Support Medical Cannabis Driving Law Reform!

Drive Change is launching this campaign to focus on lobbying relevant law enforcement stakeholders to push for fair and equal drug-driving laws for patients who are legally prescribed medicinal cannabis.

Australia remains the only jurisdiction in the world, except for Tasmania, where patients on legally prescribed cannabis can lose their license for testing positive for the presence of THC, as opposed to impairment.

Your donations will help to achieve fair and equal drug-driving laws for patients on medicinal cannabis. We are looking to raise $70,000 for Drive Change to focus on the next phase of their campaign and have a resource assisting in educating law enforcement and lobbying relevant State Governments for these laws to change!

There’s no other legal medication without a defense for presence. The science in testing protocols simply isn’t there, which includes impairment testing as seen in the USA. Presence does not correlate to impairment, and mouth swabs are largely inaccurate. Your support will help form and activate a nationwide grassroots movement to Drive Change in an unjust and discriminatory system.

Have you or someone you know had to choose between driving or taking your medication?

PATIENT STORY

Marty has been on legally prescribed medicinal cannabis since May 2021. As a patient, he has had a long history of anxiety, insomnia and chronic pain, for which he was treated with opiates and sedative medications for years.

Martin was prescribed full spectrum CBD oil (containing 1% THC) and dried cannabis (containing THC), for use at night for his sleep. He responded very well to this regimen and reported improved sleep, decreased anxiety and a vast improvement in his pain, quality of life and ability to perform his usual daily activities.

Marty was working full-time and is the father of three-year-old twins, for whom he has shared custody. Unfortunately, on the 8th of April 2022, Marty received a drug driving infringement notice as he tested positive for the presence of THC, even though he vaporised his medication the night before (almost 12 hours prior).

Since receiving this infringement, his entire life has been impacted.

He has lost his employment and suffers from difficulties in seeing his children, and currently is seeking employment that would not require him to have his license.

Marty urges decision-makers to seriously consider amending these drug-driving laws that continue to impact hundreds and thousands of patients across Australia.

SUPPORT CHANGE

David Heilpern AM has been a Magistrate for the last 21 years, having ‘retired’ in May 2020. He is currently the Campaign Lead for Drive Change. Support Australians who have been unjustly subjected to roadside drug testing, even if they are driving unimpaired. The driving laws are currently unjust and are misaligned with current legal, medical cannabis prescribing to Australian patients.

David has been committed to speaking out about issues that he has long cared about but was restrained by the ethics of the judicial office. This includes drug law reform, particularly the drug driving detection laws.

'With our volunteers at Drive Change partnering with the community, we now have the exciting opportunity to make meaningful change around drug driving law reform and change lives for the better.'

Drive Change, with the support of MedReleaf Australia as the seed funder, is helping create a platform for equal driving rights and reform for legal medical cannabis patients.

Visit Drive Change Website for more information.

Thank you for your support!