Rachel Payne MP has raised an adjournment matter asking the Minister for Health to support a government-funded evaluation of medicinal cannabis as a treatment option for veterans and first responders living with work-related injuries, including PTSD and chronic pain.
Medicinal Cannabis and Driving: Rachel Asks When the Trial Findings Will Be Released. Rachel Payne MP has asked the Minister for Roads and Road Safety whether Victoria will follow New South Wales in fixing roadside drug-testing laws for medicinal cannabis patients, and when the findings of the government’s driving trial will finally be released.
Rachel Payne MP has moved a motion in Parliament calling on the Victorian Government to put cannabis legalisation directly to the people
Rachel asked the Minister for Roads and Road Safety for an update on the 18-month medicinal cannabis driving trial.
Rachel summed up her motion on police cautions instead of arrests for cannabis personal use possession. After listening to the evidence presented, the Legislative Council debated and ultimately agreed to the motion.
Rachel presented a motion on police cautions for cannabis possession. In 2024, Victoria Police updated their operations manual to prioritise cautions over arrests, for individuals possessing small quantities of cannabis for personal adult use.
Cannabis has been prohibited in Australia for almost a century. It is a failed policy. Australians continue to consume cannabis and they always will. In 2024 Victoria police acknowledged this, updating the Victorian Police Operational Manual to make cautioning the default option for minor, personal possession. It was the right call. But the arrests keep coming. Today, LCV is calling for what should have already happened: make cautioning the law.
Rachel announced the launch of her new podcast, ‘My Joint’. On My Joint, honest conversations replace stigma. As the podcast demonstrates, the cannabis community is diverse, and cannabis consumers cannot be typecasted. Each week, Rachel sits down with experts, advocates, and everyday Australians to unpack the myths, realities, and the future of cannabis.
Preliminary evidence suggests that medicinal cannabis could be a beneficial treatment option for opioid use disorder. Rachel asked the Minister for Health if the government would support greater investment into medicinal cannabis research, including its potential as a treatment for opioid use disorder.
