Greens Senator David Shoebridge has defended the changes to New South Wales marijuana driving laws, saying it was 'about bloody time' the changes were made.
‘About bloody time’: Greens Senator welcomes changes to NSW marijuana driving laws in tense debate Greens Senator David Shoebridge has defended the NSW government's controversial proposed marijuana law in a heated debate with Nationals MP Kevin Hogan.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge has defended the changes to New South Wales marijuana driving laws, saying it was"about bloody time" the changes were made. Mr Shoebridge described the current laws on THC levels while driving as “stupid” during a debate with Nationals MP Kevin Hogan. The Greens Senator has been a vocal defender of the legalisation of marijuana and has spearheaded the party’s bill on the matter.
David Shoebridge told Sky News his views on Labor's new legislation for THC levels while driving. Picture: Sky News.
“People have been getting prescription cannabis, just like they get other prescription drugs," he told Sky News host Pete Stefanovic. “The law as it currently stands is if you have the tiniest amount of prescription cannabis in your system, not impairing your driving, just the tiniest amount, you might have had some prescription cannabis the day before or two days before, you lose your licence like that.
” New legislation to be introduced by Labor will mean that drivers with a medical marijuana prescription will be allowed to legally drive with a THC level below 50 nanograms per millilitre. If caught with THC levels higher than the threshold, drivers will be given two warnings before their licence is affected. New legislation will allow for certain levels of THC for prescription holders while driving.
Photo Jeremy Piper/ News Corp “I can't believe that getting these reforms has taken years,” Shoebridge said, adding that the law will only allow for “very small amounts of THC” that “evidence says will not be impairing your driving. ” Mr Hogan spoke out against the changes, describing them as a “slippery slope” - arguing that allowing a small amount will only increase to higher amounts in the future.
Mr Shoebridge hit back: “Kevin might want to take the licence off, you know, a 70-year-old woman in his electorate who's got prescription cannabis, who needs it for pain medication, who has it at a level that doesn't impair her driving. Mr Hogan dubbed Mr Shoebridge as “rude and arrogant” in response and pointed to the Greens MP’s treatment of NSW police last month.
Mr Hogan referred to online by Mr Shoebridge in which he was subjected to roadside drug testing at a cannabis rally in Nimbin. At the time, the senator came under fire for criticising roadside testing to the police officer mid-test.
“David has approached this because he's rude and arrogant to police doing their job wanting to do drug and alcohol tests when they're driving around the streets and obviously we want to do that to keep the roads safe,” Mr Hogan said on Thursday. “We want to keep our roads as safe as we can and I support the police, unlike David, doing drug and alcohol testing on drivers and I would never be rude to a police officer doing that. ”
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