Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Scullin for his contribution and associate myself with his remarks as well. I think it's a very, very important issue. So thank you to the member for Scullin for sharing that with the House.

I'd like to touch on a similar but related subject in my contribution tonight. I note, in the past couple of weeks, we passed a bill through this House, the Narcotic Drugs Amendment (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2021. I'm so pleased to see the passage of this bill through this House to remove unnecessary regulations and seek to therefore encourage further development of the medicinal cannabis industry in Australia. The medicinal cannabis industry is a new one and is exciting for our country. The government supports a range of new health therapies and, just in the last day or so, we've announced a $15 million grant round for the development of innovative therapies for mental illness. There is now a strong and emerging body of international evidence that shows that substances such as ketamine, psilocybin and MDMA, when used in a controlled environment and supported by psychological and psychiatric care, offer the promise of a new approach to intractable mental illness. Similarly, medicinal cannabis offers this promise as a treatment for some conditions that are resistant to other protocols.

Tonight I'd like to share a couple of stories of my constituents who have had firsthand experience in this area. I was recently speaking with representatives from Pharmaceutical Rehabilitation Services, and they mentioned to me that they now have a doctor on board for four hours a week who was willing to, where necessary, prescribe medicinal cannabis to his patients for mental health issues in particular, but also to deal with illicit drug addictions and alcohol addictions. They shared the story of a young man who had an anxiety issue which prevented him from leaving home, and at times when he wanted to leave home he could be physically ill. After a course of treatment with medicinal cannabis, through PRS and through the doctor, he's now able to leave his home without those physical reactions. It is an example of, where used properly and prescribed properly as part of a proper treatment plan, it has significant benefits.

I'd also like to speak about Lindsay Carter, 22, who lives at Loganholme. Lindsay has a brain tumour and intractable epilepsy. This causes him to have headaches, seizures, nausea and poor appetite. Anti-seizure drugs had failed to help symptoms and they also caused unpleasant side effects. In 2014, Lindsay travelled to the USA with his mother, Lanai, and was prescribed medicinal cannabis. Lanai said she would have once considered herself highly conservative on cannabis but changed her mind after seeing how the medical cannabis helped her son. He had more energy and his symptoms improved to a point where he could have freedom which was previously seen as impossible. When they returned to Australia, Lindsay's mother, Lanai, co-founded the Medical Cannabis Advisory Group, and started lobbying federal and Queensland governments to provide legal, affordable, efficient access to medical cannabis.

It hasn't been an easy road. The Carter family have faced delays and barriers to access, they've experienced ongoing supply challenges and inconsistent supply, with the end result that at times Lindsay didn't have access to medical cannabis. Over many years Lanai has fought tirelessly for her son's access, and while she has now resigned from the Medical Cannabis Advisory Group, she still advocates for Lindsay and other patients both here and globally.

This legislation goes to reducing the regulations and red tape around the prescription of medical cannabis through our medical professionals to ensure that people who need this treatment, where appropriate, get the support that they need to live better and improved lives. It's all backed by sound science. I commend this legislation to the House and the efforts we are making to achieve that.

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