Territorians forced to pay $3000 for medicinal cannabis

TERRITORIANS with chronic pain may have to fork out $3000 each month for medicinal cannabis, leading to fears sufferers will seek out other remedies

Cannabis plant. Picture: (AAP Image/Renae Droop)

TERRITORIANS battling chronic pain could be charged up to $3000 a month to use medicinal cannabis, leading experts to fear people would instead buy weed off the street to cope with their agony.

Country Wellness Group clinical service manager Sam Keitaanpaa said people who self-medicated with marijuana purchased illegally to avoid a high price tag.

“They believe they are using it medically, to treat pain, and treat these conditions,” he said.

“They’re using a non-standardised product, which is possibly higher in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) so we’re not sure it has a medical benefit.” Mr Keitaanpaa said medicinal cannabis and street weed had major differences.

“Medical cannabis are licenced, therapeutic goods produced the same way we do other medicines,” he said.

“If you buy them off the street there’s no manufacturing standards — we need to know what’s in the drug.”

He said government subsidies would bring costs down — but that wouldn’t be possible until more, high-quality studies about the medicinal cannabis were completed.

Member for Fong Lim Jeff Collins, who is campaigning for the decriminalisation of marijuana, wants to make it easier for Territorians to access medicinal cannabis.

He said $3000 per month was an “outrageous” amount of money to ask someone to pay to ease their discomfort.

“Like other prescription-type drugs, it’s used for pain medication and people that are suffering chronic pain, often are unable to work — how are they going to afford $3000 a month?” he said.

Mr Collins said the labelled the prices ‘mind boggling’.

An NT Health Department spokeswoman said there were no NT providers prescribing medicinal cannabis, and no Territorians had been prescribed the drug locally.

“There may of course be individual patients who have seen interstate specialists and have been part of the trials or been prescribed medicinal cannabis, but the NT Department of Health doesn’t have this information,” she said.

She was unable to address concerns about price, as costs would be negotiated directly with the supplier.

Originally published as Territorians forced to pay $3000 for medicinal cannabis