Robert Celt
New Member
A medical cannabis campaigner is calling on the Tasmanian Government to adopt a multi-tiered approach to the growth of the product.
It comes after the State Government announced specialist medical practitioners would be allowed to prescribe the drug to patients suffering serious and chronic illness from next year.
Nicole Cowels' 10-year-old daughter Alice suffers from severe epileptic seizures, which are being treated with medicinal cannabis.
Ms Cowels has been campaigning for her right to legally use the product for more than two years.
She said while the announcement was a step in the right direction, there was still a long way to go.
"It's not an end point, it's a step forward," she said.
"We still have a long way to go, as far as Tasmania's access to medical cannabis."
Ms Cowels is calling for a tiered system for growing cannabis in Tasmania, an approach that incorporates individuals, and small and large-scale growers.
"I think it's really important to have different levels of access," she said.
"A grower might apply to a 20-plant licence so he is allowed to produce under some guidelines."
She said many current private growers had skill sets that would be an asset to the industry.
Government wants to encourage local industry
Tasmanian Health Minister Michael Ferguson has indicated there would be room for a local industry, as Commonwealth licences to lawfully grow medicinal cannabis are likely to be available next year.
"There's opportunity in this for Tasmanian industry and we'll be encouraging that," he said.
"We know of Tasmanian interest in wanting to be part of the solution here and the Tasmanian Government, through the Premier and myself, are encouraging that."
Opposition spokeswoman Lara Giddings welcomed the news but said parents who are currently treating epileptic children with medicinal cannabis have concerns about the pharmaceutical product when it becomes available.
"They are concerned that the pharmaceutical product will not be as good as the pure product they are producing today," she said.
"So we want to make sure that the product does go onto the market is as good as if not better than what epileptic children as being treated as as we speak."
Greens spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said access to the product was imperative.
"It's important that this treatment is available to people easily," she said.
"If it's approved, medicine at the federal level, then it should be simply a case of rolling it out to specialist prescribers in Tasmania without too many hoops to jump through at this end."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Tasmanian Medical Cannabis Campaigner Calls For 'Different Levels Of Access' To Drug
Author: Bianca Gurra
Contact: ABC
Photo Credit: Beth Nakamura
Website: ABC
It comes after the State Government announced specialist medical practitioners would be allowed to prescribe the drug to patients suffering serious and chronic illness from next year.
Nicole Cowels' 10-year-old daughter Alice suffers from severe epileptic seizures, which are being treated with medicinal cannabis.
Ms Cowels has been campaigning for her right to legally use the product for more than two years.
She said while the announcement was a step in the right direction, there was still a long way to go.
"It's not an end point, it's a step forward," she said.
"We still have a long way to go, as far as Tasmania's access to medical cannabis."
Ms Cowels is calling for a tiered system for growing cannabis in Tasmania, an approach that incorporates individuals, and small and large-scale growers.
"I think it's really important to have different levels of access," she said.
"A grower might apply to a 20-plant licence so he is allowed to produce under some guidelines."
She said many current private growers had skill sets that would be an asset to the industry.
Government wants to encourage local industry
Tasmanian Health Minister Michael Ferguson has indicated there would be room for a local industry, as Commonwealth licences to lawfully grow medicinal cannabis are likely to be available next year.
"There's opportunity in this for Tasmanian industry and we'll be encouraging that," he said.
"We know of Tasmanian interest in wanting to be part of the solution here and the Tasmanian Government, through the Premier and myself, are encouraging that."
Opposition spokeswoman Lara Giddings welcomed the news but said parents who are currently treating epileptic children with medicinal cannabis have concerns about the pharmaceutical product when it becomes available.
"They are concerned that the pharmaceutical product will not be as good as the pure product they are producing today," she said.
"So we want to make sure that the product does go onto the market is as good as if not better than what epileptic children as being treated as as we speak."
Greens spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said access to the product was imperative.
"It's important that this treatment is available to people easily," she said.
"If it's approved, medicine at the federal level, then it should be simply a case of rolling it out to specialist prescribers in Tasmania without too many hoops to jump through at this end."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Tasmanian Medical Cannabis Campaigner Calls For 'Different Levels Of Access' To Drug
Author: Bianca Gurra
Contact: ABC
Photo Credit: Beth Nakamura
Website: ABC
