The chairman of an Australian company that plans to grow and export cannabis has welcomed the Federal Government’s plan to legalise the cultivation of the drug for medicinal purposes, saying it opens the door for the venture to go ahead.
Former Liberal MP Mal Washer heads up the company AusCann, which plans to grow cannabis on the self-governed Norfolk Island and export it to an international market.
Earlier this year the company was granted production approval but it was later overturned by the island’s administrator who had concerns about the lack of a regulating body to oversee the project.
Dr Washer said the new legislation solved that problem and would allow the venture to go ahead.
“Now the Health Department will become the regulating body for this so hopefully this will be reversed,” Dr Washer said.
“We want to be first off the springboard to make it happen for the sake of people.
“Hopefully we’ll get into production and that’ll enable us to provide some material for trials in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.”
WA Labor leader Mark McGowan has been campaigning for the legalisation of the drug for medical use.
He raised the issue at last year’s Labor Party state conference after meeting a young man in his Rockingham electorate who was seeking relief through cannabis while suffering a terminal illness.
“He was wasting away in pain and he sought relief through cannabis,” Mr McGowan said.
“His family and his carers knew. It was the only thing that helped him cope.”
The Opposition leader has welcomed the latest development from the Federal Government but said it was long overdue.
“I was the first political leader of a major political party in Australia to call for this and I did it 18 months ago,” he said.
“I would have liked it to have happened before now because in the interim some people have died and others have continued to suffer pain without effective management.”
He said as well as a win for chronic pain sufferers, the legislation would also provide an opportunity for WA to diversify its economy.
“This would be a small, but important industry if we took up the opportunity,” he said.
“West Australians are very good at agriculture and I think with the appropriate safeguards this would be a good industry for our state.”
Hames welcomes Federal Government’s move
WA Health Minister Kim Hames has also applauded the Federal Government’s move.
Earlier this year, the West Australian Government announced it would not conduct medicinal cannabis trials in WA, saying it would wait for the results of the NSW trials, due to start mid-next year.
Dr Hames said legalising medicinal cannabis production would greatly aid that process.
“Part of the problem they have is actually getting the product they need to do the trials with,” he said.
“So this announcement by the Federal Government is great news for those who suffer the long term effects of pain with cancer, epilepsy and medical conditions like that.”
Dr Hames said he was confident strict controls would ensure the drug was not made more accessible to recreational users.
“In the Victorian system, it’s only for certain medical conditions,” he said.
“I think that’s a suitable model and it reiterates the fact that all governments in Australia are strongly opposed to the recreational use of cannabis.”