Cannabis users in call for protection

CHANGES in laws relating to growing medicinal cannabis come into effect today but users dependent on the drug for pain relief say not enough is being done to assist them to get access to the help they need.

Kingston mum Nicole Cowles uses a cannabinoid tincture to help treat daughter Alice’s seizures. Picture: KIM EISZELE

CHANGES in laws relating to growing medicinal cannabis come into effect today but users dependent on the drug for pain relief say not enough is being done to assist them to get access to the help they need.

Farmers will this week be able to apply for a permit to grow cannabis for use in medicinal products.

And the State Government is on track to allow doctors to prescribe the drug next year.

But a local medicinal cannabis campaigner has called the State Government naive for not providing a more immediate response for Tasmanians using the drug for medicinal reasons. From Tuesday, cannabis will be reclassified from a prohibited drug to a controlled one, opening up the opportunities for Tasmanian farmers to apply for a licence to grow the crop.

Health Minister Michael Ferguson has told the Sunday Tasmanian that farmers will need to meet a high standard of security around the crop and demonstrate that protections are in place to prevent any part of the crop or its products being diverted to illegal uses.

“The Australian Government will be fully responsible for running the licence scheme but arrangements are in place to ensure close links to local law enforcement and to ensure that crops are only grown in appropriate locations.”

Health Minister Michael Ferguson. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Kingston woman Nicole Cowles has been using a cannabinoid tincture to help treat the seizures that have plagued her daughter Alice since infancy.

Ms Cowles said the Government needed to provide greater protection for local users and a registration scheme that could start immediately.

“I think the Government should have an access scheme where we have patients register and there can be registered growers and suppliers,” she said.

Ms Cowles said people were accessing cannabis from a “growing underground”, where there was no quality control and laws were being broken.

Mr Ferguson said the State Government was on track to establish a controlled access scheme to allow Tasmanians with serious, unresponsive medical conditions to access medicinal cannabis products when prescribed by a specialist doctor.

He has warned these steps have nothing to do with legalising general use of the drug.

“Later next week, Labor will debate a motion at its state conference to decriminalise cannabis and give a free pass to drug dealers and criminals,” he said.

“We want to make sure that where there is a medical need, we look at that but we also know that cannabis is a dangerous gateway drugand we absolutely oppose decriminalisation.’’

Originally published as Cannabis users in call for protection