Lucy Haslam is sceptical of the NSW Government’s new $6 million medicinal cannabis advisory service, which is set to be rolled out in January 2018.
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The service is essentially a hotline for GP’s and doctors who are looking for support or more information on prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients, particularly those in palliative care.
I am hopeful, but I am very sceptical based on the history and advice to already have come out of NSW Health,” Mrs Haslam said.
“Any doctor can already prescribe it, but what we are seeing is the state rejecting those prescriptions because they say the GP’s aren’t adequately trained.”
“The money would be better spent putting in some proper training for the doctors.”
Minister for Health Brad Hazzard made the announcement on Thursday, calling it the first initiative of its kind.
“This landmark service will give doctors the support and confidence they need to decide if their patients, particularly palliative care patients, may benefit from this kind of treatment,” he said.
NSW Health Chief Officer Dr Kerry Chant said that $3 million of the funding would go towards the Australian Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence (ACRE), based at the University of Newcastle.
While Dr Chant said that it “is a great opportunity to strengthen our evidence-based research about how these medicines affect patients, because there health is our number one priority”, Mrs Haslam is again sceptical.
ACRE is being co-led by Professor Jenny Martin, who Mrs Haslam believes to be anti-cannabis.
“They are just puppets of the negative attitude of the health department to date,” Mrs Haslam said.
“This is going to drag on for years with political hijinks, while the black market is going crazy and can’t keep up.”
"It is just really sad. It is a sad situation for people that are in need – absolutely uncompassionate.”