Parliamentary question without notice | Medical Cannabis
07/05/2015
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT ( 15:15 ): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Health about medical cannabis use in South Australia.
Leave granted.
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: On Sunday 15 June, Channel 7’s show Sunday Night aired a piece on the use of medical cannabis. It discussed the case of a young man—a 24-year-old man living in New South Wales—with bowel and liver cancer, who is smoking cannabis to help deal with the severe nausea, vomiting and other terrible, well-known side effects of chemotherapy.
In addition, this young man has been using cannabis oil to try and halt the spread of his cancer, and perhaps have a chance at life. This story is particularly interesting since, while the young man’s father is a former drug squad detective, the family is risking a $220,000 fine and a 10-year gaol sentence for their son’s use of cannabis. In the story, it was noted that South Australia’s health minister—our colleague in the other place, the Hon. Jack Snelling MP—is opposed to the legalisation of cannabis for medical use. My questions are:
1.Is the minister open to at least investigating the use of cannabis for medical reasons where it is shown to improve the symptoms of disability, acute illness and chronic conditions?
2.Will the minister support the parliament investigating the legalisation of medical cannabis in South Australia?
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) ( 15:17 ): I thank the honourable member for her most important two questions on the medical use of cannabis. In relation to the first question, of course, I will take that on notice to the minister in another place and seek a response on her behalf. In relation to the second question, it is not up to him, nor any of us, in reality. What the parliament decides to do is a matter for the parliament, and it is not up to the Minister for Health to express a view about a decision of the parliament that it will take for itself.
In reply to the Hon. K.L. VINCENT ( 17 June 2014 ). (First Session)
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) : The Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse has received this advice:
In South Australia, cannabis is a controlled drug under the Controlled Substances Act 1984. While the production, sale, possession or use of cannabis is illegal in South Australia, court action and a potential criminal conviction can be avoided for minor offences (i.e. possession, use or cultivation of small amounts of cannabis) by payment of an expiation fee.
The South Australian Government takes the view that cannabis is not a harmless drug. The available evidence highlights the long-term harmful effects of cannabis use, including increased risk of respiratory diseases associated with smoking (including cancer), dependence, decreased memory and learning abilities, decreased motivation in areas such as study, work or concentration.
While there is a growing body of evidence for therapeutic benefits from cannabis, including antispastic, analgesic, anti-emetic, and anti-inflammatory actions, the therapeutic use of cannabis and products derived from cannabis is still experimental. Smoking as a route of administration is problematic for medical treatment, with the risks of respiratory harm from smoking outweighing potential benefits of use for medical conditions.
The Government is committed to ensuring medicines available in South Australia are safe and effective, and that they do not cause unintended harm to patients or their families. For cannabis to be used therapeutically, more research is required into its efficacy for particular conditions, as well as methods of delivery, to avoid the harms of smoking and to control the psychoactive effects.
The Council of Australian Government Health Ministers agreed at its meeting on 10 October 2014 to work collaboratively to share knowledge and information on issues relating to the use of appropriate therapeutic products derived from cannabis for medicinal purposes. New South Wales has announced its intention to undertake clinical trials of medical cannabis. The South Australian Government supports the New South Wales trial and will cooperate as required.
Responsibility for the assessment and approval of medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes in Australia rests with the Australian Government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (T.G.A.), which is responsible for assessing and registering pharmaceutical preparations and products for medical use in Australia, based on standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The T.G.A. carries out a range of assessment and monitoring activities to ensure that any drug or substance used for therapeutic purposes should be safe, of high quality, and reliable in terms of both dose and effect. Any trial involving cannabis will need to be conducted under T.G.A. auspices.
On present evidence, pharmaceutical cannabis treatments will only be appropriate for a very restricted group of eligible patients in specific circumstances, and under the supervision of medical practitioners with suitable expertise. Those patients would necessarily be people with severe and distressing symptoms that are not able to be relieved by existing medications.
I am advised that some synthetic cannabis products are currently included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, meaning they are available for medicinal use. One such product, Nabiximols (Sativex®) is administered as an oral spray, which avoids the harms of smoking. In addition to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, Sativex® contains another compound, cannabidiol, which balances some of the psychoactive effects of THC, and is thought to be important in the therapeutic effects of cannabis.
