Medicinal cannabis isn’t for 19-year-old slam poets who think that being baked is the same thing as having a personality. It’s for cancer patients who want to feel less pain. It’s for folks with certain debilitating chronic illnesses. It’s for folks that are really hurting and might slip through the cracks without said medicine.
It’s therefore a good thing that Adelaide is welcoming its first medical cannabis clinic. According to Adelaide Now, it’s called IvyMed Clinic and it’s being run by Dr. Sheng-Wen Cheng and Dr. Hsin-Pei Lin.
Cheng is excited about this venture but stressed that it isn’t a laissez-faire affair. “Medicinal cannabis is only considered when patients have been unable to find relief through other options,” she stated. Cheng additionally said, “When we see patients, they need adjunct therapy options and it is rewarding that we are offering them an alternative solution to their often chronic and sometimes debilitating conditions.”
When Did Medicinal Cannabis Become Legal?
Since November 2016, medicinal cannabis has been legal in South Australia. This was thanks to some federal legislative changes. South Australia Health has outlined that using medicinal cannabis “is a matter for discussion between a medical practitioner and their patient.” Moreover, they’ve detailed, “There is not a restricted list of medical conditions for which medicinal cannabis may be prescribed in South Australia.”
Related: GPs in Queensland Can Now Prescribe Medicinal Cannabis
Related: Our Drug Driving Laws Bar Medicinal Cannabis Users from the Road — This MP Is Trying to Change That
What is Next For South Australia and Its Cannabis?
Tammy Franks is a South Australian Greens Member for the Upper House and a supporter of the medical cannabis movement. She has welcomed today’s decision but believes that more needs to be done. Franks wrote on Facebook, “We still need to see a future where all GPs are trained and empowered to prescribe medicinal cannabis.” They then later expressed, “We also need the costs to come down.”
Franks has a bill before the South Australian parliament that, if passed, would make cannabis legal for everyone. It’s yet unclear whether such a move would be welcomed by this state.
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