Cost barrier to cannabis

QUEENSLAND One Nation Senator, Malcolm Roberts, stirred the medicinal cannabis debate in parliament this week claiming the Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, is playing a “pharmaceutical game” with the medicine.

Urged by the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association, Chronic Pain Australia, Epilepsy Action Australia, Cancer Voices, United in Compassion and the Country Women’s Association of Australia, Roberts said that even when a patient is legally able to access medicinal cannabis, they often can’t afford it, with some scripts costing as much as $2,000 per month.

“Six thousand six hundred and sixty-seven current approvals is probably no more than 2,000 or 3,000 people actually accessing medical cannabis legally, and it may be even less,” Roberts said.

“I have a problem with that level of dishonesty,” he added.

Robert’s vitriol continued without reference to the need for safety and efficacy trialling of medicinal cannabis products.

“According to Roy Morgan, as many as a million Australians would try medical cannabis as an alternative to their existing medication.

“Minister Hunt has managed to get cannabis into the hands of a measly few thousand, and his department has succeeded in locking millions of people out of medical cannabis.

“In the meantime, many patients are suffering.”

The enthused senator then called upon the Therapeutic Goods Administration to “fast-track the approval of medical cannabis preparations from amongst the Australian growers currently licensed for that purpose.”

Read his speech at aph.gov.au.