For those who have been pushing on roadside drug testing laws for years, we know it is relieving to hear of movement from government, let alone a Premier confirming reform in Budget Estimates.

And yet, here we are.

In early March, Premier Chris Minns stated on the record that his government would make driving laws fairer for medicinal cannabis patients. That moment did not come out of nowhere. It followed sustained pressure, consistent advocacy, and the introduction of legislation late last year by our very own Jeremy Buckingham MLC and MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich.

Every step counts. This was one.

But if we are being honest with ourselves, the feeling since that confirmation has been… uncertain.

So while the signal is positive, the delivery will come down to the detail and how it operates on the ground.

That is the space we are in right now. Encouraged, but cautious.

This is not unfamiliar territory. Governments often acknowledge the problem before committing to a solution. The difference here is that the problem has already been clearly defined, and the solution has already been drafted. The work has been done.

That is why credit matters.

Jeremy Buckingham and those working alongside him have driven this issue into the centre of the conversation. They have done the hard yards, made this their singular focus, from legislation to media to patient advocacy. This moment in Estimates is a direct result of that pressure.

Movement is movement.

For medicinal cannabis patients who have been living under the threat of or who have actually lost their licence despite doing everything legally, even this level of acknowledgement is meaningful. It signals that the conversation has shifted and that the current laws are no longer being defended as fit for purpose.

Now the focus turns to what comes next.

Because a signal without delivery does not change anything on the ground.

We will take the win for what it is. A step forward, earned through pressure and persistence. But we are also watching closely.

Patients deserve clarity. They deserve fairness. And they deserve laws that reflect reality.

We are closer than we were and we will see it through.