Feeling better? Australia poised to legalise growing of medicinal cannabis

Australia has introduced legislation into parliament to legalise the growing of cannabis for medicinal purposes, with the government calling it “the missing piece in a patient’s journey”. Health Minister Sussan Ley said the law, if passed, would allow cultivation of cannabis through a national licensing and permit scheme, opening the way to a safe, legal and sustainable supply of locally produced product for the first time. "This is an important day for Australia and the many advocates who have fought long and hard to challenge the stigma around medicinal cannabis products,“ she said. Research, including findings published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed marijuana has some effectiveness in helping treat chronic pain.

Importantly, having a safe, legal and reliable source of products will ensure medical practitioners are now at the centre of the decision making process on whether medicinal cannabis may be beneficial for their patient.

Health Minister Sussan Ley

Several Australian states have committed to starting trials for the cultivation of cannabis for medical and research purposes but current laws forbid the growing of the plant. As a result Australian manufacturers, researchers and patients on clinical trials have been forced to access international supplies of legal medicinal marijuana. But costs, limited supply and export barriers make this challenging. Although the legislation would aid supply to researchers and patients on clinical trials, access to cannabis will not be allowed for other patients and the general public. Australia is set to decide by the end of March as to whether to lower the criteria on how it allows the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

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