THE medicinal cannabis debate has become a top issue in the state over the past few weeks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Anyone, no matter their position on marijuana, can empathise with those who say the drug has helped them manage serious pain and illness.
It seems these personal stories helped drive a shift in public attitudes towards legalising medicinal cannabis.
Tasmanian Labor has apparently noticed.
As debate escalated, opposition legal spokeswoman Lara Giddings was quick to call for "mature discussions" on medicinal cannabis, saying there were potential health and economic benefits of an industry in Tasmania.
Ms Giddings then publicly launched a petition to support producing, processing, trialling and administering medicinal cannabis in the state.
In one of many tweets on the issue, she said the state government, in rejecting a proposed trial, had closed the door on jobs, investment and cancer patients.
But it doesn't appear Ms Giddings has expressed such strong support for medicinal cannabis before.
Less than five months ago she was state premier. Was it not an issue then?
True, those proposing a medicinal cannabis trial did apparently receive a supportive letter last year from then health minister Michelle O'Byrne.
But I don't recall the former Labor government publicly declaring it a high priority.
A quick archive search suggests the last time The Examiner did anything significant on medicinal cannabis was in 2006, when others campaigned unsuccessfully for a law change.
I guess it didn't gain much traction.
No doubt much has changed in the eight years since then to justify the Labor Party changing its stance on medicinal cannabis.
But in the months following the party's election defeat? I'm doubtful.
To be fair, the opposition isn't the only one to appear a bit disingenuous post-election.
The Liberal state government seems unable to release bad news without blaming it on its predecessor.
Even good news announcements come with a reminder of the former government's failures.
The Triabunna Mill Parliamentary Inquiry, though it will examine future opportunities for the town, also looks like little more than an attempt to trash the reputation of the former government.
After all, Triabunna's employment situation wasn't any different a month ago, before a magazine article depicted the secret dismantling of the woodchip mill under its environmentalist owners.
Announcing the inquiry, Parliamentary Secretary Guy Barnett said the magazine article raised questions that demanded answers.
All were related to the former government's involvement and knowledge of the mill's destruction. But how do these questions contribute to the future of Triabunna?
Medicinal cannabis and Triabunna's economic struggles are both important issues that deserve attention.
But at the moment, it seems they're being used for political point scoring.
Tasmania is stuck in a post- election limbo, where the opposition has selective memory and the new government is still speaking like it's in opposition.
Hopefully, between the two of them, they can achieve some tangible, positive outcomes for the state.