Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The term 'cannabis' is a word that has been demonised in a modern, wealthier society because it conjures up images of druggies, deros, young people off their face on pot, bongs, unlawful pipes, the illicit drug trade, crime gangs in the Mafia, illicit marijuana crops hidden in the bush, people murdering and shooting at each other to protect their illegal crops, and a range of undesirable behaviours from the people who use it. I must confess that until recently I too never really saw much good in the term cannabis. That is until many people in my electorate of Capricornia began talking to me about the medicinal use of cannabis for serious health reasons.

I must state that cannabis used for medical reasons is, of course, a different strain to that peddled by Mafia drug gangs. Since I have learnt more about the medicinal value of cannabis and the role it can play in pain relief for chronic or terminally ill patients, I have thoroughly changed both my mind and attitude towards the term cannabis.

Let me give you an example. Recently I met Greg from the northern part of my electorate. Greg suffers from Guillain-Barre syndrome, or GBS, and has used cannabis to assist with pain and respiratory symptoms. GBS is an autoimmune disease that attacks a person's nerve system, weakening the body's immune defence system. As a result, parts of the nerves are damaged, delaying signals to the brain and body. It can cause paralysis, muscle weakness and other painful conditions. It can also lead to life-threatening complications to a patient's respiratory muscles, making it painful and hard to breathe. Greg described bouts of severe and chronic pain and said he uses cannabis to help alleviate the harsh symptoms and pain.

Another person I met was Lucy. Her son Daniel suffered terminal bowel cancer. It was extremely painful. Cannabis relieved the dreadful pain and the symptoms he was suffering. Sadly, Daniel passed away last year. Lucy has been a tireless advocate for cannabis law reforms.

Today's bill is about making change to ultimately help people like Greg and Daniel to find a solution to overcome such medical related pain. Today, I put my full support behind changing the law to pave the way for the legal cultivation of cannabis for medical products.

This coalition Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill aims to amend the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967 to enable the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use. This will eventually allow patients access to legally manufactured cannabis therapeutic products. This bill will be a big step forward for people suffering serious illness, as it will allow professional farmers to cultivate cannabis that will be used to make products for medicinal use in Australia. Children with epilepsy, people with cancer and other major painful conditions would be able to access such products—most likely by prescription.

Importantly, the appropriate strain of cannabis would be farmed by responsible growers licensed to cultivate the crops under strict conditions. People should not think this is an open door for them to grow pot in the backyard claiming it to be for medicinal use. The quantity and strains of medicinal cannabis that could be cultivated would be strictly controlled and regulated under a permit and licensing system with professional farmers. Growers would have to be deemed responsible people and fit for acquiring such a permit.

The amendment would create a national law for the entire country, taking away confusion among various state jurisdictions. It is not our intention for patients to smoke cannabis but instead to use cannabis based products such as sprays, skin applications and oils. This is exciting for both patients, who can benefit from legal cannabis medicines, and for our agriculture industry—particularly in Capricornia which has a unique opportunity to tap into a new crop and a potentially lucrative market. The federal government intends that in the future Australia may be able to export such cannabis products overseas, adding value to a fledgling industry.

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