Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital is likely to host Queensland’s first medicinal cannabis trial next year.

The government wants to know if the drug can be used as an effective treatment.

Toby Crockford reports.

TRANSCRIPT

A small victory in the battle to legalise medicinal cannabis.

Health Minister Cameron Dick is eager to get the ball rolling.

Cameron Dick, Health Minister: “We are very keen to progress this, it’s very important for us to get the science and the medicine behind the science right, so we’re looking forward to finalising that.”

So it now seems the children’s hospital will initially use cannabis in the treatment of epilepsy.

One woman has already gone public with her story of the the success of the drug.

Lucy Haslam, Mother of Patient: “I, we thought it was so crazy and we were all incredibly happy.”

But with so little known about the effects of medicinal cannabis, doctors themselves still have a lot to learn.

Dr Chris Zappala, AMA Queensland President: “We need to understand what indications are the most appropriate for medicinal marijuana, what dose works best, where the potential risks might lie, particularly in terms of long-term risks.”

Ironically in January a Cairns father was arrested at the Lady Cilento accused of putting cannabis oil into the food of his two year old cancer stricken daughter.

But he received online support from more than 70,000 people who raised over $40,000

The government has yet to name a specific date for the trial, but it’s expected next year.

Toby Crockford QUT News.