clinical focus
else is in the product and ensure all the elements of the drug are
known. Then it could be used consistently across the sector. That
national consistency for growers would also mean states and
territories wouldn’t have to develop their own legislation around
cannabis as well.
What difference could access to medicinal cannabis make to
someone in palliative care?
or family about the drug because it is seen as illegal. I guess that
unsure group possibly relates to that.
You’ve said PCA would like to see a public awareness campaign
set up to build understanding around the use of medicinal
cannabis within the community and across the medical
profession. What should this campaign look like?
We don’t know for sure what that difference is. That’s why we’re
supporting the trials that are underway around the country. We
need to better understand the potential adverse drug reactions,
for example, between medicinal cannabis and other therapeutic
drugs. Palliative Care Australia supports further research. We can’t
say definitively what the benefit will be, because those trials are
still underway and we need to see those results.
At the moment, we welcome any efforts that allow people who
are diagnosed with a terminal condition to have access to the drug
for pain relief, and that’s in the absence of research that might
prove its effectiveness [for this purpose]. Long term, we certainly
would be waiting to see what some of the trials produce.
It’s a useful drug but we don’t know how or for whom it is useful
at the moment, nor the best way for it to be given. There’s still a
lot of work to do before we can be definitive about] the benefits of
the drug for people – including those who are] accessing palliative
care as well.
An awareness campaign is important in this space, while the
researchers are looking for a better understanding of how the
drug can be used.
Other health professions don’t have the understanding and to
look after a person who’s accessing this drug, they need it. They
need to know how it interacts with other drugs as well. I think a big
campaign that should be pushed out towards health professionals.
It’s important to undertake an awareness campaign for the
public as well, particularly because of the stigma we’ve already
talked about, because the person on the street doesn’t understand
about trials and that sort of thing. Your question was what does
that look like? I’m not sure. There are probably a number of ways
you could cut it, but certainly the first port of call for educating the
public is through general practice. I think the medical profession
will be looked at to educate the public around the use of
medicinal cannabis and how it’s being used. Broader public health
campaigns could also be considered – of course, they’re quite
costly. In the first instance, however, general practice could be a
good advocate in teaching the public about the drug.
The PCA’s survey indicated a high level of acceptance of the
drug, with more than two-thirds of Australians in favour. But
it also revealed almost a quarter of Australians remain unsure.
What are some of the contributors to this unsure response?
What are the next steps you would like to see taken to
introduce medicinal cannabis successfully?
Possibly there’s a stigma around it because it is an illegal drug. I
guess people are unsure ... As you said in the survey, 67 per cent
were in favour of it, and of those surveyed 21 per cent thought that if
it was legalised, it should be used for people in pain, while a further
44 per cent thought [other] people whose condition would respond
positively to it should be able to access it as well. I know having
talked to