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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-05-10 Daily Xml
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Medical Cannabis

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:09): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation on the topic of medicinal cannabis cultivation and manufacture.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: As members are aware, the lead minister for medicinal cannabis in this parliament has been identified as the Hon. Kyam Maher. He recently announced that there is now a new industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis office within the Department of State Development (DSD), something I congratulate him and the Weatherill government for taking steps forward in.

The minister may also be aware that a local business, which I note has already operated in the medicinal cannabis field overseas, has identified to the state government office that the Hydroponics Industry Control Act 2009 is currently providing barriers to their ability to comply with the Office of Drug Control's federal requirements to access a licence under the federal scheme. My questions to the minister are:

1. What actions have been taken to address the concerns with regard to the Hydroponics Industry Control Act in prohibiting, or creating unnecessary barriers to, those seeking to enter the medicinal cannabis or indeed the industrial hemp industry in this state?

2. Given that he previously hosted a round table on these issues, will he also consider hosting a round table in the near future to not only identify further barriers but to allow this industry to flourish?

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) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for her questions and for her advocacy in this area, not just on matters to do with medicinal cannabis but also on matters to do with industrial hemp in South Australia. It was pleasing that only a few short weeks ago the other chamber passed the laws that the Hon. Tammy Franks introduced to parliament with the regulatory amendments that the government put in place for the growing of industrial hemp in South Australia.

As the honourable member has identified, we have set up an office for medicinal cannabis in South Australia to deal with all the complexities across not just medical cannabis but the possibility of industrial hemp industries. There are a number of acts—and the honourable member has referred to one of them—that interplay with the regulatory regimes for these potential industries. I am not aware of the Hydroponics Industry Control Act and the problem that the honourable member has outlined, but I will certainly talk to the folks in DSD who are heading up that office now. I am sure that the company has talked to DSD about what they see are their concerns. I will receive a briefing on that to see if there is anything that we need to look at or do in relation to that particular area.

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