Page 2286 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2016
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The government will also establish a medicinal cannabis advisory group to provide advice to government on the broader economic, legal and social issues related to the introduction of a medicinal cannabis scheme. This group will also provide advice to the government on research and economic opportunities which may be created as a result of this scheme.
The ACT has a long history of forward thinking and measured drug reform and the scheme continues that record. While Victoria and others may have started first, I have no doubt that with the ingenuity and knowledge that we have in our city we will be able to quickly and expertly develop a scheme and deliver medicines to the people of Canberra and that we can become a national and, potentially, global leader in medicinal cannabis policy, research and medicine.
The ACT government is committed to the implementation of a medicinal cannabis scheme which will deliver effective and trusted treatment to those Canberrans who need it, clear guidance for practitioners and the opportunity to develop a research specialisation to promote research into medicinal cannabis. We have already started the work. I look forward to providing future updates to the Assembly and to the community on our progress towards this goal in 2017.
I would also like to take the opportunity, having been part of the standing committee on health last year for the inquiry into Minister Rattenbury’s draft bill, to thank Minister Rattenbury for putting this issue on the agenda with the Assembly last year and also thank our colleagues on this side of the chamber, including Mr Hinder, who was the chair of the Labor Party health policy committee and who has also been leading work internally on this matter for some time.
I present the following paper:
Medicinal Cannabis Scheme—Ministerial statement, 4 August 2016.
I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.37): I will make just a few brief remarks but I would like to acknowledge the statement that Minister Fitzharris has just given. I think this is a significant breakthrough to allow sick and dying people to access cannabis as a medical treatment.
There has been discussion about the use of cannabis for medical purposes in the ACT for some time now. When I first put the legislation forward over two years ago I think at the time there was uncertainty and hesitation. We have come a long way in that time and I really welcome the fact that others have come on board and are supporting this and that we are now moving to a place of implementation. Now that the ACT government has made this decision we do need to see it acted upon genuinely and swiftly.
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