Aus - Skinner softens stance on medicinal cannabis

[poledriver]

Aus - Skinner softens stance on medicinal cannabis

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has softened her stance on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes saying she supports a proposed trial of home-grown pot.

Tasmanian company Tasman Health Cannabinoids has applied for a licence to grow cannabis to conduct a clinical study in conjunction with the University of Tasmania.

“I am advised there is a proposal seeking approval to extract the non-hallucinogenic component from cannabis grown in Tasmania with a view to clinical trials to prove its safety and effectiveness. I support this approach,” Ms Skinner said.

Tasman Health Cannabinoids CEO Troy Langman said with the go ahead, they could provide high grade cannabis for medical purposes within four months.

“It will be grown indoors under a highly secure environment similar to the security protocols in Canada,” Mr Langman said. “The relative isolation of Tasmania also provides a natural security advantage.”

Tasmania is already the world’s largest producer of opium alkaloids for the pharmaceutical market, producing 50 per cent of the world’s concentrated poppy for morphine and related opiates.

The NSW government has faced increasing criticism from experts for rejected the findings of a cross party committee last year which recommended legalising cannabis for the terminally ill.

The government just needs to get over its war on drugs mindset, I mean more people die from Panadol

Emeritus Professor of Anaesthesia Laurence Mather from the University of Sydney said there was overwhelming evidence medicinal cannabis worked from an analgesic point of view as did morphine, a derivative of heroin, yet one was available to patients and the other not.

“We grow poppies for morphine and codeine so one drug is available for medicinal use and another not,” Prof Mather said.

“I’ve worked on cannabis for 40 years and from an analgesic point of view it fits in and it has fewer side effects that morphinoids (morphine-based drugs) like oxycodone which have the ability to kill, an overdose has the potential to be lethal, but you can’t overdose on cannabis,” he said.

“The government just needs to get over its war on drugs mindset, I mean more people die from Panadol,” Prof Maher said.

The Sunday Telegraph brought the issue of medicinal cannabis to the fore with the story of Dan Haslam, a 24-year-old terminally ill man who is forced to break the law by purchasing illegal marijuana to treat the severe nausea brought on by his fortnightly chemotherapy treatments. Cannabis allows him to quell the crippling nausea so he can eat and maintain his weight.

Mr Haslam has overwhelming support from the public, as well as the local police, former federal police commissioner Mick Palmer, former premier Bob Carr, and federal MP Barnaby Joyce. NSW local member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has proposed a bill to introduce legalised medicinal cannabis.

Ms Skinner has remained firm in her support only for the pharmaceutical product Sativex, a pharmacological cannabis drug which is approved by the TGA, but not available in Australia. Sativex is criticised for being too expensive.

DR Alex Wodak from St Vincent’s hospital said Sativex was out of reach for most.

“At an estimated cost of $800 a month it would be unaffordable for most and especially for people who are elderly, frail, ill and have eroded their life savings,” he said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...dicinal-cannabis/story-fni0cx12-1226953524466

 

[poledriver]

The Sunday Telegraph brought the issue of medicinal cannabis to the fore with the story of Dan Haslam, a 24-year-old terminally ill man who is forced to break the law by purchasing illegal marijuana to treat the severe nausea brought on by his fortnightly chemotherapy treatments. Cannabis allows him to quell the crippling nausea so he can eat and maintain his weight.

This is Dan's story -

We are just an ordinary family in an unenviable position. I know that people will judge us, but as a parent, I would like to put forward the reasons why I feel the decriminalisation of medicinal cannabis should be revisited by our State and Federal Government. For my family this is a matter of urgency.

On 5th February 2010 our beautiful son, Dan had a colonoscopy because he had some rectal bleeding. At age 20 we thought that maybe he had an inflammatory bowel problem. Within a very short period our lives fell apart as he was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. The adenocarcinoma had spread to his liver. His liver at that time was inoperable.

For four years he has endured multiple major surgeries to his bowel, liver and peritoneum, almost continuous chemotherapy, oncothermia (In Germany), and radiation. He has battled anticipatory nausea where just the thought of chemotherapy would cause him to vomit before he had even left home to go to the clinic for treatment. He would be hospitalised after chemotherapy to give him fluids because his vomiting was so debilitating. His routine, post chemotherapy was to lie still and quiet in a dark hospital room for a couple of days, having only IV fluids. This became the only way he could get through each cycle of chemotherapy. To watch this every fortnight as a parent was absolutely soul destroying. For those who are familiar with the cancer battle, the need to maintain your weight is imperative. Each cycle Dan would lose 5 kilos on chemo week and spend the next week trying to put it back on before his next treatment. The cycle of depression became indelibly linked to chemotherapy treatment and made us all feel powerless.

Dan has also experienced the battle of withdrawals when weaning off OxyContin and Endone which he was prescribed for pain following his liver and peritoneal resections. During this very dark time the withdrawals from these dangerous drugs caused him to become suicidal. None of the medical staff prepared us adequately for the side effects and experience of drug withdrawals from opioids. It was a nightmare.

Last year I was fortunate enough to come across a wonderful man who has himself recently battled bowel cancer. Dwone from 360 Fitness Club (DJ to many) has become a great support to Dan, and to my family. Dan and DJ share common interests and experiences. Dan had been studying Sport Science at University when he became sick and he has always tried very hard to maintain a high level of fitness throughout his cancer treatment. DJ’s support has been amazing and he has become the person I go to when I think Dan is struggling and needs a bit of support. There is a special bond that seems to develop between cancer sufferers (including survivors) the value of which cannot be understated in terms of peer support and empathy.

One day DJ phoned me with a suggestion… he knew Dan was pretty low as a recent scan had showed the cancer had spread to his bone. He introduced the topic cautiously, not knowing how I would react. He suggested Dan try some cannabis as a way of managing his nausea and his poor appetite. He was quick to qualify that he was not a “druggie” as he relayed his own battles during chemotherapy. He said that it had really helped him and he felt sure it would help Dan too. That day was another game changer…….Dan started to use cannabis immediately after chemotherapy.

Dan still has his chemo every fortnight. He has antiemetic medication with his chemotherapy as normal. As soon as he gets home he has a small amount of cannabis and has something to eat. To see this is nothing short of miraculous. He has not vomited since he has been having the cannabis after chemotherapy. He does not use a large amount of the cannabis and specifically uses it to manage his symptoms. The battle to maintain his weight is no longer an issue because he can eat as normal. Importantly, Dan has got some power and control back over a situation whereby previously he had no control.

Dan did not just blindly start using cannabis. He is a sensible and intelligent young man. He and I began to research the use of medicinal cannabis. We found out many interesting facts…

Most importantly for Dan, we discovered that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that cannabis oil is useful as a treatment for advanced cancer. When you are 24 and have a diagnosis such as Dan’s the very possibility that there is a potential cure for your terminal disease is a form of hope that the doctors are no longer offering. Hope is a concept that is imperative to quality of life for the human spirit. The fact that cannabis is illegal is a complication but certainly not enough reason to not try to make this treatment available to him. Dan has now been using cannabis oil on a regular basis in the hope that the cannabinoids will act on a cellular level and help to destroy the cancer cells. Many will say that this is “clutching at straws” but if it provides hope and medical science is not offering much else what have we got to lose? I am firmly guided by my conscience and will support him with all my might.

The other important thing that we learned is that there was a recent NSW Parliamentary enquiry into the use of medicinal cannabis, the findings of which were released last May. On reading this lengthy document I became hopeful that there was a high degree of support for the decriminalisation of cannabis for the terminally ill. Sad to say that despite unanimous support by all members of this senate committee, who incidentally came from all political persuasions, our Health Minister Jillian Skinner decided to completely disregard the recommendations and put this important issue on the backburner as has been done many times before. The inordinate waste of tax payer funds, not to mention the waste of time and energy by the hundreds of participants should be called into question. To put this important subject away for review in 2 years is preposterous. Unanimous support was given following this Senate inquiry. A review is going to come to the same conclusions as it has in past reviews. What are politicians so scared of that makes them disregard those who need it now?

Decriminalisation of cannabis for use by a specific and small group of terminally ill and suffering people should not be confused with the promotion of recreational use of cannabis. My family has always been anti-recreational drug use. My husband had served in the Police force for 35 years including the drug squad and major crime squads. We raised our three sons to believe that recreational drug use is harmful in every way and I stand by that belief today.

The laws as they stand at the present time have turned my family into criminals as we try to manage debilitating cancer symptoms and to try and get rid of this hideous disease. There are so many people who would benefit from this natural substance. Cancer, Epilepsy, chronic pain sufferers and Aids sufferers are just to name a few. Dan has minimal and very manageable side effects from its use, yet he is a criminal for using it. He can however use prescribed drugs that are highly addictive, dangerous and have very detrimental side effects which create a whole new range of problems for him to try and deal with. Where is the common sense and more importantly where is the duty of care to do the best by our loved ones? Is this really the best that Australia can do because people are ignorant and afraid to make politically sensitive decisions?

Cannabis should be treated like any other prescribed, restricted substance. Daniel should be supported and supervised by his Government, Doctors and Pharmacist instead of having to try and manage the sourcing, preparation and dosage alone. Dan struggles on a daily basis to try and titrate the dose that is right for him. As parents and carers we should be supported instead of fearing criminal prosecution and coping with the added stress of trying to buy cannabis illegally.

The mother in me is certainly not ready to give up on such a dynamic and inspirational young man and I challenge the NSW Health Minister and the NSW Premier to offer Daniel and the thousands of others in the same position the opportunity to tackle their disease in whatever manner that they feel is best for them instead of turning their back on them. Don’t continue to treat families like ours as criminals. Cancer is stressful enough, it would be great to be supported by those who truly can make a difference.

http://dansstory.com.au

 

[poledriver]

A History of Prohibition

By Vic Tharenou

The world is changing, right before our eyes. For the first time since Nixon, drug policy throughout the world is being discussed in an open, honest and scientific way. The United States are beginning to follow in the footsteps of countries like Portugal, Uruguay and the Netherlands, in easing the prohibition of Cannabis. Against a backdrop of doom and gloom painted by conservative pundits, that states involved are experiencing an economic boom while the economy as a whole continues to struggle.

Yet in Australia there has been no mention of what is now a worldwide push to end the War on Drugs, and in the current political climate there is little appetite for addressing an issue which can be so easily converted into political point scoring. So in the interest of bringing about debate in this country, one which is based on facts and not fear, understanding where prohibition began seems like a good place to start.

Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist who joined Captain Cook’s voyage of 1770 brought the first recorded Hemp seeds to Australia. For the next 150 years, successive governments supported its’ cultivation through land gifts and grants, as it was seen as being of high commercial significance. Cannabis use was widespread at the time according to accounts from that period. One of Australia’s earliest poets Marcus Clarke wrote about the drug in his short story Cannabis Indica. There are extensive records of early Australian Government correspondence regarding the Cannabis crops of the time, and the “utmost luxurience” with which they grew, as described by Governor Phillip King at the time. Australia also has its own native sub species of hemp, Cannabis Australis – which is now listed as critically endangered.

Fast forward to 1937, Reefer Madness begins to taken hold. Enter newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst.

This is where the tale takes a turn towards the conspiratorial. The story goes that in 1937 America, a campaign of fear and misinformation was created to paint both Hemp and Cannabis in a negative light for reasons that were far based in science.

Newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst was fighting the Hemp industry due to the development of a machine known as a Decorticator. The machine was patented by George Schlichton in 1917 and was set to revolutionise the Hemp industry, which Popular Mechanics editorialised was going to be the first Billion dollar industry of the 20th century in its 1938 issue, before Cannabis prohibition.

It’s important at this point to distinguish that Hemp is a non-psychoactive form of Cannabis. It cannot be used to get high, but has countless applications in manufacturing, construction and can also be used for foods, oils and supplements. It is legal to grow Hemp in Australia.

Returning to the story of the Decorticator, the machine itself would strip the Hemp plant of the parts not used in the manufacturing process, leaving the fibrous stalk of the plant available. Prior to its invention, this was done by hand. Hearst’s business empire was threatened by this, as hemp paper would be available to newspapers as a cheaper, more sustainable alternative to regular paper. As he had paper mills throughout the country, Hearst made a concerted effort through his political influence to outlaw the production of hemp through Cannabis prohibition, negating the influence of the Decorticator in the name of maintaining his commercial advantage.

During the Congressional hearings of 1937 on the prohibition of Hemp and Cannabis, State prosecutor Harry Anslinger told the US Congress Cannabis caused violence, attacks, delirium, and death, and was only used by poor black people. This has come to be known as the Reefer Madness campaign.

The Reefer Madness campaign worked both abroad and in Australia, playing on the cultural fears of both countries. Stories of Hispanic and Black men roaming the streets attacking good hard working people whilst under the influence of Marijuana scared a population with little access or appetite to find out if the claims were accurate. More than 75 years later through the magic of the scientific method, the campaigns claims have been widely debunked.

In 1937 The US made Cannabis illegal, and as a result Hemp farming was also prohibited. It has since become apparent at the time, many of those in US Congress who voted to outlaw Cannabis didn’t realise is would result in the end of the Hemp industry. There have been moves recently to legalise Hemp farming in the US, as the absurdity of the law becomes more apparent.

A year later Australia followed suit and bowed to pressure from both the United Kingdom and the US and prohibited the use of Cannabis. At the time Smith’s Weekly ran with the headline “New Drug that Maddens Victims” and “the dreaded sex drug Marijuana”. This was the first time the word Marijuana was entered into the Australian lexicon. The word Marijuana itself is Mexican slang for a type of tobacco, but was used through the Reefer Madness campaign as a way to enhance the cultural fears and stereotypes of White America and Australia, instilling a negative viewpoint on Cannabis, by attaching a racial element to the plant.

Reefer Madness was only moderately successful at the time, and did little to stem the increasing supply and demand for Cannabis throughout Australia. Since 1938, Cannabis has remained illegal and is treated in the same way as LSD and Heroin under the Standard for Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons.

As Bob Dylan said, the times they are a changing’.

The modern world pays no credence to long held cultural norms if they are found wanting by science. Individual direct access to the collective ocean of human knowledge won’t allow for regressive laws based on outdated science and cultural superstitions to go unnoticed. Prohibition is no exception.

Since the prohibition was introduced, anti-Cannabis campaigns have usually centred on the negative health effects associated with the substance. Modern research has however, found Cannabis has a broad spectrum of medicinal qualities with an even wider variety of applications.

Cannabis consequences: An increasing body of scientific evidence
Any discussion on removing the prohibition of Cannabis and Hemp will without doubt include the substance’s impact on mental health. Cannabis has for decades been believed to cause psychosis, depression, anxiety, loss of consciousness, insanity and schizophrenia. There is however a renewed interest in Cannabis research, and as a result both the scientific consensus and body of evidence, has become much clearer in recent years.

Prolonged and excessive use of Cannabis from a young age has been shown to increase the risk of developing depression and anxiety in later life. There are studies which show people who are genetically predisposed to mental health disorders are more likely to develop issues in later life earlier if they are heavy Cannabis users as teens. There are a number of studies which also show links between heavy daily use and poor cognitive performance in that same age group.

Despite the mental health impacts of prolonged use from a young age, research into the medicinal properties of Cannabis is continuing throughout the world. The body of evidence which shows positive results from medical applications is growing, and also reaches back thousands of years.

The earliest records of medicinal Cannabis use date back more 3,500 years. Pre-Roman Catholic Europe, ancient China, India, Middle East and African recorded the medical use of Cannabis in their arts and writings. Fast-forward to the turn of the 20th century and Cannabis was the number one analgesic on the market, and had been for 60 years. In 2007 despite the worldwide prohibition, the second largest cancer charity in the world The Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society, which is also the largest volunteer health organisation in the United States petitioned congress to legalize medicinal marijuana. In February the Epilepsy foundation recognised Cannabis as a treatment for Epilepsy, and called for better access for patients and more research into its possibilities.

Modern research into the health effects of Cannabis has continued to rebuff previously held cultural beliefs. Cannabis is being used right now to treat returning soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, kids with ADD and ADHD, epilepsy, asthma, tumours, glaucoma, arthritis and sleep disorders. It increases appetite, decreases stress, is a form pain relief and also can be used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and rheumatism. These are just some of the scientifically tested medical benefits of Cannabis that are available today.

Importantly there have been no recorded deaths as a result of Cannabis use, ever. The high LD 50 means a user would have to smoke almost 680kg of Cannabis in 15 minutes in order to produce a lethal overdose. Comparatively just 250grams of salt would be lethal to an 80kg person.

In May of 2013 a NSW cross party parliamentary committee unanimously recommended allowing terminally ill patients and people with aids to use up to 15 grams of Cannabis for medicinal purposes. However the state Government quickly ruled out any changes to the prohibition, despite the proven medical benefits and scientific data. It did however support the use of “prescription pharmaceutical cannabis products” approved by the therapeutic goods administration only if existing pain medication is not effective.

By stifling debate of any kind, Australia has positioned itself behind countries around the world who are moving towards a different position on drugs and how to police their use. A position which is proving to be both lucrative and socially empowering.

Colorado became the first State in the US to legalise the recreational use of Cannabis, since the prohibition began. Recreational sales began on January first, and have far and away exceeded sales expectations over the first 2 months. Governor John Hickenlooper says the 12.9% state tax on all Cannabis sales would result in around US$610 million in tax revenue for the next fiscal year. Of that money, almost US$100 million will go towards substance abuse prevention programs, youth Cannabis prevention and other substance abuse priorities.

Prior to legalisation the Government had estimated sales taxes would generate US$98 million in the first year. Well below the actual figure. There are also plans to use the additional millions on law enforcement, in particular the Drive High, Get DUI campaign, and more than a hundred new beds in a residential substance abuse treatment centre.

Colorado has implemented a tight regulatory framework, much like those governing the sale and use of alcohol, tobacco and other controlled substances which are not currently prohibited. Money is now able to be spent treating addiction as the public health problem that it is, rather than the law enforcement problem that it has been.

Despite movements abroad, any mention of a conversation based how this country deals with Cannabis is treated with contempt. By silencing any debate or discussion on the issue of legalisation, successive Governments are hearkening back to a bygone era. It is no longer acceptable for a government to remain ideologically tied to a prohibition, which was crafted with deceit and is now exposed as being without foundation by science. It is time the Australian people began talking about a drug policy.

I for one, will welcome the debate.

 

[CLICKHEREx]

Thanks for the highly informative articles, Poledriver.

 

[poledriver]

No worries Click, yeah very good articles hey.