Controlled Substances (Poppy Cultivation) Amendment Bill
14/10/2015
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: On behalf of Dignity for Disability, I am pleased to speak at the second reading of this bill today and support the initiative of the Hon. David Ridgway in introducing this bill. I thank him for that effort. I also appreciate the briefing that he and his office provided on his bill, and I welcome the agri-industry opportunities that it might bring to South Australia in terms of employment.
It has been pointed out by previous speakers and media articles that poppies have the potential to have significant medical uses and ramifications. I hope that endorsing the benefits of one crop for legal propagation for medical purposes prompts further positive debate on the use of other crops, such as medical cannabis.
I find it very disappointing that South Australia continues to drag its feet on endorsing other crops, such as medical cannabis, for people who could benefit from it by gaining relief from illness, pain and disability where no other pharmaceutical substitution has been found to be of any real benefit. So, I certainly welcome this bill.
I welcome what seems to be a very advanced and sensible debate on the use of this crop for medical purposes. I hope that this will prompt further discussion on how we can have a mature and balanced debate on other crops, including medical cannabis, and how it can be used to further alleviate the suffering of those in our South Australian community. With those comments, I certainly support the bill.
