Presented by the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia, the ACannabis Conference & Exhibition was held at Crown Promenade in Melbourne, Australia from 12th – 14th March 2024.
Now in its fifth year, ACannabis brought together participants from across the medicinal cannabis ecosystem, including policy makers, governments, global leaders, healthcare professionals, patients and industry participants to share knowledge, exchange ideas and showcase leading edge industry technologies and opportunities.
The medicinal cannabis industry, which commenced in Australia in 2016, is now worth over $400 million per annum with more than 1.1 million prescriptions being issued every year.
As Australia is emerging as a reliable supplier of high-quality medicinal cannabis products, conferences like ACannabis play an important role in driving investment and improving the wellbeing of patients.
As part of the conference, David Ettershank participated in a conversation with former MP, Fiona Patten, entitled: ‘Legalisation: What is the Current State of Medicinal Cannabis Legislation at State and Federal Levels?’
David said the industry should play a more active and forceful role in advocating to change laws which discriminate against medicinal cannabis patients, such as the effective ban on driving.
“As an industry, there really needs to be a more proactive approach to patient advocacy as well as good old-fashioned self-interest in preserving this sector,
There is a live debate that we are trying to push forward and the industry needs to engage politically more assertively and collaboratively.”
David Ettershank
You can watch the session below.
