Greg Hunt warns 'lives at risk' as Senate eases imports of medical cannabis
By James Elton-Pym 13/06/2017
Greens leader Richard Di Natale says the
new rules are good news for terminally ill
patients, dismissing the Minister for
Health Greg Hunt's grim warning as
'utter nonsense.'
Doctors will be allowed to order
medicinal cannabis for their terminally
ill patients from overseas when local
supply falls short, after the majority of the Senate
backed a Greens bill to relax import rules.
The bill was previously defeated in a tie, but
passed 40 votes to 30 on Tuesday afternoon after
One Nation and other crossbenchers sided with
the Greens and Labor.
Health Minister Greg Hunt warned the new rules
could open the floodgates to "unregulated
quantities" of cannabis coming into Australia that
could be diverted by criminals, and warned lives
would be put at risk.
"Removing the safeguards could potentially
allow in dangerous drugs that could take lives,"
Mr Hunt told reporters in Canberra, referring to
other cannabis derivatives like hashish.
But Greens leader Richard Di Natale said the
rules would only allow cannabis to be imported
from regulated markets overseas.
"It's utter nonsense," he said.
"If we accept that medicinal cannabis is a
treatment that's effective for people that are
suffering, and the evidence is very clear that that's
exactly what it does, then why would we say that
you can get access to other medicines
from overseas that aren't available here
in Australia but not medicinal
cannabis?"
The reform will put medicinal cannabis
on
the
Therapeutic
Goods
Administration's Category A list, which
makes it easier for doctors to expedite
the importation of drugs and get them
into the hands of terminally ill patients.
It currently sits on the Category B list,
where approval for access can take
months.
The health minister
defended the current system, saying the
government's rules had already seen four
shipments of medicinal cannabis arrive in
Australia.
He attacked the crossbenchers who sided with the
opposition for a "reckless and irresponsible
decision".
"Medicinal cannabis, where the doctors believe it
can be prescribed in a safe form, is available," Mr
Hunt said.
But Mr Di Natale said the current level of access
was not acceptable, given some patients were still
taking the risk of purchasing cannabis illegally.