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‘Where’s the dope, Daniel?’: Neil Mitchell wants to know what’s happened to government cannabis crops

Tom Elliott
Article image for ‘Where’s the dope, Daniel?’: Neil Mitchell wants to know what’s happened to government cannabis crops

It has been more than 18 months since the Andrews government harvested the first crop of government grown cannabis, but questions remain over what is happening to the drug.

The Andrews government “had a huge industry development plan which made it sound bigger than apples,” Neil Mitchell said.

“A very glossy document in January last year told us all about this. They’d harvested their first crop.

“So where’s all the dope, Daniel?,” the 3AW Mornings host asked.

Hydroponic marijuana takes about three months to grow, so six or seven government crops could now have been harvested.

While prescriptions for medicinal cannabis have grown from 188 in June 2018 to 1576 this year, the rise still does not account for the amount of cannabis that could have been grown by the government.

According to the state government, some of the cannabis being used for medicinal purposes in Victoria is sourced from overseas.

Reason Party leader and state upper house MP Fiona Patten, a key advocate who pushed for medicinal marijuana in Victoria, said she has seen the crop.

“There’s plants and green matter being harvested and being sent to the government, and we haven’t seen anything come out the other end yet,” she told Neil Mitchell.

Ms Patten said government-owned marijuana is not getting to those who need it for medicinal purposes.

“We’ve really red taped it almost to a stationary position,” she said.

In addition to state government owned crops, there are also private companies contracted to grow cannabis for the government.

Ms Patten said the cannabis crops may be being exported.

“We’re starting to export to Canada,” she said.

“The federal government was very rapid in setting up legislation to enable easy export of our product, but it has made it extraordinarily difficult for people to produce it here in Australia.

Press PLAY below for more.

Press PLAY below for Fiona Patten’s comments on the issue.

Tom Elliott
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