For years, medical experts have been pushing the benefits of medically-prescribed marijuana for terminally ill patients. They say the marijuana can provide pain relief for some patients they simply cannot get anywhere else.

And that should be enough, shouldn’t it?

Doctors seem to agree that medically-prescribed marijuana will not be effective for every patient, and fears remain that it could induce psychosis in some cases, but the government should always be seeking to increase the options available to medical professionals – not limit them.

Marijuana is a relatively inexpensive pain-relief option and already readily available through black market channels.

But no one in society benefits from forcing people to become criminals to satisfy their own pain relief needs – or those of a loved one.

Premier Mike Baird will, deservedly, win high praise for moving to legalise medicinal marijuana – and some of it from unexpected quarters.

When Mr Baird took over the premiership from Barry O’Farrell there were some concerns he might steer the state in a more conservative direction.

This might be just one decision, but it’s one that seriously challenges that assumption.

And, electorally, that puts Mr Baird in a very good position. History shows that voters tend to trust conservative governments to better manage the economy and left-wing governments to protect the needy and sense of fair play.

So a socially progressive conservative – from either side of politics – can be very hard to defeat.

Mr Baird might yet prove to be the Liberals’ Bob Carr. Not many would have tipped that when he took the top job a few months ago.