Medicinal cannabis forum set for Brisbane

A woman whose son was the first person in Queensland to be given access to medicinal cannabis is worried about the way regulators are going. A Queensland mother whose ill son became the first person in the state to be given the right to medicinal cannabis will address a forum on drugs policy. Lanai Carter's son Lindsay, 19, has a brain tumour and suffers from epilepsy. He was recommended cannabis oil and dried flowers as part of his treatment by doctors in the US, but the family has not been able to obtain the same product in Australia. That's due to the complexities of importation laws, production licences and the availability of supplies - and it has left Ms Carter worried about the treatment available for her son. At Lady Cilento Children's Hospital a trial using CBD cannabinoid products is underway, but research from Israel shows oils containing THC work better for people with epilepsy and brain tumours, Ms Carter said. "They're already starting to narrow what can be prescribed," she told AAP. "It's very frustrating." Ms Carter said some states in the US had an effective, tailored approach to medicinal cannabis and fears Australian regulators will create a less effective "pharmaceutical" method with a limited range of products. ""The compassionate access available to a very limited number of pediatric epilepsy patients, 30 in this state, which has cost taxpayers $6 million, is only supplying a single-molecule product," she said. "(It) has had limited success compared with full plant extracts, which include the full spectrum of cannabinoids." Ms Carter and Dr Alex Wodak are due to speak on the issue at a forum in Brisbane on Thursday evening. Originally published here: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/10/26/medicinal-cannabis-forum-set-brisbane