Business View Oceania | July 2022

51 52 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 7 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 4, ISSUE 7 currently living and working in Australia are the regulations governing driving under influence. In addition to her role at AMCA, Ms. Haslam is an ambassador for the Drive Change campaign. She shares, “There are many patients in our country who have to make an active decision between driving and staying on their medicine. That isn’t much of a choice at all, unfortunately. We have made submissions to both the Western Australia and New South Wales inquiries into traffic regulation amendments surrounding DUIs and have encouraged our members to do the same.” The Drive Change campaign, run by The Cannabis Law Reform Alliance, is committed to the nationwide implementation of uniform drug driving laws that allow drivers with valid doctor’s prescriptions for medicines containing THC to have complete defence against persecution, provided impairment is not established and there is no involvement of dangerous or reckless driving. Campaign lead Adjunct Professor David Heilpern, who is also an AMCA ambassador, says, “The current drug driving regime with relation to cannabis is both nonsensical and discriminatory. It is nonsensical because it is a waste of money and there is no evidence it improves road safety. It is discriminatory in that it targets those using a single, legal medicine only-cannabis. We need to drive change.” AMCA’s five Board Directors value passion and dedication above all. AMCA’s intent is clear, Ms. Haslam explains. “I don’t think anybody could doubt what our intentions are as an organisation. Each of us feels very passionate for our own individual reasons, but we are all committed to a common goal. Some of us are looking for careers and development opportunities, and others are involved in research and academia, or to represent patients. We decided right from the get-go that we were going to function as a not-for-profit. We’re not interested in attracting a huge membership or charging massive fees. We want to develop a community of people who want to be part of the solution to create a healthy, robust industry and better accessibility for patients-in-need.” Collaboration has been key to AMCA’s approach. Ms. Rigby says. “We prefer to work with our members and partners to approach government and regulators in a cooperative, rather than combative, way. Most of our members joined AMCA to become involved in the betterment of their industry. When we identify a problem, we tackle it not just through our board, but by reaching out to members who have particular skill sets that they can lean on to help to us solve problems. It is a truly co-operative organisation”. Moving forward, AMCA plans to continue to advocate on behalf of members for the positive development of Australia’s medicinal cannabis sector. The association will continue to support major projects and initiatives such as the Drive Change campaign and is currently developing a nationwide compassionate access scheme. The SCCAC, founded by AMCA, is also developing an independent education program for healthcare practitioners that has already been accredited by the RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners). Ms. Rigby concludes with a note on AMCA’s predictions for future industry trends. “The sector has developed more slowly than originally expected. Breaking down barriers has proved a real challenge, but we have tackled those issues head on as they have risen and are proud of what we have achieved to date. We believe that Australian patients will soon begin to rely less and less on imported medicines as our high- quality local industry matures, and we expect to see more sustainable, responsible, and engaged local businesses in the medicinal cannabis space. We are already seeing export and innovation opportunities open and are incredibly excited for the future of what we believe is a massive opportunity for the Australian economy, as well as a vital resource for our health system.” AUSTRAL I AN MEDI C INAL CANNAB I S ASSOC I AT ION