so much, because you only get good government when you have got good opposition and there has not been good opposition in this state for so long. "Now we have One Nation ... And you have Steve and his experience and they won't know what the hell happened to them by the time we've finished." Ms Hanson said she was approaching the next Queensland election "to win".

"I'm going in there to win. Of course we're going in there to win," she said. Mr Dickson's defection means Labor has gained a one-seat lead on the LNP, but the government will need to negotiate with an increasingly complicated crossbench to get legislation passed. There are now 42 Labor MPs, 41 LNP MPs, two Katter's Australian Party MPs, three independents and one Pauline Hanson's One Nation MP. Mr Dickson raised eyebrows in October after inviting Ms Hanson to visit his conservative Sunshine Coast electorate. At the time, Ms Hanson said the Buderim trip was her first invitation to visit a state MP in their electorate.

She also told media she would not stand a One Nation candidate against Mr Dickson. But despite speculation Mr Dickson was preparing to jump ship from the LNP, he told Fairfax Media he had no plans. "No, not whatsoever," he said at the time. "I started as a Liberal ... I'm a very loyal team member." Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Dickson said there was "no deal done, whatsoever" when he met with Ms Hanson in October last year.

Ms Hanson has announced 36 candidates to contest the next Queensland election, expected in the second half of 2017. But two have already been dropped - the former candidate for Currumbin Andy Semple and former candidate for Bundamba Shan Ju Lin - following social media posts. A spokesman for the Palaszczuk government said Queensland had the most progressive medicinal cannabis legislation in the country. "The Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016, allows for greater use of medicinal cannabis products for some patients, which Steve Dickson voted for," the spokesman said. "Indeed Steve Dickson praised Health Minister Cameron Dick on the legislation as an 'outcome that I believe is going to be fantastic for Queenslanders'."

The spokesman said there was no one growing medicinal cannabis in Australia, which meant there was no domestic supply, but it had to be imported until the Commonwealth cultivation and manufacturing scheme was operational. "The use of recreational or unregulated or medicinal cannabis fails to ensure that products are both safe and effective," he said. Who is Steve Dickson? Liberal National Party Member for Buderim elected on March 21, 2009. He holds a safe LNP seat on Queensland's Sunshine Coast

Was the Member for Kawana from September 9, 2006 to March 20, 2009

Most senior position: Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing in the Newman government

Before politics: A local councillor and business owner in industries including vineyard and winery, horse-drawn carriage service, motel and caravan park

Born: June 24, 1962 at Mount Morgan, Queensland

Married with two children Source: Queensland Parliament