The NSW Government has announced trials of medical cannabis as a new survey shows nine out of ten Australians support the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes.
Premier Mike Baird said Epidiolex will start to be prescribed to children with severe, drug-resistant epilepsy in 2016 as part of a $9 million series of trials.
The drug contains the cannabinoid cannibidivarin, a compound that has anticonvulsant properties but does not produce psychoactive effects usually associated with herbal cannabis.
The government will partner with British based company GW Pharmaceuticals to facilitate the testing which will be undertaken at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
The announcement comes as a Roy Morgan research poll revealed widespread support for medical cannabis.
Asked the question, ‘In your opinion should the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes be made legal or remain illegal?’ a staggering 92 per cent of women and 90 per cent of men responded that yes, it should be made legal.
The strongest support for legalisation came from the 50-plus age group: 94 per cent of Australians aged 50-64 and 94 per cent of those aged 65 and older believe medicinal marijuana should be legalised.
Least likely to support the idea is the 14-24 year-old age bracket, but even so, an overwhelming majority (85 per cent) are in favour.
Meanwhile, the NSW government said a number of clinical trials that are due to begin next year were aimed at finding new treatments for children with severe epilepsy.
Participants have not yet been selected but if the cannabinoid-based medicines prove effective, it’s hoped they will be approved and available statewide.
Nimbin Hemp Embassy president Michael Balderstone said the NSW trials would do nothing to reduce the pressure on regular cannabis users.
‘It’s nothing to do with the real issue. There are thousands of people of people who use cannabis as a medicine and they will still be targeted by police,’ he said.
Mr Balderstone said many parents with children suffering from epilepsy would be hesitant to take part in trials because they would not want their children subjected to a placebo.
‘Every seizure can result in brain damage,’ he said.
He said the fear that medical cannabis would be handed over to Big Pharma had been been realised.
A very large proportion of existing ‘drugs’ are derived from, or are the synthetic of, plants. Some like digitalis (foxglove) have been in use legally for around 100 years. Clearly the plant must go through the normal pharmaceutical processes before a derivative suited to human use is arrived at. It’s worth noting that many drugs have been discovered by their use by herbal ‘witches’ aka that wise old lady who knows all the plants to use for treating xxxxx complaints. The thing that is prominent today is that knowledge, of whatever is your concern or interest, can be widely accessed, personally assesed, and the outcome decided in the home, long before professionals release their final results from scientific study.
I can’t see how 90% of the population can have an educated opinion that supports the use of Medicinal Cannabis.
I’m certain it has its place, however I don’t know that I could support its use without all the Facts !!!.
Good results have been achieved overseas from the natural plant with exacting strains and labs that have nothing at all to do with big pharma or its control for profits to themselves only.
Where made fully legal with dispensaries for all use, the profits are going back into the govt, economy and infrastructure to benefit everyone, and all crime is down.
To say any human use is only good by going through big pharma processes is like saying elephants are no good until they can climb trees. BS!
This plant has thousands of years of proven benefits use, and more recent studies have confirmed that more broadly,..in spite of the big pharma/Fed govt “cartel” & blocks on research that have not stopped research…, that still denies any use without big pharma profits first.
Here in Australia, its still not legally available to so many that benefit from it, with constant attacks for going better with this plant.
The underground or “black market” here has been improving and expanding for at least 50 years, and all that knowledge is still ignored by govt here, but not by people who cannot wait for the govt ideas of process that won’t even start until 2018, and even then only for a few later..with big pharma in control.
This is ridiculous and people will not sacrifice their lives to wait with suffering & death, until all use is made available for everyone as normal without attacks for living better, or at all.
When will the govt wake up and realize the advantage to all, including govt, with full legal uses of this plant that have nothing at all to do with protecting big pharma & cartels profits?
Here’s a good video about this plant and health without big pharma control..Steve De’Angelo, with the largest dispensary on planet…Harborside in Oakland, Calif…
http://bigvisionbusiness.ontraport.net/c/s/6Dj/6REn/Y/6R/sZQ/679IlN/zKlZpoJB4v
And may we say thanks to the people of Canada who just elected Justin Trudeau who will simply toss out laws that block use, and who will then regulate & tax (as with any biz) full legal use for all, withouit bigpharma control.
Maybe thats what it takes..a leader who knows the facts and will let truth for health prevail asap! This plant must be made fully legal for all use here too, thanks, and thats inevitable anyhow, one way or the other.
People know what works for them the best, and further delays will not change that, without big pharma in control, in spite of police attacks on drivers that have nothing at all to do with impairment. It is also known that users of this plant usually drive better not worse, anyhow, shown in research.
It is way time to allow full truth to prevail, not the current unjust insanity for big pharma profits. Wake up and do a trip overseas to see for yourself, politicians.