Road safety reform requires evidence not political silence
Dr Brian Walker addresses the urgent need for government transparency regarding driving laws and medicinal cannabis, highlighting the delay in releasing expert advice on impairment.
In my years as a GP, I learned that ignoring a diagnosis does not make the illness disappear. You have to face the facts, look at the data, and treat the patient with honesty. It is a philosophy I have brought with me into the Legislative Council, yet it remains a practice that the current government seems determined to avoid.
The danger of silent policy
We are currently facing a situation where road safety policy is being stalled by bureaucracy. The government has held an expert report on tetrahydrocannabinol and driver impairment for nearly a year. Despite this, they have made no substantive announcement. This is not just a delay in paperwork. It is a failure to provide clarity to citizens who rely on medicine to live their lives, and who live in constant fear of being penalised for legal, prescribed treatment.
This inaction is creating a vacuum where uncertainty thrives. If you find these updates on our progress in the House valuable and wish to support our mission to bring reason back to our laws, please subscribe to my YouTube channel for more regular insights.
True road safety requires investment
Real safety on our roads does not come from targeting specific groups based on outdated stigma. It comes from comprehensive, science-led testing that identifies impairment regardless of the substance involved. We need a system where all prescription drugs are treated with the same logical standard. This requires funding and it requires police presence on the ground to identify those who are truly impaired.
The government must release the working group report immediately. It is a matter of good faith and simple transparency. We deserve to see the evidence that is currently gathering dust in a drawer while ordinary people suffer under a regime that refuses to evolve. You can examine the details of the motion I moved in the House to see exactly what we are calling for. If you believe in evidence-based policy, I invite you to join us at Legalise Cannabis WA as we continue to hold the government to account.
