I would like to show you an excerpt from a document relating to a Medical Cannabis Roadshow event, held for Doctors in Tasmania around 2016/2017. It is part of a document given to doctors at the event. It is not from the Tasmanian Health Department. The former Tasmanian Chief Psychiatrist however was seemingly aware of the document, judging by his response when I provided it to him for his opinion, on the dismissive and contemptuous nature of the document regarding pain management for patients, including children with severe disability.

The disparaging, patronising and arrogant attitude stated toward patients, is shocking and disturbing. Is it any wonder some patients are treated like they are; as malingerers, hot potatoes, drug seekers, drug abusers, chemical copers, difficult patients, and routinely restricted/denied pain management, when all they require is compassionate care, empathy and medical management by doctors and Tasmanian Health Service.

A GP in NW Tasmania very recently told me, doctors are not interested in providing or even trialing Medical Cannabis for patients, reiterating the content of the 7 year old document - 
"Long waiting times for neuro, palliative and pain services. Almost non-existent likelihood that specialists will prescribe or start an n=1 trial of medicinal cannabis"

The Persistent Pain Service in Hobart currently states on their website:
'We are not currently involved in any clinical trial of cannabinoids use for pain'.

So, over 7 years later there are still no studies or trials into the use of medical cannabis, despite Tasmania being perfectly positioned to do so, with producers of medical cannabis in the state. And despite the Tasmanian DoH Pharmaceutical Services Board "having a policy formal or otherwise of not prescribing opioids", leaving pain patients with NO alternatives when they are force tapered off opioids with allergies or intolerant to multiple medications as my husband has been.

There is also NO paediatric pain service in Tasmania.

Medical bodies stating, regarding patients with neurological, pain, oncology conditions and palliative care: 

"...these patients are profoundly intellectually disabled so as a rule of thumb 'if the patient can ask for medicinal cannabis they will not be eligible'... no process provided by the department so at the moment, referral to the specialist in the THS is the only avenue.
... pain management using cannabis falls neatly into the same treatment modality as CBT [cognitive based therapy] and some movement therapies, namely mood modulation. There is no clearly understood analgesic effect of cannabis, but you don't mind the pain so much when you are stoned".

A friend stated 'The statement that if you can ask for cannabis your will not receive it is very concerning and makes no sense at all, as we should be able to advocate for ourselves and have choice and control over our own treatment and are well within our rights to ask for our needs to be met!'. 

Yes, we should, we try, we're refused. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P7lFqWzdYyHzKvU7fJxShueK6ign-sPN/view?usp=drive_link

Please keep sharing the petition, I am genuinely hopeful that change will happen given enough prompting by the people of this country and our advocates around the world, and those who understand the often life limiting impact of (unmanaged) chronic pain including the huge financial cost to the community. 

I want to, sincerely thank those who have signed and supported my change petition financially, allowing us to gain more signatures and most importantly spread the petition. 

Soraya Xx