TROY BELL MP
Member for Mount Gambier
Your Independent voice
in State Parliament
Bell's cannabis call
Friday September 01, 2023By Charlotte Varcoe
MEDICAL cannabis may be one step closer after a motion put forward by Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell passed in the Lower House.
On Wednesday, Mr Bell presented a motion to his colleagues asking for recognition of the growing importance of medicinal cannabis and cannabidiol as an alternative treatment option for South Australians.
The motion also supported expanded research and clinical trials into the treatment of conditions including endometriosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and chronic pain alongside requesting the streamlining of access to locally manufactured products for residents.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Bell said he believed South Australian residents "deserve access to the highest quality, modern and affordable healthcare available to them".
"For a growing number of South Australians, this includes treatment with medical cannabis," Mr Bell said.
"There is growing evidence showing success where other conventional treatments have failed.
"There is also evidence medicinal cannabis should be a legitimate first-line treatment for some conditions, rather than be considered an alternative or last resort treatment."
Mr Bell also mentioned concerns should a patient access medicinal cannabis illegally.
"Illegal medicinal cannabis, accessed on the 'green market', is completely unregulated and the patient has no idea where the product has been produced, what they are ingesting and the levels of active compounds," Mr Bell said.
"Misinformation and self-medication are a very dangerous combination.
"Not only does this put people's safety at risk, but it undermines the legal industry."
According to Mr Bell, in order for medicinal cannabis to be effective medicine, it must be produced consistently under controlled circumstances by professionals.
"It is also important to point out the affordability issue," he said.
"Many of the parents who have contacted my office have spoken about the incredible cost of continued treatment for their children and having to reduce doses or even worse, stop treatment altogether.
"As South Australians buckle under increased cost-of-living pressures, the last thing we want them to cut corners on is healthcare."
Member for MacKillop Nick McBride also spoke on the matter in Parliament this week, supporting the proposed bill.
"I hear the most potential for streamlining access to medicinal cannabis is an area of palliative care," Mr McBride said.
"Sadly, in many palliative care cases we will often see patients bed bound and medicated at a level that leaves them in a highly sedated state.
"If medicinal cannabis was an option for general practitioners for palliative care patients it is my belief it could potentially provide an elevated quality of life in their final days."
Mr McBride said he believed it could be the medication which "provides the important balance of adequate pain relief" as well as "some cognitive function" at the end of their life.
"How can we as a Parliament assist in making this option of medication more streamlined for our general practitioners to prescribe without fear of litigation," he said.
"Nobody wants to see patients access medicinal cannabis illegally and I appreciate the complexities and barriers that are currently inhibiting progress.
"We need to continue to take up opportunities to research and promote the use of medicinal cannabis for a range of conditions and I do hope that Parliament and the State embrace medicinal cannabis or medical treatments as an alternative where modern medicines have failed."