The key players shaping the future of medical marijuana in SA

Medicinal cannabis could be a multibillion-dollar industry, but how far has it really come? Meet some of the people shaping its future in SA.

Medicinal cannabis is potentially a multibillion-dollar industry and powerful tool in the treatment of everything from chronic pain to epilepsy.

But does it justify the hype? And who are some of the key players behind the push in South Australia?

Here we take a look at the key players shaping the future of medical marijuana in SA.

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Jenny Hallam

Jenny Hallam at home in Blakeview, with medical cannabis. Picture: Matt Loxton

A fierce advocate for medicinal cannabis who was making her own oil from cannabis for her chronic pain following a car accident. Hallam also gave it away to people, some of whom also had chronic pain, some who had epilepsy, some who had cancer.

She estimates she spent about $40,000, money she had set aside for a house deposit, on giving away medical cannabis. Six years ago she was facing a prison term. She was instead placed on a $1000 two-year good behaviour bond and recorded no conviction.

Back then she was prepared to go to jail for her beliefs. Today, she is spreading the word. “I was about to die in 2004,” she says. “If I had died … I’d never have helped all the people that I’ve helped.”

Dr Hannah Wardill

Dr Hannah Wardill at SAHMRI in Adelaide, where a new trial of medicinal cannabis for patients undergoing chemotherapy will take place. Picture: Matt Loxton

SAHMRI researcher Dr Hannah Wardill wants to put some meat on the bones of cannabis research. Her specialty is finding ways to reduce the pain endured by cancer sufferers and she is undertaking a trial to find out whether medicinal cannabis can help alleviate suffering in patients with advanced cases.

Dr Wardill has a $1.5 million grant from the Medical Research Future Fund for the trial, which will include almost 200 patients. It’s a five-year project and she is in the preparation phase now with plans to start recruiting patients in January.

“It really gives us the time and the financial support that we need to actually execute a good quality project, because that really has been the downfall of medicinal cannabis research, at least in cancer care,’’ she says.

Michael White

Road safety expert, Michael White on Belair Rd. Picture: Ben Clark

Adelaide University visiting research fellow and road safety expert Michael White has long been studying the effects of cannabis on driving and is convinced its dangers are wildly overstated.

“I’m still not convinced that cannabis is a problem on the roads,’’ White says. “I’m pretty convinced that medical cannabis isn’t. If cannabis is a problem, it’s only a very small problem.’’

As with much in the cannabis field, research is either wildly contradictory, thin or non-existent. There are reports that say cannabis increases crash risk by 40 per cent and others which say if there is a risk, it’s negligible

Tammy Franks

South Australian Greens member Tammy Franks and chair of a committee on the legalisation of medical cannabis. Picture: Supplied

Greens MP Tammy Franks is chair of a committee on the legalisation of medical cannabis and intends to introduce legislation to the state parliament before the end of the year to provide a defence to drug driving for those who have a prescription from a doctor.

Currently, Tasmania is the only state where this is an allowed defence, although Victoria is looking at it and NSW just knocked it back.

“I’m hoping that the committee can, in a cross-party collaborative way, find a way that we can do something and give patients a defence, allowing them to keep their jobs, be able to pick up their kids, go about their lives and not be punished for being sick or injured,’’ she says.

Ms Franks also says the federal government could pick up $28 billion in taxes in the first decade after legalising cannabis.

Dirk Beelen

MedTEC Pharma chief commercial officer Dirk Beelen, with fellow team members Anna McClure, Brad Gallard and Richard Barrett. Picture: Supplied

Dirk Beelen is chief commercial officer at a company called MedTec Pharma, which was founded in 2019 and has developed a 20ha cultivation and production site in the Riverland. The exact location of the site is kept under wraps for security reasons, but Beelen says it is surrounded by a double barrier of razor wire and there are cameras everywhere.

It has been a long process of satisfying government authorities and ticking all the regulatory boxes, but Beelen says MedTec should be producing later this year. And he has high hopes for the business. He predicts the company will have 20 employees by the end of next year, 40 by the end of 2025 and 100 another 12 months later.

THE ROAD AHEAD FOR MEDICINAL CANNABIS

A bottle of cannabis oil.

PROS

– There is strong evidence that it helps in the treatment of epilepsy and multiple sclerosis-related spasticity.

– Experts say one of the main benefits of medical cannabis will be for the treatment of chronic pain, saying it could help replace and reduce dependence on more dangerous opioids.

– There is lesser clinical evidence that it helps with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injury, nausea and irritable bowel syndrome among others. It can also be used in palliative care.

– The number of authorised prescribers in SA has risen from zero in 2019, to four in 2020, eight in 2021 and 85 last year. There have been a further 21 applications in 2023.

– In 2022, the 85 authorised prescribers made 587 applications for the prescription of medicinal cannabis.

An employee harvests cannabis in a greenhouse at the production site of German pharmaceutical company Demecan. Picture: AFP

CONS

– A stigma remains because of its long history as an illicit drug.

– There is increasing research, but much of it is thin or inconclusive.

– It is legal in all states to prescribe medical cannabis but it is still regarded as an unapproved and unregistered medicine, meaning it is not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods or on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme because cannabis has not been fully evaluated for safety, quality and effectiveness.

– This makes it expensive, meaning patients may spend between $200 and $300 a month on products. But if that is too expensive then patients often self-medicate and buy from illegal sources.

NEXT STEPS

– SAHMRI researcher Hannah Wardill is undertaking a trial to find out whether medicinal cannabis can help alleviate suffering in patients with advanced cases of cancer.

– Wardill has a $1.5 million grant from the Medical Research Future Fund for the trial which will include almost 200 patients. It’s a five-year project and Wardill is in the preparation phase now and plans to start to recruit patients in January.