AUS: Never-before-seen footage of Victoria's medicinal cannabis crop

[Jabberwocky]

New footage of Victoria’s medicinal cannabis crop has been released, along with a promise the treatment will “change so many lives”.

Premier Daniel Andrews shared the footage of the first approved Australian crop to his Facebook page today, after Victoria became the first state to legalise cannabis for medical use.

The video shows forensic testers pruning and drying the crop before it is pressed into oil.

More than 150 plants were delivered to the Melbourne-based Cann group, which was the first company issued with a licence to be able to grow medicinal cannabis in Australia.

Other crops have also been approved in Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales.

In March, the Andrews Government spent almost $1 million to import the product from Canada to treat 29 children with severe epilepsy, with the wait for locally-produced cannabis then thought to be too long.

Victoria’s locally produced crop is made at a secret location and will be produced in oil, capsule, vapour and spray forms.

Research has proven that medicinal cannabis, cannabidiol, can significantly reduce convulsive seizures in children with severe epilepsy.

The international study, published earlier this year in The New England Journal of Medicine, focused on Dravet syndrome, a severe epilepsy beginning in infancy where children experience drug-resistant seizures.

Earlier this year, Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the next stage would be to determine which adults would be eligible for treatment with medicinal cannabis.


Video link: http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...victoria-crop-new-footage#gjiZiQLsESBUBPi9.99

 

[poledriver]

Don’t weaken medical cannabis regulation, Health Products Regulation Group warns

A SENIOR drugs regulator has warned that a push to weaken medical cannabis regulation could lead to people attempting to bring “a suitcase” full of the illegal and potentially deadly substance through customs.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie is attempting to team with One Nation and the Greens to overturn a ban on doctors prescribing treatments that aren’t registered but are otherwise readily available.

She will move to repeal the law that forces terminally-ill patients to source medical cannabis only from registered growers.

“This is a small step towards treating terminally-ill people with a little humanity and

dignity for their last days on this Earth,” Senator Lambie said.

“If your doctor thinks medicinal cannabis could help, the government should get out of the way and let the doctor do their job.”

Health Products Regulation Group deputy secretary John Skerritt has warned that sourcing the product from non-regulated growers or from overseas could lead to major issues.

“The challenge with medicinal cannabis products is, of course, that they vary hugely in the concentration of THC,” Dr Skerrit told a senate estimates hearing.

Health minister Greg Hunt has warned people have died overseas from unsafe medicinal cannabis products.

He said a previous attempt — which was supported by Labor — to repeal the law would have undermined the local, regulated and safe medicinal cannabis industry that is starting to develop.

It comes as hundreds of children will have access to medicinal cannabis in Victoria from August with the state government delivering up to 160 plants.

Premier Daniel Andrews today released never-before-seen footage of the cultivation of the cannabis crop.

“This treatment is going to change so many lives. Share if you support it,” Mr Andrews posted on his Facebook page.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...s/news-story/0fcea9f1da42eb80ad17df0ae999ef83

 

[poledriver]

could lead to people attempting to bring “a suitcase” full of the illegal and potentially deadly substance through customs.

What? How is cannabis deadly?

dignity for their last days on this Earth,” Senator Lambie said.

Why can't the rest of us adults who aren't dying use cannabis though?

 

[someguyoz]

It still going to be extremely heavily restricted to only a narrow class of patients, with many Govt hoops to jump through.

I'm very glad if those with terminal conditions will be able to get much-needed relief, but speaking as someone who's had severe chronic pain for 16 years, its not gonna be me lol

 

[herbavore]

@"a suitcase full of the deadly substance".