Australia could lead medicinal cannabis industry, expert says
AUSTRALIA’S strong agricultural industry and farming sector has the potential to be at the fore of the fledgling medicinal cannabis industry, the director of a cannabis consulting company says.
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LALOR man Tom Forrest says being awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to enhance medical cannabis cultivation in licensed facilities and provide education in Australia will help to legitimise the burgeoning industry.
Mr Forrest is one of 21 Victorians who will travel overseas under the fellowship to research his specialist subject and bring the knowledge back to teach Australians.
Mr Forrest, who is the director of Cannabis consulting company, Indicated Technology, said Australia’s strong agricultural industry and experienced farming sector meant there was potential for the country to be at the fore of the medicinal cannabis industry.
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“At the moment though there is no training, no education, no means of entry for farmers to explore it as an option,” Mr Forrest said.
Cannabis has been found to reduce seizures, improve appetite for cancer patients and improve the quality of life of people suffering chronic pain.
Mr Forrest said he had seen the benefits of medicinal cannabis with his own family
“A few years ago my mum was quite unwell and the side effects from the treatment left her almost bedridden,” he said.
“The only thing that helped her at that time was cannabis.”
Mr Forrest intended to travel to Israel, Canada and parts of Europe considered “world leaders in the medicinal cannabis space” next February to gain first-hand experience in advanced cultivation methods, meet industry leaders, visit farms and learn about new technology.
Developing the medicinal cannabis industry in Australia was particularly relevant given the Federal Government’s 2016 Narcotic Drug Amendment Bill which allowed cannabis cultivation in Australia for medicinal and research purposes, he said.
He intended to share his findings from the trip with the Department of Agriculture, Office of Drug Control, Therapeutic Goods Administration and the general public to help lay the ground for a fertile cultivation industry.
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