New laws allow access for Queensland patients of any age

[Qwobbler]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-13/medicinal-cannabis-new-laws-allow-access-qld-patients-any-age/7927944

[Indycar]

It's good that it's not age restricted. But apart from that the only glimmer of hope is that the Bill will be reviewed in 2 years time.

[wannagrowbuds]

From a facebook campaigners page -

 

So you may have seen the shiny happy headlines yesterday, saying that from March next year, medical cannabis will be legal in Qld.

 

Here's what they DIDNT tell you.

Its a long post. Please read to the end so that you know what Qld really got!

 

Under the new legislation, anyone who is currently using cannabis for medical reasons, will remain a criminal.

This bill will not help a SINGLE person in Qld who has been fighting for amnesty or approval to use their current cannabis medicine.

 

Current patients using cannabis for medical purposes will NOT be covered under this bill. They will NOT become law abiding citizens.

They will remain criminals and the max penalty for having, using, making, supplying a cannabis medicine that is not covered under an approval (and none of the currently used products will be covered) will be 750 penalty units ($91, 425).

 

So the children who are seeing seizure reduction using cannabis medicine, arent going to be covered under this bill.

Children like Suli, who need urgent medical attention, but cant go to hospital because their cannabis medicine is not approved, wont be helped by this bill...not even if it was in force as of yesterday.

 

Adult patients currently using non pharma supplied cannabis medicines wont be law abiding citizens. They will remain criminals.

 

When the govt say medical cannabis, they dont mean what you think they mean. They ARENT talking about giving people access to cannabis for medical use (which is what people want).

They are talking about imported pharma products, that need an approval from the TGA and also from the Qld chief executive.

 

To the govt, "medical cannabis" = a pharma product, by prescription from a specialist, bought from a pharmacy.

 

From the Qld govt media release yesterday -

 

“Before they can be prescribed, medicinal cannabis products will still need to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration,” he [Cameron Dick] said.

 

"The use of cannabis without the appropriate approvals will continue to be illegal in Queensland."

 

Link here: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/10/12/queensland-leading-the-way-on-medicinal-cannabis

 

They will only allow people to have this as a LAST option and given the time it takes for an approval, IF you get an approval, many people will have passed away.

 

According to the Qld Health website -

 

"Medicinal cannabis will only be approved:

 

- if the patient has already tried the conventional treatments available and these have failed

AND

- the doctor provides evidence that medicinal cannabis is effective for the particular condition or symptoms.

 

These changes do not broadly legalise cannabis. Any cannabis grown, supplied or used outside of the proposed regulatory framework, at the commonwealth and state levels, will remain illegal, regardless of the motive."

 

Qld Health link here: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/10/12/queensland-leading-the-way-on-medicinal-cannabis

 

From the Qld govt website -

 

Approval

 

Medicinal cannabis will only be approved if you have already tried the conventional treatments available and these have failed. Your doctor will need to provide scientific evidence that medicinal cannabis is effective for your condition or symptoms.

 

As there are currently no businesses licensed to manufacture medicinal cannabis in Australia, these products need to be imported. This requires both State and Commonwealth approval:

 

Queensland Health: approves the prescription and dispensing of medicinal cannabis for your treatment

Therapeutic Goods Administration: approves medicinal cannabis products to be imported and for your doctor or pharmacist to supply the product to you.

Medicinal cannabis is not on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) so you will need to pay for all expenses.

 

Link here; https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/all/medicinal-cannabis/index.html

 

We arent sure if there is any Dr in this country who can provide the required scientific evidence given that the govt say there is no evidence and call the evidence "anecdotal".

 

Other things they didnt tell you.

 

The Qld chief executive can do a criminal history check on you before deciding on your application.

Is there ANY other medication or treatment in this country that is approved or denied on the basis of someone's criminal history?

 

If you get approval and live long enough to get an expensive imported product, you will have to keep in depth and extensive records in the form of a medical cannabis plan.

 

You will only be able to get a weeks worth of your medicine from an approved pharmacist at a time.

 

If you get your product, and it doesnt work for you or your child, or the dosage needs changing, you need a new approval.

 

The approval expires annually.

 

So what did Qld really get?

 

Continuation of cannabis prohibition.

 

A bill that makes pharmaceutical cannabis products a last resort.

 

A bill that makes it almost impossible for anyone to actually use a "medical cannabis" product while they are alive.

 

A bill that continues to make it illegal to use whole plant cannabis medicines that are already made in Australia, safe and effective.

 

A bill that forces people to use pharmaceutical products that will cost thousands of dollars and might not even work because every patient is different, what works for some, wont work for others.

 

This is not progressive legislation, this is cruel and inhumane.

 

Welcome to Qld, where they will squeeze the last dollar out of you before you die, no matter how long you have to suffer for before that!

 

Imagine having to go through this before you can get a script from your Dr for ANY other restricted or controlled medicine.

Morphine, fentanyl, endone, oxycontin, valium, midazolam...the list goes on and on of drugs that are actually dangerous but do not have any of these absurd conditions attached.

People have cupboards full of these drugs and nobody checks on them.

That will not be the case with "medical cannabis".

 

Cannabis has NO recorded lethal dose in humans, unlike every other drug that people can get from their Dr, yet will be almost impossible for anyone to access.

 

This is not about patients, its about pharma profits and control.

 

Please share so that everyone knows what a scam this is!

[Indycar]

I've read a few articles today that had happened to have a couple of opinions from a current minister and a ex-minister and going by what they stated, they themselves appear to be clueless to what's actually contained in the bill. Which begs to question, how many current ministers actually have a grasp on what they approved yesterday? Going by what I read that these two muppets stated, they don't seemed to be too clued up at all. Scary times indeed.

[Gumby1]

i dont think any of them actually read it... they all just went medical cannabis yep yep.. sign sign ill be on that.

 

and i hate these words but....

 

EPIC FAIL!!.