The medicinal cannabis industry is at a critical juncture and must unite as one to demonstrate the overwhelming good it is delivering to patients across the country, the new chair of Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia has said.
As MCIA and the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) announced plans to explore a merger, Kristin Viccars warned that regulators will step in if the industry fails to get its house in order.
It must also “turn the tide on negative publicity”, he said, something that can be achieved through a collective effort across the industry and by speaking in Canberra with a single, strong and cohesive voice.
Speaking to Cannabiz 24 hours before news emerged of merger talks, Viccars said the industry must not allow the relatively few bad actors to undermine the great work of the majority.
With greater “unity, compliance and leadership” the industry could be up to almost a third larger than it is today, he added.
“Let me be frank, our biggest issue is fragmentation,” Viccars said. “As an industry we’ve often failed to speak with one voice and that lack of coordination is holding us back.
“The regulators are stretched and if we don’t lift internal standards and drive self-regulation, they will, and most likely in ways that may not reflect the best interests of patients or the industry.
“Regulators have an outsized appreciation of risk – until they don’t. It’s up to us to demonstrate that any risk – perceived or otherwise – pales in comparison to the actual benefits for patients.
“We must hold ourselves accountable. Compliance issues and lack of transparency around conflict and self-interest are hurting the industry’s reputation.
“That said, the potential is still enormous. With greater unity, compliance and leadership, the Australian market could easily be 20 to 30% larger than it is today.
“We know patients are benefiting, we know innovation is happening. But getting our house in order, communicating the patient and economic benefits more effectively is key.”
Viccars said it was “clear to everyone” that more collaboration is “not just desirable, but essential”, adding that the “fragmentation of having different industry associations is creating gaps for some of the bad actors to thrive”.
If the industry associations, and other stakeholders, can unite and create solutions to the issues confronting the sector “it could be a turning point for the industry”, he added.
Among plans underway is the creation of an industry-wide code of conduct.
Some of the most powerful industry associations have “strength in numbers” from such a coordinated approach and ensure the “right things are being done”, Viccars said.
“Our goal is to co-create industry solutions where there’s alignment and ensure we present a unified front on the issues that matter most,” he said.
“The regulators and policy makers have made it clear that a unified voice increases impact and improves outcomes.
“We’ve already seen the benefit of joint MCIA and AMCA meetings where we’ve had shared messaging, common priorities and aligned solutions. Ultimately that’s how we’re going to get things done.
“Collaborating in the way we are is helping to support the unified voice and vision and that is something both industry associations share.”
In addition to pressing hard on issues such as driving reform, workplace drug testing and embedding the endocannabinoid system into medical education and GP training, Viccars said it was critical to provide balance to the negative headlines that have tarnished the industry’s reputation.
“In many industries, the few unsatisfactory actors get disproportionate airtime, and this must be addressed,” he said, “We need to shift the narrative to focus on the majority of good actors which make up the medical cannabis industry in Australia.
“They are the ones delivering positive patient outcomes on a daily basis.”
Should AMCA and MCIA complete a merger, it will still leave a second industry body, Cannabis Council Australia, working the corridors of Canberra.
But Viccars hinted at the potential for closer collaboration with the Montu-backed body.
MCIA has met with CCA chief executive Lisa Penlington with Viccars saying the organisations “share an appetite for collaboration”.
“I think there’s an appetite and understanding that collaboration is fundamentally important to achieving a unified voice and we’re certainly open to having conversations about what we’re working on individually,” he said.
“Where that leads, I don’t know, but Lisa has a wealth of experience and collaboration can only be a good thing.
“If we’re sharing resources on common goals around the big issues, that’s ultimately where progress and action live.”