Health professionals and experts will gather in Melbourne to discuss medical cannabis as the industry moves to position Australia as a world leader in its production.
Medicinal cannabis is now legal in Australia but patient access is still very difficult, and rightly so, according to health leaders, because of a lack of evidence regarding its efficacy and safety.
The medicinal cannabis industry, which already consists of 12 companies listed on the ASX, is also still navigating the regulations around its cultivation.
For this reason, the Medical Cannabis Council has been launched to support Australian production and research by working as an interface between the industry and government.
Adam Miller, founder of medical cannabis technology start-up BuddingTech, says that despite the government providing a pathway for the prescription of medical cannabis, the process is “somewhat complicated”.
“The aim of the council is to remove any confusion still surrounding the legal framework and accessibility of medical cannabis so the most at-need patients can understand their rights and the availability of the products,” Miller said.
Its launch coincides with the three-day United in Compassion Medical Cannabis Symposium being held in Melbourne from Friday 23 June 2017.
Experts from Israel, Canada and the US will discuss the latest research on medical cannabis and how it can be used.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will also address the symposium.
Already there is a body of evidence to support the use of medicinal cannabis for those suffering from chemotherapy-induced nausea, epilepsy, MS and Parkinson’s disease.
A recent trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine, led by Australian neurologist professor Ingrid Scheffer, found cannabidiol, one of at least 113 compounds found in the cannabis plant, significantly reduced the severity and frequency of seizures in children with a rare, yet devastating form of epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome.
Carol Ireland, the CEO of Epilepsy Action Australia, says medical cannabis has given many families hope.
“The early indicator of our research is that medical cannabis treats areas of epilepsy that traditional medicine has hitherto been unable to have an effect,” Ireland said.
It is, however, a lack of robust clinical trials on the use of medical cannabis that has many doctors and physicians wary about rushing widespread access.
Last week the Greens succeeded in scrapping rules which made it harder for dying patients to access medical cannabis, a move slammed by health minister Greg Hunt as “reckless”.
The sentiment is supported by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the Australian Medical Association. The position of the RACP is that more research is needed to ensure positive patient outcomes.
AMA president Dr Michael Gannon says appropriate care and diligence that is used for all other therapeutic products must also apply to medicinal cannabis. “We can’t put the cart in front of the horse,” he said.
Is medical cannabis legal in Australia?
Yes, medical cannabis is now a controlled substance rather than a prohibited one under the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA). It was rescheduled from Schedule 9 (prohibited substance) to Scheduled 8 (controlled substance). The federal government approved the reclassification, which came into effect in October 2016. This gave doctors a pathway to prescribe to patients.
Can patients access medical cannabis?
Yes, but it is reasonably difficult. Medical cannabis is not approved by the TGA as a registered good, therefore there is a lot of paperwork to apply for access. If patients are looking to access medical cannabis they must use other pathways such as the Special Access Scheme. States and territories can independently make access available to specific types of patients. Doctors also have to apply to become an authorised prescriber. To date, fewer than 150 people in Australia have been given access to medicinal cannabis.
Who can apply for medical cannabis?
The TGA doesn’t specify which illnesses might be eligible for special access to medicinal cannabis. Doctors need to be able to show the drug would be of benefit for a patient.
The evidence in support of medical cannabis
Most agree that the evidence is still not in on medical cannabis. Very few randomised double blind placebo control studies – the gold standard in medicine – have been conducted to test the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis.
There is a body of evidence around the world that suggests it can benefit numerous conditions. These include:
- Epilepsy.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Chronic neuropathic pain.
- Nausea from cancer-related chemotherapy.
- Parkinson’s disease.
Source: AAP
Add Comment