Pubdate: Mon, 14 Mar 2016
Source: Nelson Mail, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2016 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
Contact:  http://www.nelsonmail.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1069
Author: Jo Moir

SENSE IN STAND ON MEDICINAL CANNABIS USE

It's high time all the huffing and puffing about the Government not 
doing anything to broaden access to medicinal cannabis had some facts 
thrown in the mix.

In the past fortnight two notable Kiwis, namely the late Martin 
Crowe, and Sir Paul Holmes, have hit the headlines for their use of 
medicinal cannabis.

In the case of Crowe it was an old friend who revealed he'd used the 
drug for pain relief in his dying days and for Holmes, his wife Lady 
Deborah Holmes, confirmed he too had taken it to ease his struggle 
with prostate cancer.

Neither chose to highlight their use while they were still alive - 
but to be honest who can blame them given how well known they were 
and the frenzy that would have ensued.

The issue has become such a hot potato, not helped by misreporting, 
with the inevitable emotion that takes over when navigating drug 
access and political agendas. The problem with the Crowe and Holmes 
stories is that they highlighted a growing debate but also, through 
no fault of their own, held up as reasons why medicinal cannabis 
should be a free-for-all.

That is a difficult pill to swallow given it implies their opinion is 
more worthy or holds more weight than anyone else's and, frankly, 
people should be offended by that notion.

This idea is being led by campaigners set on medicinal cannabis being 
available at the pharmacy overnight and, sadly, two respected men who 
lost their battles with cancer have been caught up in it.

The reality is simple. The Government is not sitting on its hands 
doing nothing. In fact Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne is 
one of many driving change.

Just last month he called for a review of the guidelines for 
considering medicinal cannabis applications. As it stands the only 
approved medicinal cannabis in New Zealand is the mouth spray, 
Sativex. It is not funded by Pharmac and costs over $1000 a month. 
Any other product must be approved by Dunne.

As of the end of January the ministry had received 120 applications 
for medicinal cannabis, of which 105 have been approved. Another five 
are still in progress and 10 have not been granted for various reasons.

So there it is - people are applying for access to medicinal cannabis 
and in most cases being granted it. Dunne is on the record saying he 
is keeping a close watch on research and random-control trials of 
cannabinoid products in Israel and the United States. Once 
manufacturers make a product and it passes MedSafe checks it will be 
available in New Zealand.

The point in doing it this way is that it makes no sense to reinvent 
the wheel in New Zealand.

We're not big enough to have the medical professionals and patients 
available to do the trials so it makes sense to piggy-back where 
possible, including in Australia.

In short, if the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 
approves something in America there's no reason it wouldn't be of a 
good enough standard for New Zealand. Then it would be a case of 
Pharmac negotiating a price and potentially subsidising it.

In New Zealand Dunne and the Ministry of Health are increasingly 
looking at drugrelated issues primarily as health issues (this was 
set out in the recently released 2015-2020 National Drug Policy).

The other positive movement in all this is Prime Minister John Key 
moving away from his staunch position that there was no need to look 
at the system as it stands, to instead being open to research and 
evidence that shows the efficacy of medicinal cannabis. . Another MP 
beating the drum for broader access is Labour's Damien O'Connor. He's 
working on a member's bill, although it is unlikely it will be needed.

O'Connor jumped on board when Nelson teenager, Alex Renton, was 
applying for access to the cannabinoid Elixinol. Dunne signed off on 
the drug within hours of receiving the application, but the following 
month Renton passed away.

Elixinol has very low traces of THC  the active ingredient that gives 
people a high  in some cases no THC at all can be detected in the 
product. For that reason the producers of Elixinol are on the verge 
of seeking court action over why New Zealand Customs is confiscating 
it from Kiwis at the border. Customs is acting under the instruction 
of the Ministry of Health who say cannabidiol, found in 
concentrations of about 18 per cent in Elixinol, is classified as a 
Class B1 controlled drug.

This will be a space to watch, but won't immediately help people like 
former Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly, who is trying 
to access an entirely different product. While her application has 
since been withdrawn there was initially a lot of false reporting 
over why her application had been put on hold by Dunne.

The application was never rejected or turned down, it was just put on 
hold until the necessary information was sought. Kelly's oncologist 
was unable to get that information and recently the application has 
been withdrawn.

While there's plenty of sympathy for her situation, some argue 
there's too much information needed and Kelly should just be given 
what she's asking for.

In some worlds that might work, but really, are people suggesting we 
want a minister to just sign off on drugs willy-nilly? What happens 
when he does that and someone gets really sick, or worse dies, then 
who will be responsible?

We live in a country where there's processes for doing things and, 
yes, they're tedious at times, but the flipside of that is we live in 
a country where making sure people aren't put at greater risk is 
considered a priority. Nobody should turn their nose up at that.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom