Medicinal cannabis imported for critically ill Victorian children

MEDICINAL cannabis has been imported by the Victorian government and given to critically ill children for the first time.

The cannabis was imported to fast-track the treatment for 29 severely ill children.

MEDICINAL cannabis has been imported by the Victorian government and given to critically ill children for the first time.

The cannabis has been imported from Canada ahead of a locally grown crop becoming available in the middle of the year.

The Andrews Government decided to import the cannabis to fast-track the treatment for 29 severely ill children suffering from multiple seizures every day.

Ally Tregent’s five-year-old daughter Gemma, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and epilepsy, has already begun taking the cannabidiol oral solution.

Ms Tregent said she should find out within the next few months whether the medication would limit or stop her daughter’s seizures.

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“She has seizures most of the day and night. We have tried multiple medications, with some success but never enough to say ‘yeah, we’ve got it’,” she said.

“We were up to nine anti-seizure medications and we still didn’t have it under control, so we’re hoping that with this new medication we will get a better result and Gemma can attend school.”

She said her daughter had begun taking the medication in a very small dose which would be gradually increased over the next month.

“By then we should be able to find out if it’s actually going to slow any of the seizures or at least decrease the severity of them,” she said.

“There’s no guarantee with any medication, we’re just hoping for the best.”

The State Government has harvested Australia’s first medical cannabis crop, which will be reserved for kids with severe epilepsy.

Premier Daniel Andrews said it was too important to wait for the locally produced cannabis, which was now being tested but not ready for patients.

“On compassionate grounds and on the advice of some legal experts we’ve been able to import some product and we’re able to make sure patients like Gemma and others can get the care they need,” Mr Andrews said.

“This is the first time in Victoria kids with severe epilepsy will be able to legally access medicinal cannabis.”

The cost of importing the drugs for a year would be about $1 million.

Opposition health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge said she couldn’t understand why the government was paying to import the drugs.

“Why is the taxpayer paying for cannabis when many other lifesaving and critically needed drugs families have to pay for themselves?” Ms Woldridge said.­

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