Pubdate: Mon, 05 Jan 2015
Source: Herald Sun (Australia)
Copyright: 2015 Herald and Weekly Times
Contact: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/letter
Website: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/187
Author: Grant MacArthur and Andrea Hamblin

DOCTORS IN CLEAR ON MARIJUANA

Medical Drug Use Surfaces Ahead of Legal Push

FIVE doctors who prescribed their patients medical marijuana can 
continue to practise medicine, after health authorities ruled they 
were not putting the community in danger by recommending the 
controversial medication.

It comes as the Victorian Government has promised marijuana will soon 
be legal for use by people who are terminally ill or who suffer life 
threatening illnesses.

But the Herald Sun can reveal that state child protection workers 
continue to threaten Melbourne parents who have been treating their 
sick children with the drug.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has not taken 
any action against practitioners officially reported to it over 
claims they were using medical marijuana, despite treatment with the 
drug being illegal in Australia.

Details of investigations into the doctors are being kept secret, 
however the Herald Sun understands they include a recent complaint 
made by a major Victorian hospital into the actions of one of its doctors.

All of the other cases have occurred in the past four years.

Hospital records showed that doctors had written cannabis oil on the 
drug chart of a Mernda child who suffers from epilepsy and other 
life-threatening conditions.

Cooper's parents, Cassie Batten and Rhett Wallace, said doctors had 
been "gagged", which meant they could not talk about the positive 
effects of medical marijuana or back up the family's claims their 
son's health had improved.

"There is no need for them to be punished. A doctor's oath is to help 
patients and if this can help a patient then why not?" Ms Batten said.

"They should be able to advocate for patients without fearing for their job."

Police recently dropped a child abuse investigation into the couple.

But on Christmas Eve, the Department of Human Services told another 
set of Melbourne parents they would be under investigation for giving 
their epileptic teenager cannabis oil.

The parents were told Victoria Police would be notified but the 
family has so far had no contact from police.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced in late December that the Labor 
Government had asked the Victorian Law Reform Commission to 
investigate how it could safely change the drug law.

The commission has until August to produce its report.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom