Medical cannabis trial: ACT Chief Minister calls for national approach
The Federal Government should coordinate a national approach to the legalisation of cannabis for medical use, ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has urged.
She has also called on the New South Wales Government to include the ACT in its planned clinical trial.
Momentum has been growing for a fresh look at the pharmaceutical properties of cannabis and several states have examined the possibility of legalising the drug for medical use.
Ms Gallagher said she had written to Federal Health Minister Peter Dutton proposing the National Health and Medical Research Council support a national trial.
She said the Commonwealth should lead the response on the issue.
"Every state or territory is having to deal with a campaign being run in their local jurisdictions and it just makes sense to me that if we are going to have a look at the medical use of cannabis that it should be done from a national point of view," she said.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he has no problem with the medical use of cannabis.
Ms Gallagher said those comments had strengthened the argument for the Commonwealth taking the lead on the issue.
"They also have jurisdiction over the National Health and Medical Research Council which would clearly be the lead organisation to look at a clinical trial but also importantly the Therapeutic Goods Administration," she said.
Ms Gallagher said Mr Dutton was yet to reply to her correspondence which was sent in August.
"Health ministers are meeting on Friday in Melbourne and I believe this will be raised there," she said.
She said she was also yet to receive a response from New South Wales Premier Mike Baird.
"I think that makes sense if New South Wales is going to be looking at it, that the ACT as an island in the sea of New South Wales be included in that work," Ms Gallagher said.
"If you could get a clinical trial in place for a certain number of people in the ACT, that would allow them at least in a trial situation to start using it."
Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson has agreed there should be a national response to legalising medical cannabis.
He said it would makes sense for there to be a consistent approach across all jurisdictions.
"I think that when decisions are made... it would make sense that whatever is applied, is applied consistently," he said.
"We don't want great divergences in approach between New South Wales and Victoria, I don't think that would be helpful."
Mr Hanson said the ACT should monitor the NSW trial, but did not need to play a more active role.
"I think having people from the ACT observing what's going on in New South Wales makes sense," he said.
"We won't necessarily agree with any decisions that New South Wales makes, but I think it's useful to understand what their approach is and what lessons that they're learning.
"[But] I don't think that means that we need to go as far as participating."
An ACT Legislative Assembly committee will consider legislation to establish a medical cannabis scheme in the territory, with a report due in mid-2015.
