Koetsier backs decriminalisation of home-grown cannabis for personal use
Steve Jones from Cannabiz.com.au wrote the following article after Cann Group CEO, Peter Koetsier, spoke at The Cannabis Dialogue event in Melbourne last week.
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The chief executive of Cann Group has backed the decriminalisation of home-grown cannabis for personal use, but warned a full legal system risked undermining the health of Australians.
Peter Koetsier expressed concerns over the quality of cannabis that would enter the market and the integrity of existing and potential players if widespread adult use was legalised.
But he acknowledged the current system was failing patients and denying “millions” of people a medication that could transform their lives.
Discussing the merits of legal adult use at the Cannabis Dialogue event in Melbourne, Koetsier said a balance must be struck between widening access to medicinal cannabis and people remaining under the medical care of ethical health practitioners.
Finding that balance is a challenge, he said.
“And I don’t think I have the answer,” he told the audience.
“I know very well that if you have sleep disturbance, chronic pain, anxiety or PTSD, these are complex issues… and you need to be seeing a healthcare professional. Self-medicating isn’t the best way to do things and leads to a whole lot of consequences.
“The balance of being under medical care, and making sure people are looked after, but not denying access, is a very difficult one.”
Despite expressing support for decriminalising home-grown cannabis for personal use, Koetsier raised several issues surrounding broader adult use.
He said he was “concerned” at the ability of personal growers to produce quality cannabis, arguing that even at Cann’s Mildura facility, where the growing environment is tightly controlled, plants in the same room can differ “unless we get it absolutely right”.
“I also know there are no pesticides. The bloke next door isn’t spraying pesticides over the fence,” he said.
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