Mike Baird 'open' to government-grown marijuana

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Mike Baird 'open' to government-grown marijuana

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"http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mike-baird-op ... 1r6me.html

The Sydney Morning Herald NSW - November 21, 2014 - James Robertson

Mike Baird 'open' to government-grown marijuana

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"I'll never forget the look in his eyes": Premier Mike Baird. Photo: Barry Smith

The NSW Premier says his government is considering growing its own marijuana, as part of a clinical trial that the government's medical advisers have advocated be extended to child patients.

Announcing a clinical trial and the possible future decriminalisation of medicinal cannabis, Mike Baird initially spoke in terms of its benefits for the terminally ill.

But at a medical marijuana symposium in Tamworth on Friday morning, Mr Baird confirmed trials would be for a wider range of conditions:

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Conference organiser: Lucy Haslam, whose son has bowel cancer. Photo: Barry Smith

"We're going to outline three trials, not just to the terminally ill," he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Baird would not elaborate on the conditions of those trials.

But Fairfax Media can reveal the working group appointed to develop guidelines for the trial has endorsed the inclusion of children with pediatric epilepsy, an option once thought to be off the table.

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Uses marijuana to ease the symptoms of his disease: Daniel Haslam. Photo: Supplied

Mr Baird's spokeswoman would not comment when asked if the Premier believed children should be included in the trial.
But the recommendation is understood to already have been presented to government, which is expected to announce within two weeks which measures are to be adopted.

It is understood the group – led by the state's chief medical officer, Dr Kerry Chant – will also endorse trialling medical marijuana for the terminally ill and those suffering from chemotherapy-related nausea, but not for glaucoma or chronic pain.

Mr Baird told reporters that since announcing his support for the cause, he had been contacted by people with a wide range of conditions.

But the government must also confront the issue of how to secure a marijuana supply.

Mr Baird said he was considering having the state government grow its own.

"I'm absolutely open to us doing that," he said. "If that's what we need to do - either through contract or us doing it ourselves - to hold these clinical trials, that's exactly what we'll do."

A source said one option under consideration involved approaching NSW universities about growing the plant in controlled conditions.

If successful, the trials could be a prelude to the decriminalisation of medical marijuana in the state. Mr Baird has said he will change police guidelines to allow officers to decline to prosecute patients who have a legitimate need for the substance.

One question to be tackled by the group is the form of marijuana to be provided to patients, and how much psychoactive THC it would contain.

It is unknown whether many patients would be provided with smokable plant matter. Experts have told the government that ingested marijuana is often more predictable and released more slowly into the system.

The government is also understood to have explored the possibility of American companies providing pharmaceutically prepared cannabis.

Mr Baird's speech was followed by a presentation by renowned Harvard psychiatrist Lester Grinspoon, who criticised restrictions on THC levels.

Dr Grinspoon said that medical marijuana often worked best when its psychoactive properties were retained.

"These provide what I refer to as an 'ensemble phenomenon', to provide the best effect," he said.
He said marijuana was among the most studied therapeutic substances in history, since its use in the 19th century by Queen Victoria to relieve menstrual cramps.

The Greens have criticised the government for insisting on a clinical trial before any legalisation, saying it will delay needed relief for patients.

But the Australian Medical Association NSW says a clinical trial is necessary, especially if it to be used by child patients.

The United in Compassion conference has brought about 150 people from Australia and overseas to Tamworth.

The conference has been organised by Lucy Haslam, a local woman who lobbied the Premier to progress legalisation after her 24-year-old son Daniel, who has bowel cancer, was forced to procure black market marijuana to ease the symptoms of his disease.

"I'll never forget the look in his eyes," the Premier said. "When those eyes looked at me, it was very much saying, can you help?"

More than 20 American states have legislated to allow some form of medical cannabis. It is used in hospitals in Israel."


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Re: Mike Baird 'open' to government-grown marijuana

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"http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/n ... 35465ac62f

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au - JANE HANSEN THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH DECEMBER 21, 2014 12:00AM

NSW Government to grow cannabis for trial into medicinal use for children

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Epilepsy sufferer Deisha Stevens with her dad David, who says Deisha takes cannabis oil for her condition and it has allowed her to live seizure free. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

CANNABIS will be imported or grown by the NSW Government and provided to children suffering severe epilepsy, in a groundbreaking trial.

Almost $9 million dollars will be invested in at least three clinical trials to examine how cannabis could provide relief for a range of patients from the terminally ill to cancer patients suffering chemotherapy-induced nausea.

NSW Premier Mike Baird exclusively told The Sunday Telegraph his government would also establish a Medical Cannabis Expert Panel led by NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant.

“If we have evidence that medical cannabis has the potential to change lives, then we need to do something about it,” Mr Baird said.

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Premier Mike Baird announced the NSW Government will conduct medicinal cannabis trials.

The government will work with the University of Sydney to establish a Centre for Cannabinoid Research, and if medical grade cannabis could not be sourced from existing overseas suppliers, the Premier confirmed the government was prepared to spearhead a homegrown industry.

“Once we have the clinical evidence that medical cannabis can reduce suffering then the government will consider a range of supply measures, including importation. But if that does not prove successful then the government will assume responsibility for supply itself,’’ Premier Baird said.

In conjunction with doctors from The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, child neurology specialist, Dr John Lawson from Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick will be involved in the trial on children with epilepsy.

“I think there is some evidence this might work, but the likelihood is that only a small group of children will benefit,” Dr Lawson said.

Dr Lawson said there was a subset of epileptic children who do not respond to current treatments and they will be selected for the trial.

“The entry criteria will be those who have failed standard treatments who continue to seize on a daily basis and mostly focused on the younger children.

“The ones that have benefited most on cannabis are children who are having seizures night and day and the children’s development is severely affected as a result,” he said of the available anecdotal and international evidence.

The Stevens family from Coffs Harbour put their eight-year-old daughter on cannabis oil in April this year as a last resort.

Doctors told David Stevens that Deisha would probably die from her rare form of epilepsy which caused seizures every five to eight seconds around the clock. Multiple anti-convulsive drugs did not stop the seizures, so the family sourced cannabis oil in desperation.

Nine months later and Deisha can now talk, read and write and is seizure free.

“She has three millilitres three times a day and it’s been phenomenal in our lives, she is excelling as the brain heals, so this will be fantastic for a lot of families,” Mr Stevens said.

The trail of medicinal cannabis came about after The Sunday Telegraph broke the story of Dan Haslam.

The 24-year-old terminal cancer sufferer has been forced to break the law to obtain cannabis which is effective in treating the debilitating nausea that accompanies his fortnightly chemo treatments.

The son of an ex-drug squad detective has garnered support from the Tamworth community, including the police, and readers of The Sunday Telegraph also got behind the cause.

“We’ve achieved a lot, I’m happy the trials are going ahead and we’re very fortunate we have a Premier who has had the courage to act,” Dan’s mother Lucy Haslam said."
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