Ministers unite in opposition to medical marijuana trials

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Key Tasmanian Government ministers are standing firm against the idea of growing and processing medical cannabis in the state.

Tasman Health Cannabinoids has been lobbying the Government to consider a medical cannabis trial, to be co-run with the University of Tasmania.

The company’s proposal would see the cultivation of a small crop of a medical marijuana being processed and administered to cancer sufferers to alleviate chemotherapy-induced nausea and appetite loss.

Yesterday, the Health Minister Michael Ferguson said he was unconvinced of the trail’s merit and held concerns about safety, security and the potential for social harm of promoting a cannabis medicines industry.

Today, both the Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff and the State Growth Minister Matthew Groom also expressed their disapproval.

Mr Rockcliff, who holds Primary Industry portfolio, said that a medical cannabis industry would pose a threat to Tasmania’s well-established poppy industry.

“We don’t want to risk the poppy industry as a result of going down the medical cannabis path,” he said, without elaborating.

Mr Rockcliff rejected suggestions the state was missing out.

“We are not missing an opportunity at all,” he said.

Cannabis no way to create jobs: Matthew Groom

Meanwhile, Mr Groom said it would not be an appropriate way to create jobs.

“We don’t think that marijuana-related products are what we should be focused on in the first instance in terms of growing jobs,” he said.

Those jobs could well go to New South Wales, as a group of MPs from that state are in Tasmania on a fact-finding mission.

Dr Mal Washer, the chairman of Tasman Health Cannabinoids said he was disappointed at his proposal being rejected.

His company had chosen Tasmania for the trial because of the state’s record of growing poppies for the pharmaceutical industry in a safe and regulated environment.

He said Mr Ferguson was a compassionate man but he was not clear on the reasons the trial had been rejected.

Dr Washer said there were no suitable drugs on the market to ease the suffering of cancer patients after chemotherapy.

Tasman Health Cannabinoids CEO Troy Langman has described medical cannabis as a “billion-dollar industry” and said Tasmania would be forgoing the chance to pave the way in a growing market.

“The whole reason why we are doing this is to alleviate suffering and Tasmania could lead the way there,” he said.

Mixed messages on rejection of trial, say Greens

Greens MP Cassy O’Connor said it was hard to understand the reason for rejecting the trial.

“We’ve got two different cabinet ministers saying very different things about why we should not have medicinal cannabis trials in Tasmania,” she said.

“The Health Minister is concerned about security and safety, the Minister for Primary Industry is concerned about the poppy industry but not giving strong reasons for that.

“They are very different products, very different markets and I don’t think the reasons given by either minister are good enough, nor are they clear enough.”

She challenged Mr Ferguson to meet cancer patients.

“I think the minister should come out and face Tasmanians and explain in person why he made the decision and talk to those Tasmanians who going through chemotherapy, who are anorexic as a result because they can’t eat.

“We know that medical cannabis provides significant relief to people who can’t eat.”