Medical Cannabis

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:55): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question on the topic of medical cannabis and advice given by SA Health to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation as the lead minister, as noted by the Premier in the other place yesterday.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: I note and draw the attention of the minister to the current SA Health's frequently asked questions guide on the website as accessed by myself this morning. Under the header of health topics, medicine/medicinal cannabis, in answer to the question 'What is cannabis?' under frequently asked questions, it states the following:

Cannabis is a drug made from the dried flowering heads and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa.

Cannabis contains a complex mix of approximately 60 unique chemicals called cannabinoids and a range of other chemical compounds. The main active ingredient responsible for the ‘high’ produced by cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

That is where the explanation ends for SA Health. However, if one looks at the World Health Organisation's document on cannabis use:

Cannabis. A generic term used to denote the several psychoactive preparations of the cannabis plant. Cannabis is the preferred designation of the plant Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and, of minor significance, Cannabis ruderalis...

Three plants rather than SA Health's one. It goes on to note:

Cannabinoids are a class of diverse chemical compounds that act on cannabinoid receptors in cells that modulate neurotransmitter release in the brain. The composition, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of botanical cannabis differ from those of extracts of purified individual cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are basically derived from three sources: (a) phytocannabinoids are cannabinoid compounds produced by plants Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica; (b) endocannabinoids are neurotransmitters produced in the brain or in peripheral tissues, and act on cannabinoid receptors; and (c) synthetic cannabinoids, synthesized in the laboratory, are structurally analogous to phytocannabinoids or endocannabinoids and act by similar biological mechanisms.

It further goes on to note:

Cannabis preparations are usually obtained from the female Cannabis sativa plant. The plant contains at least 750 chemicals and some 104 different cannabinoids.

It further goes on to observe that there's not just THC but, of course, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN). Indeed, while THC is the primary psychoactive compound, CBD, a non-psychoactive compound, ranking as the second cannabinoid, acts to ameliorate the THC effects. It also notes:

Cannabis sativa is constantly changing. New non-cannabinoid and cannabinoid constituents in the plant are discovered frequently. From 2005 to 2015, the number of cannabinoids identified in the whole plant increased from 70 to 104 and other known compounds in the plant increased from some 400 to around 650…

My question to the minister is: if the department is so out of date and can't get it right, how can we trust the department to play a role in providing information not just to the public but to the professionals, the medical professionals, and how will we have an industry in medical cannabis in this state if SA Health cannot even get their frequently asked questions answers correct?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for her question and her afternoon biology lesson for us today.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Chemical lesson, not biology.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Plant biology. As the honourable member pointed out, and as most of the literature I have read generally talks about, around 400 different chemical elements make up the cannabis plant, and typically from what I have read it talks generally about 60 to 80 cannabinoids as part of the chemicals that make up the cannabis plant.

As the honourable member pointed out, the cannabinoid most talked about is THC, which has psychoactive properties and is being researched around the world for possible uses in medical treatments. I think the next most commonly referred to cannabinoid of the 60 to 80 is CBD, which has, as I understand it, lower or little psychoactive properties like the THC, but also is being looked at, and trials are taking place around the world on the effects they might have.

I am happy to go away and look at the website to which the honourable member refers. It may be the case, if it is a frequently asked question, that it might be responding to what are the most frequently asked questions, and my guess would be that THC is probably the cannabinoid most frequently asked about. I suspect that could be one of the reasons it is referred to on the frequently asked questions list, rather than being an absolute comprehensive study of all chemical elements or the biology of the cannabis plant.

I suspect that it might also be the case that, given the changes in the federal law in November last year, most of the publicity has been around THC and its medical application, and that might be why they are referring to it on the website. I will have a look at it. I am assuming they are not saying that this is the only cannabinoid that might be used but are saying that this is a cannabinoid. I suspect that, as a frequently asked question, is the one most asked about, but I am happy to ask the folks in the health department about that for the honourable member.