As NSW inches closer to historic medical marijuana reform, Bishop Gerard Hanna this week supported the therapeutic use of the drug for the dying, but said it would need to be strictly monitored by medicos.

“We live in a time when there are a whole range of drugs administered for therapeutic purposes,” Bishop Hanna said.

“We know some (legal) drugs like pethidine and morphine are addictive, but we ensure they are strictly monitored due to their addictive nature.

“Marijuana fits into the picture of drugs that are acceptable for medical reasons under those circumstances.”

His comments come amid a nationwide push to legalise marijuana for the terminally ill, with the NSW Government announcing a series of clinical trials in December.

Overseas trials, and compelling anecdotal evidence in Australia, have shown cannabis can have a powerful pain relief effect, stimulate appetite for chemotherapy patients and even help reduce seizures in children with intractable epilepsy.

Long-time Riverina GP and former chairman of the Murrumbidgee Division of General Practice Dr Bob Byrne said the issue boiled down to respect for human suffering.

“If it allows people to die with dignity rather than anguish then it;s worthwhile,” Dr Byrne said.

“If it works, it works.

“When you’re dealing with people with incurable malignant diseases, it can have real value in terms of palliative care.”

But he warned it could not lead to a concerted push by the pro-marijuana lobby to legalise the drug recreationally.

“Having practiced in country towns, you see kids grow up and their minds become bent by marijuana abuse,” Dr Byrne said.

“There’s a relationship between schizophrenia and marijuana use.”

In a stunning victory for pro-medical marijuana supporters, Premier Mike Baird in December revealed $9 million had been earmarked for clinical trials, probing how cannabis can help epileptic children, terminally ill patients and cancer sufferers battling chemotherapy-induced nausea.

The announcement coincided with moves by the Victorian government to become the first state to legalise the drug.