Terminally ill patients will get faster access to medicinal marijuana and be able to import their own personal supply after the Greens teamed up with Labor and One Nation to deliver a shock Senate vote to kill off government restrictions.
The Senate vote means terminally ill patients with a doctor's prescription will be able to personally import up to three months' supply of the drug from regulated overseas markets.
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Medical marijuana laws softened
A mistake by Senator Jacqui Lambie has resulted in a re-vote on medical marijuana laws meaning it's now easier for the terminally ill to access it.
A furious Health Minister Greg Hunt called the move "reckless and irresponsible", saying it would put lives at risk by paving the way for dodgy unregulated products, and also make it easier for criminals to get their hands on drugs.
Greens Leader Richard Di Natale spearheaded the motion, which failed when he first put it to the Senate in May. On Tuesday, he used a procedural loophole to force a re-run - despite frantic government efforts to stymie it - and won the support of the opposition and much of the crossbench.
![Greens leader Richard Di Natale's motion to relax medicinal cannabis rules passed 40 votes to 30.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170613085007im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/y/k/o/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwq1st.png/1497337792025.jpg)
The binding vote means medicinal cannabis will be put on the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Category A list, which gives patients expedited access. Under Turnbull government regulations, the drug was on the Category B list where approvals can take much longer.
Senator Di Natale says waiting times for the sick and dying will now be reduced to days or even hours, down from weeks or months.
Pauline Hanson's party voted for the Greens' motion despite voting against it last month - a move that attracted an angry backlash from One Nation supporters. Senator Hanson accused the government of misleading her before the previous vote.
"I will not stand in the way of dying patients' dignity," she told the Senate.
![Greg Hunt is angry at the "reckless and irresponsible" decision.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170613085007im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/e/7/r/r/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwq1st.png/1497337792025.jpg)
Mr Hunt called the vote "deeply concerning and disappointing", saying it went against the advice of the Therapeutic Goods Administration and medical professionals. Under the change, dangerous drugs could be allowed into the country and diverted to criminals, he said.
"It is a potential risk not just to health but to lives. It is unfortunately a reckless and irresponsible decision," Mr Hunt told reporters.
![Senator Pauline Hanson changed her position on the Greens motion, voting in favour of it this time.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170613085007im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/7/4/n/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwq1st.png/1497337792025.jpg)
But Senator Di Natale, a former medical doctor, said Mr Hunt's concerns were "utter nonsense".
"This is a government that was dragged kicking and screaming to reform in this area. At the first hurdle they have fallen," Senator Di Natale said.Â
"To treat medicinal cannabis differently to other medicines -Â by effectively trying to remove the rights of people to access it through this scheme -Â shows they're not serious."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull about the issue earlier this month, criticising Mr Hunt's handling of it and urging him to change course.
Only 133 patients have been able to access medicinal cannabis since Parliament passed laws legalising medicinal cannabis last year. Under the original rules access could take up to six months, forcing people to turn back to the illicit market to access the drugs.
The Greens' motion passed 40 to 30 with support from Labor, Senator Hanson and her team, Jacqui Lambie, Derryn Hinch, David Leyonhjelm and Lucy Gichuhi.
The Nick Xenophon Team and Cory Bernardi sided with the Coalition.
Senator Lambie called the government's attempt to block the vote - which was made possible because she inadvertently missed the previous vote, paving the way for a so-called recommittal - as "shameless and spineless".