Meet The Team
A team of advocates have joined forces to be the voice for cannabis law reform Australia-wide.
PROFESSOR DAVID HEILPERN
Dean and Chair of Law, Southern Cross University, Drive Change Lead
David Heilpern was appointed as a Magistrate in 1998, and was at the time the youngest magistrate in Australia. Prior to this, David was a litigation lawyer on the North Coast where he co-founded the law school at SCU in 1992.
He ‘retired’ in May 2020. He sat in the criminal, mining, family, industrial, coronial and children’s jurisdictions of the Local Court, and was the Senior Civil Magistrate for five years. During his time on the bench, David was the principal educator for new magistrates throughout Australia and the Pacific and made several important reported decisions on criminal, environmental and evidence law.
BEE MOHAMED
Drug Law Reform Advocate
Bee Mohamed started her career in the medicinal cannabis industry as the Patient Advocacy and Stakeholder Manager (Asia Pacific) at Canopy Growth, one of the world’s largest cannabis companies in 2018. Following this, she was the Head of Government Relations at Astrid Dispensary, the first female-led dispensary in Australia (Dispensary of the year, Company of the year Cannabiz Awards 2023).
Prior to making a mark in the medicinal cannabis industry, Bee was the founding CEO of ScriptWise, a health promotion charity dedicated to preventing prescription medication addiction and overdose in Australia. She has worked over 10 years in both public and private sectors, with a focus on health policy.
Deeply committed to patient advocacy and meaningful drug policy reform, Bee continues this work today as an Ambassador with Harm Reduction Australia. Currently, she is the Director of Walamarra Botanicals, the first Indigenous-owned medicinal cannabis company.
DR DAVID GUNN
Harm Reduction General Practitioner | MD, CCFP, FRACGP
Dr David Gunn is a Canadian-trained GP with over 20 years of clinical experience spanning emergency medicine, long-term care, opioid agonist therapy (OAT), and complex general practice. Based in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, he works primarily with patients living with chronic pain, trauma, substance use, polypharmacy, and mental health challenges—often in combination.
Dr Gunn has contributed to RACGP-accredited education, national Schedule 8 policy discussions, and the development of a low-dose oral cannabinoid medication. He works within a multidisciplinary team alongside addiction specialists, physicians, and psychologists.
He is also a long-time supporter of Harm Reduction Australia and other initiatives aimed at improving access, safety, and dignity in healthcare.
GINO VUMBACA OAM
President and Co-Founder, Harm Reduction Australia
Gino Vumbaca is the Principal of 3V Consulting Services.
Mr Vumbaca has extensive experience in the HIV/ AIDS and drug and alcohol fields both in Australia and internationally. He is a Churchill Fellow, has completed a Social Work degree and a Master of Business Administration at the University of Sydney and is a qualified Company Director.
Mr Vumbaca is the former Executive Director of the Australian National Council on Drugs – a position he held for over 15 years – and which provided advice directly to the offices of the previous 4 Australian Prime Ministers (The Hon John Howard, The Hon Kevin Rudd, The Hon Julia Gillard and The Hon Tony Abbott) as well as numerous Ministers and senior officials.