The ACDP notes the Medical Control Council’s working group on cannabis’s expressed intention to publish proposed guidelines on cannabis production for medicinal use following its presentation to the council last week.
The ACDP has been aware that the IFP have left no stone unturned in their quest to honour the late Mario Ambrosini’s passion to see cannabis legalised and we respect their right to do so. It has been a contentious issue as Mr Ambrosini was fighting for cannabis use beyond medicinal purposes to include recreational use and the ACDP has strong objections to encouraging recreational cannabis use. We have been pleased to note, therefore, the IFP’s willingness to withdraw regarding non-medicinal use.
The publishing of proposed guidelines is a step in the direction of finding consensus regarding the constraints and conditions under which the manufacture of cannabis for medicinal use should be managed if approved.
The ACDP expects that once the proposed guidelines are published, a transparent process involving opportunity for public comment should follow. We call on the department to ensure the public do not feel shut out of this process in any way and have ample time to state their position and or concerns.
Mr Ambrosini placed the debate over cannabis use in the spotlight in Parliament in 2014, making a direct, impassioned plea to Parliament and the president to decriminalise its use. He lost his battle with lung cancer six months later.
The current framework allows for use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, but under strict regulations which include requesting permission from the Medical Control Council for use in certain exceptional circumstances by registered medical practitioners. Patients may also only use it under supervision.
The guidelines to be published will deal with how, specifically, the drug can be produced for medical use.
Cannabis oil use has been debated widely with advocates of medicinal cannabis claiming its effectiveness in pain management and treatment of disease which even Mario Ambrosini’s story cannot uphold. Despite submitting fully to cannabis treatment, he still ended up tragically taking his own life in a violent manner as the disease got the better of him.
Those with serious concerns regarding easier access to cannabis are mostly concerned with the disturbing impact on the minds of young people and the undermining of workplace productivity – both of which impact not only on the health but on the economy of a nation.
One in six young people who try cannabis become addicted, a higher rate than for alcohol. Cannabis today is six times more potent than 30 years ago, so it’s easier to get hooked and high.