Queensland Medical Marijuana 1 Step Closer

[Matanuska Thunder]

--good news from Brissy, and OMG common sense in the QLD gov -  when did that start?

 

 

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queensland-medicinal-marijuana-one-step-closer-as-committee-report-tabled-20161003-grtw83.html

 

Criminal history checks on doctors and patients should not be used to assess applications to access medical marijuana in Queensland, a parliamentary committee has argued.  The Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Committee has delivered its report on a bill which would create a formal process for Queensland doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

 

 

The Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016 proposed allowing the chief executive of Queensland Health to request a criminal history report on medical practitioners – and their patients – as part of the decision on whether they were a suitable person to prescribe or receive the drug. Several groups opposed the measure, arguing criminal history was not relevant in a clinical determination of a patient's medical treatment, and could discriminate against patients with old or minor convictions.

 

The Queensland Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies pointed out that medical practitioners already needed criminal history checks as part of their registration process. The committee said Queensland Health had not provided sufficient justification for the use of criminal history checks, and recommended references to criminal history be removed from the bill.

"The committee shares submitters' concerns about the appropriateness of a practitioner's and patient's criminal history being a determining factor in the treatment of a patient's medical condition," the report reads.

"The committee understands that criminal history checks are not undertaken on patients when determining appropriate treatment in any other circumstances in Queensland."

 

There is evidence to suggest medicinal cannabis can help patients with multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, epilepsy with severe seizures, HIV and AIDS-related symptoms and chronic pain, the report states.

Under the proposal, medical marijuana would be dispensed by approved pharmacists. 

The Sunshine State could become home to cannabis farming, with home-grown products expected to be cheaper and quicker to access than those sourced overseas. Home-grown cultivation and manufacturing may create agricultural and business opportunities for Queensland, the report says.

"The committee recommends that the Queensland government, through the lead department – the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries – prioritise its investigation into options to obtain a licence to cultivate and manufacture medicinal cannabis in Queensland," the report reads.

Medicinal Cannabis Australia had stated: "There is the perfect weather in Queensland to cultivate; why not show the rest of Australia how it can be done?"

The committee recommended the bill be passed.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Matanuska Thunder

[..............................]

Good news!

 

is there a QLD election coming up?

[Indycar]

We're about mid-term between State elections in Queensland.

 

But yeah, it's good to see this proposed legislation use a common sense approach with this matter. Sorta gives you a little faith (not much) in the system.

[Ford Fairlane]

Just to be clear, it is not looking as good as the media has made it out.. 

 

From Queensland's "medical Cannabis Advisory Group:

 

COMMITTEE REPORT: RECOMMENDS TO PASS QLD LABOUR'S NON MANDATED CANNABIS BILL

QLD LABOUR FAILS PATIENTS AND INDUSTRY AS QLD HEALTH AND OTHER VESTED INTERESTS CONTINUE TO MISLEAD AND DECEIVE PARLIAMENT AND THE PUBLIC

Last Friday the report into Labour's Cannabis Bill was tabled in Queensland Parliament.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

1. that the Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016 be passed.

2. that the Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016 be amended to remove references to criminal history from clauses 10 and 11 and omit clauses 28 to 31, which provide for the chief executive to request a criminal history report about an applicant for an approval for medicinal cannabis or a patient.

3. that the Queensland Government, through the lead department – the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, prioritise its investigation of options for obtaining a licence to cultivate and manufacture medicinal cannabis in Queensland.

Statement of Reservation - Non Government (Non Labour) members

Mark McArdle, MP for Caloundra, Sid Cramp, Gaven and David Janezki, South Toowoomba co-signed a Statement of Reservation oultining concerns about Queensland Health duplicating the TGA assessment process.

"The question needs to be fully explained as to whether a duplication exists, more importantly if the duplication existis why it exists, and critically if that duplication does exist what steps the government is taking to rectify the concerns raised. The question is how do we steamline this process to ensure that there is not overlap between the two bodies and delay the delivery of therapeutic goods to a patient in need." See pages 46-47 for the full statement.

Mark McArdle was the only committee member who contacted us to discuss the issue of Q Health duplicating the SAS process.

This Bill and the inquiry was not about the rights of sick and dying patients in Queenland or their right to access cannabis in a timely manner, or their legal and human rights to be respected and recognised as patients under health law instead of being targeted as criminals under the Drugs Misuse Act.

The report contains a number of inaccuracies, contradictions, and false and misleading statements, and apart from the recommendation to omit criminal history checks, and the statement of reservation about the duplication of the TGA process, the committee falied to take into consideration relevant information, and placed weight on irrelevant, misleading or inaccurate information.

There was no justification provided for the state to impose more barriers to access cannabis than S 8 drugs of addiction such as morphine, fentanyl and methadone or justification for introducing this 143 page Bill which will only replace 8 pages of almost identical medical cannabis provisions currently in use under the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation.

NO JUSTIFICATION TO LEAVE PATIENTS AS CRIMINALS WITH NO ACCESS TO LABS TO TEST THEIR CANNABIS

The committee had a complete lack of regard for calls from advocates for a state wide medical cannabis program with approvals from health which would exempt patients and carers from criminal charges under the Drugs Misuse Act, or for the important health and safety issue of allowing patient access to state laboratories to test their own cannabis or to test the cannabis that many are forced to obtain from the black market.

BILL ONLY PROTECTS AND SERVES VESTED INTERESTS

The committee relied mainly on self serving evidence from QLD Health and a minority of elitist doctors, and evidence from a number of other submitters with no standing in QLD, and who have vested financial interests with the NSW research trials and NSW industry.

The sole purpose of Labour's Bill is to ensure that access to cannabis via the SAS for actual patient use is delayed or blocked as patient access for actual use interferes with the self serving agendas of those with interests in $60 million of research trials being conducted by researchers in NSW and QLD on behalf of NSW industry and overseas companies lining up for commercial cultivation, manufacturing and supply licences from the Federal government's Office of Drug Control and the TGA.

STATE DUPLICATION OF TGA PROCESS AND TAXPAYER FUNDED QLD HEALTH SELF APPOINTED PANEL

The Government (Labour) members dismissed relevant issues of concern raised by patients and carers who have first hand experience with the SAS and how the state is causing undue delays, serious harm and added financial costs under the current Health Regulations.

The committee have shown no justification for Queensland Health to be given excessive and discriminatory powers in this Bill to take up to 90 days to provide a response; or to make unlimited requests for further information, or to refer cases to an expert panel after the TGA have already granted a doctor SAS approval.

The committee have not acknowledged the additional time taken for the TGA and the import export process on top of the state process of up to 90 days.

No justification for the establishment of a tax payer funded self appointed panel who will only serve to come between the doctor and patient relationship and further delay or prevent access to cannabis via the SAS and authorised prescribers.

OTHER ISSUES

No justification for giving excessive and discriminatory powers to Q Health under an Act which will need to go back to Parliament for any amendments, rather than fixing the problems that exist now under almost identical cannabis provisions in 8 pages of regulations in the Health Regulations which can be amended by Cabinet at weekly meetings.

No regard for the lack of a definition for personal circumstances of the patient, or justification for QLD Health to take into account the patients' personal circumstances to access treatment via the SAS.

No justification for the unjust broadening of the long standing definition of drug dependent person that now includes among other things - social impairment.

NO MANDATE FOR BILL

The committee also had a complete lack of regard for almost 15,000 Queensland residents who signed our petitions calling on the government and QLD Parliament to specifically remove the full prohibition on cannabis when used for medical purposes in QLD by establishing a state medical cannabis program, and to stop criminalising patients and carers under the Drugs Misuse Act; and to stop duplicating the TGA SAS process at a state level.

Overall the committee listened to those with vested interests rather than listening to the patients and carers who are adversely affected now by the Drugs Misuse Act and the medical cannabis provisions under the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulations.

We thank those few contributors who raised their genuine concerns about the issues that impact on patients and carers in QLD.

We are completely disgusted by those who used the Queensland inquiry and the cannabis debate in general to protect and further their own personal agendas at the expense of the health and welfare of patients and carers.

It may have been a very different outcome if these witnesses were compelled to provide evidence under subpoena and cross examination in the Supreme Court instead of under Labour's bias and deceptive inquiry.

YOU CAN READ THE FULL REPORT HERE

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/…/Table…/2016/5516T1630.pdf