A New Federal Law Will Protect Medical Cannabis in Australia

On 22 February, the Australian Minister for Health, Sussan Ley, presented a draft bill in the Federal Parliament aimed at allowing the growth of cannabis and for lots of patients to be able to access cannabis medicines with the approval of a medical professional. The most important factor of all is that, if the law is approved, it will come into effect nationally. This means that states will not be able to pass any other regulations against it independently and they would have to obey the decision without opposition.

The draft proposes creating a system of growing licenses and manufacturing cannabis medicines, for which it is necessary to follow some guidelines. Among them, a mechanism will be created in order to request and obtain the license that makes it possible to grow and obtain the medicines. Furthermore, it will also be necessary to have authorisation in order to research cannabis plants for medical purposes.

On the other hand, those that obtain the growing permit will have to show that they have agreements with authorised producers of medicines. Likewise, those that manage the granting of licenses will also be responsible for controlling the amount of cannabis that is produced and for guaranteeing the safety of the end product.

This legislation aims to ensure that there is a legitimate supply chain between those that grow, those that produce and those that ultimately receive the cannabis. Also, the proposal plans to severely punish those that violate these conditions or carry out unauthorised activities.

Up until now, some patients have had permission to medicate with the plant, however they have been forced to use products imported from other countries, which means that there are often problems at customs. The new legislation would overcome these drawbacks and contribute to creating a national solution whereby the end result would be a prescription from a medical professional.

Ley explained that many people have worked hard for a decision like this to be taken. The measure, which is an amendment of current drug legalisation, “provides the missing piece in the patient’s journey when it comes to trying to access safe, trustworthy and legal medical cannabis”. The minister believes that this is a moment that many people feel proud of, especially those that have staunchly defended this decision and those that have brought it forward with determination. In fact, the great support that this proposal has earned from doctors, patients, industry members and even politicians, will mean that its passage through the two houses of Parliament is, very possibly, resolved in a satisfactory manner.