Insight: Oct 7

Tonight’s episode of Insight debates whether marijuana should be legalised.

Over the past week is has been running with a national poll on the question: Is medical marijuana doing good or harm?

Over 50,000 voters have taken to social media have been submitted, and an interactive billboard has appeared at Henry Deane Plaza in Sydney and Federation Square in Melbourne asking people to vote via text and Twitter.

The results so far indicate that over 85% agree that marijuana should be legalised. You can vote and view here.

The final results will be revealed by Jenny Brockie tonight.

It has been called a miracle, lifesaving medicine.

A growing movement of parents are using it to control kids’ epilepsy. Even the PM and several State Premiers have indicated they’re open to it.

But there’s still much about medical marijuana we don’t know.

Next week, Insight cracks the lid on where medical cannabis comes from, what’s in it, and what it’s doing to patients.

Host Jenny Brockie speaks to the suppliers – who come from areas as far afield as Nimbin and Sydney’s North Shore – about the ‘science’ behind their ‘miracle drugs’, and the legal risks they face by providing it.

Parents and patients speak about their success in using marijuana for a range of illnesses, and their desperation to have it legalised.

But Brockie also hears from medical experts who believe there’s no proven medical benefit to using marijuana, and that those using it are at risk of mental health issues.

As the prospect of legalisation and clinical trials looms in several states, Insight also asks whether legal marijuana will lead to an increase of recreational use – and just what will happen to the black market.

Episode guests include:

Nicole Cowles
Nicole Cowles gives her 8 year old daughter Alice cannabis oil to help control her life-threatening seizures. Alice has a rare genetic disorder known as CDKL-5 which includes a form of epilepsy. Nicole says that the cannabis oil is the only thing that’s working to reduce the 20 or 30 seizures Alice can have in a day. Nicole says she can’t be sure what’s in the oil she gives Alice because it’s illegal to test it. “When you’re faced with losing your child or trialling something that you’re told you shouldn’t trial, it’s not really a choice, you trial it”.

Tony Bower
Tony Bower provides cannabis oil to Nicole and hundreds of others around Australia. He calls his product medical cannabis tincture; although he says he’s not a doctor. Tony maintains he doesn’t provide cannabis oil to children, “I give it to the parents, the parents choose what they do with it”. Tony was convicted in August this year of cultivating a commercial quantity of cannabis and sentenced to 12 months jail. He is currently on bail and is appealing the severity of his sentence.

Bianca Henderson
Bianca’s 10 year old son Declan also has a rare form of epilepsy, known as F.I.R.E.S. She says she will not use cannabis oil unless it’s legal, supervised by a doctor or as part of a clinical trial. Bianca is concerned about how any new treatment might interact with some of the other medications Declan is on.

Prof. Ingrid Scheffer
Prof. Ingrid Scheffer is a child neurologist who is concerned about the number of her patients who are using or want to use cannabis oil to treat their various kinds of epilepsy. She’s worried that positive media reports about cannabis oil are overlooking the need for proper randomised placebo controlled trials which also look for side effects. Ingrid says that no true large scale studies have been done, although there is one underway overseas which she is advising on.

Damon Adams
Damon Adams is a former police officer and member of the Australian Navy. He says he uses cannabis for pain relief from a knee injury, as well as recreationally. His preferred method of use is a vaporiser, but would use a bong or biscuits too. Damon unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Australian Senate in the 2013 Federal Election for the Drug Law Reform.

Prof. Milton Cohen
Prof. Milton Cohen is a specialist pain medicine doctor. Milton says there is evidence that pharmaceutical cannabis can relieve some types of pain but there is not good evidence to support the use of cannabis for all kinds of pain. He’s concerned about the safety of the cannabis oil currently being provided to people.

Andrew Katelaris
Andrew Katelaris is a de-registered doctor who makes his own cannabis oil. He says that “there’s no human disease that cannot be touched in some way by cannabis”. Andrew supplies cannabis oil to 12 children with different forms of epilepsy.

Tuesday at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.