Medical cannabis
589. Hon Dr Brian Walker to the parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Health:
I refer the minister to reports that Morocco has recently begun shipping medicinal cannabis to Australia, and I note concerns expressed in the media earlier this year that the Australian medicinal cannabis industry was already struggling to gain a foothold amidst a flood of international imports.
(1) How many medical cannabis licences are currently operable here in WA?
(2) Is the government open to increasing that number, in the hope that Western Australia in particular, and Australia in general, reach a point at which a far larger portion of our required medicinal cannabis stocks come from the local market?
(3) If yes to (2), might local "micro" licences, as used in Canada, be one option for the department to consider?
(4) If no to (2), why is our local agricultural industry being disadvantaged in this manner, and what does the minister propose to do about it?
Hon Pierre Yang replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. I provide the following answer on behalf of the Minister for Health.
(1)–(4) The issuing of licences and permits for medicinal cannabis is administered under federal legislation, and this data is therefore held by the Commonwealth government.
