Loren W
18 Feb 2019
Melbourne Australia
Regardless if you are against, support, or pretend to support Cannabis for medical use in Australia it is a mess since Cannabis was almost legalised for medical use in 2016.
When the only way parents can get access in 2019 to medicine for their kids is via the black market then there is a problem.
Not since the 1984 comments by Hon. Ron Sackville views into his royal commission into drugs use and Cannabis has there been such a mess. Then he said simply Australia has misinterpreted the UN Single Use Act in that it was not about preventing medical or personal use of Cannabis only trafficking, and it should be legalised and regulated. The government ignored his suggestions then also.
Now in 2019, things are not much different.
Simple facts. – There have been over 2000 scripts for medical Cannabis since
2016 per the TGA/ODC.
Unfortunately, less than 2% of those scripts include “REAL” Cannabis per the
various legal suppliers.
“Real Cannabis” (per most the USA, United Nations, Canada etc, defines the
potency of REAL Cannabis as above 10% THC and usually low or no CBD.
In anti-Cannabis / pro pharmaceutical countries like Australia, they use a wider definition that includes all parts of Cannabis and even similar things, GMO, hemp, pharmaceuticals, CBD isolates / API / (Active pharmaceutical ingredients, and even synthetics as not even from a plant).
I myself was involved in the debate and had my own amendment accepted prior to Cannabis being legalised in 2016, in the Cannabis access bill around my suspicion this was coming so addressing my concerns. The government even agreed
“I also had a very comprehensive marked-up version of the legislation from Loren Wiener from the Australian Cannabis Law Reform Movement. His concerns were about the definition of cannabis, and these are also questions, I will ask on behalf of Loren in relation to the definition. His concern is that the definition of cannabis does not actually include or allow for the extent and range of types of cannabis plants there are and the issue about the mix of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol and whether that is covered in the legislation – Mary Wooldridge MP Shadow Liberal Health Minister – Victoria.
My concern and intent then, was that there was no process in the government to allow REAL Cannabis for medical use that was confirmed as 2016 progressed.
The evolution and resulting pharmaceutical support of the CBD Industry against REAL Cannabis is no accident as it is being supported by government, that bans or limits REAL Cannabis in all states of almost all conditions and no state supports REAL Cannabis for any medical use. The TGA even issues product sheets for all legal conditions and REAL Cannabis is not suggested for any either. This is what GPs often use or are supposed to, in reference to the correct Medical Cannabis product.
The result, Australia now is the world’s 2nd largest importer of Pharma CBD API from Canada and there is only 1 legal manufacturer / grower in Australia per Dr. Skerritt of the TGA / ODC they being in Western Australia and Government funded.
There is even a black market of the 2% of REAL Cannabis as some chemists are charging $60 a gm for flower what should be $23 a gram – still expensive vs the Canadian market that only charges $5 a gm. But about equal to the black market price of REAL Cannabis.
It is also ignored currently in Australia that the USA and others ignores the UN Single Use Act, Canada and Uruguay amended it, and Australia hides behind it with abandonment.
Now we are seeing state health officials calling
GPs to dissuade real Cannabis use for ANY conditions
The only good news is for the black market that is more and more empowered by
this mess and for organised crime pouring in with black market Cannabis black
market CBD, weapons and even more ICE.
For law reform this means a push to legalise REAL Cannabis for medical use is
not supported by the black market, most activists, pharma, the hemp industry or
government.
Labor ACT and NSW Bipartisan Cannabis bills are pending in early 2019, and even those against legislation of REAL Cannabis for personal use have to wonder if the medical cannabis regime mess is so bad that makes it harder for doctors to script REAL Cannabis that recreational is the only use.
UN Definition of Cannabis – http://bit.ly/UN-Cannabis-defined
Australia Definitions – http://bit.ly/What-Is-Cannabis-FED
As long as LEGAL Cannabis in Australia need not include REAL Cannabis and 98% of time does not, but can include pharma, GMO and even synthetics (as not from a plant at all) then, AUSTRALIA we have a problem.
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