Medical cannabis in ACT would be ‘large drain on resources’

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A proposal to allow the use of medical marijuana in the ACT would be a “large drain” on the health directorate’s resources, according to the Territory’s top doctor.

Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury has proposed legislation to make cannabis available to terminally ill patients or those suffering chronic pain, and a Legislative Assembly Committee is now canvassing public opinion at a public hearing on the laws.

Acting chief health officer Andrew Pengilley told the committee that under the proposed bill, the Health Directorate would have to approve each individual patient’s use of medical marijuana.

“There will be a significant resource impost in running the scheme that we’re talking about here: a register, and processing all these applications,” he said.

“In an environment where we have a lot of other public health issues we want to direct resources to, this is going to be a large drain on those marginal resources.”

Dr Pengilley said he supported the compassionate intent behind the bill.

But he said there were not currently enough safeguards to ensure doctors could be sure the product they were recommending was fit for use.

“Because the street supply is aimed towards recreational use, it’s a very high THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] product with a high psychotropic effect,” he said.

“If you look at areas that have prescription supply such as the Netherlands, they have actually controlled the THC component of what’s available.”

Notes on drivers licence suggested by chief police officer

The ACT’s chief police officer Rudi Lamming also appeared before the hearing.

He said extra safeguards would be needed to prevent people taking medical marijuana from getting get behind the wheel of a car.

Chief Police Officer Lamming said a potential way to monitor the use of medical marijuana and ensure road safety was to have notes added to an individual’s drivers licence.

“When the cannabis was prescribed, for what use and what period of time, and whether or not there was a view from the medical practitioner that there was some advice given to the patient as to whether he or she should be even driving a vehicle,” he said.

“There are lots of things that go into this.”

Echoing Dr Pengilley’s concerns, the chief police officer said strict regulations on the production of medical cannabis would need to be enforced to ensure it was safer than the illicit version of the drug.

“The consistency in quality of the drug produced through a number of different manufacturers has to be well considered,” he said.

“So that you know that if you’re getting it from two or three different pharmacies under the same prescription, that each and every time you’re getting exactly the same drug.”