THE government's move to establish clinical trials for medical marijuana is a "step forward" but it doesn't go far enough, the Wagga man behind a push to decriminalise the drug has said.
Simon Todd said the Baird Government's announcement to set up clinical trials of the drug for the terminally ill does not help him.
Mr Todd made headlines last month when he spoke publicly about how a debilitating illness had cruelled his way of life and how medical cannabis would ease the pain.
"It's a step forward for those people," he said.
"If they see the benefits for the terminally ill, I would hope they would see the benefits for people with a different rate of illness. There's a wide variety of people out there with sickness and disease where marijuana has worked for them."
Premier Mike Baird said a trial would be devised by a working party to report back to the government by year's end.
In the meantime, Mr Baird said new guidelines for NSW Police would formalise existing police discretion to not charge terminally ill adults if they are caught using cannabis for pain relief.
"We want to give terminally ill and those around them - their carers, their family - greater piece of mind," the Premier told parliament.
Mr Todd - who was struck repeatedly by a car while working as a traffic controller - refuses to use cannabis until it is legal.
He is on a mixture of prescription drugs to manage his chronic pain, which he said is "far stronger" and riskier than marijuana.
"I just hope that the people making decisions have an open mind and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of medical marijuana against these heavier drugs," he said.
"The side effects are minimal compared to chemically enhanced drugs."
Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire said the clinical trial was a "big step" for medicine in Australia but ruled out the "what-ifs" for extending the trial to chronically ill patients.
"We'll investigate to help those that are terminally ill," he said.
"I think it's an appropriate and compassionate way to test the theory and, if there is substance to the claims, then let's get on with it."
Greens candidate for Wagga Kevin Poynter echoed the sentiment expressed by upper house MP John Kaye and acknowledged the clinical trial as a step forward but "certainly a small step".
Wagga police Commander Superintendent Bob Noble declined to comment for this story, but Mr Maguire said police were unlikely to prosecute terminally ill patients for using the drug.
