Click on a state to see it’s status.
Who can prescribe: Australian Registered Specialists Medical Practitioners
Australian Registered General Practitioners (GP) can initiate the application process however require either expertise in the area for which the medication is being prescribed or a letter of support from the Specialist. The preference is for the patient’s usual medical practitioner to be the prescriber.
Australian Registered Authorised Prescribers can prescribe a specific medication to a group of patients within their practice or care.
The Department of Health does not routinely authorise prescribing by interstate practitioners for Schedule 8 or Cannabis-Based Products.
Who can dispense: Any Western Australian Licensed Pharmacist can dispense the medication to the patient only upon receiving the original copy of the prescription, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval and, where relevant, state-based approval documents.
The Department of Health does not routinely authorise prescribing by interstate practitioners for Schedule 8 or Cannabis-Based Products. The script is considered an invalid interstate prescription and should not be dispensed by WA pharmacists. The pharmacist is to refer the patient to a WA state-based prescriber.
Reference: Government of Western Australia Department of Health, n/d, Interstate Prescriptions site viewed 22 Feb 2019.
Which conditions are included: ‘limited conditions’; not specified
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) process
Note: CBD Schedule 4 drugs only require TGA approval in Western Australia
State Approval Process: Western Australian Department of Health approval
Note: CBD, Schedule 4 drug, requires no specific approved from the WA Department of Health prior to prescribing.
THC and all other cannabinoids, Schedule 8 drugs, require state approval.
No detailed information about the internal state approval process is available to the public.
Process Approval Times: Up to one month
Subsidies: No government subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of the medication
State based information: Western Australian Department of Health – Medicinal Cannabis Frequently Asked Question information sheet
Information Source: Western Australian Department of Health – Medicinal Cannabis
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: Australian Registered Northern Territory doctors who are authorised under the Special Access or Authorised Prescriber Scheme administered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for Northern Territory residents only.
Who can dispense: Northern Territory Licensed Pharmacists are only allowed to dispense S8 and restricted S4 substances, such as medicinal cannabis, if the prescriber is practising in the Northern Territory (NT), as evidenced by the practice address on the prescription. Provision exists to allow them, in certain limited circumstances, in cross-border areas.
Which conditions are included: There are no limits to the symptoms and conditions for which a cannabis medicine may be prescribed in the Northern Territory.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) single application process
State Approval Process: No state-based approval required.
Process Approval Times: Usually a few days unless more information is required
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
State based information: No Northern Territory specific Medicinal Cannabis Patient Information Factsheets located.
Information Source: Northern Territory Department of Health
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: Australian Registered Specialists Medical Practitioners and General Practitioners (GP) as single patient prescribers
Australian Registered Authorised Prescribers can prescribe a specific medication to a group of patients within their practice or care.
Who can dispense: A registered pharmacist, that holds a current endorsement under section 64 of the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996, who has agreed to be nominated as the dispensing pharmacist and listed on the state-based application submitted by the doctor requesting authority to prescribe a cannabis-based product. A separate application must be submitted by the pharmacist to the chief executive of Queensland Health for a dispensing approval for medicinal cannabis.
Which conditions are included: There are no limits to the symptoms and conditions for which a cannabis medicine may be prescribed in Queensland.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) single application process.
State Approval Process: Required for all medicinal cannabis products including CBD. The chief executive of Queensland Health reviews and approves applications to use medicinal cannabis, with the assistance of an expert advisory panel.
‘The Queensland Medicinal Cannabis Expert Advisory Panel is appointed by the chief executive and assists them to decide applications made under the single-patient prescriber pathway by providing:
The panel may also seek advice from other experts as required both nationally and internationally, for example paediatric neurologists for applications regarding children with epilepsy.
The panel will be able to advise that all reasonable treatment options for the disorder have been tried before using an unapproved product such as medicinal cannabis.
The panel will only communicate with the applicant, i.e. the doctor, when more information is required to inform their advice to the Director-General. No direct communication with the patient will be entered into by the panel.’
(source: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/public-health/topics/medicinal-cannabis/regulation/commonwealth )
An identity card will be issued to the approved patient which must be produced upon request.
Process Approval Times: Two business days unless more information is required.
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
Children’s Health Queensland Compassionate Access Scheme is helping to test Epidiolex® as a new CBD antiepileptic medication for a limited number of children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. This program is conducted by Queensland Children’s Hospital and the first point of contact should be with your child’s neurologist or call the Clinical Research Manager (Neurodevelopmental Disorders) on 07 3069 7405. Read more
State based information: Queensland Patient Information For Accessing Medicinal Cannabis. Read more
Information Source: Queensland Government, 2018, Patient Information for accessing medicinal cannabis accessed 21/02/2019.
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: Australian Registered South Australian Specialists Medical Practitioners with expertise in the management of the disease being treated for South Australian residents. Authority may be granted to a general practitioner with letter of support provided by the patient’s treating specialist.
Who can dispense: Any SA Licensed Pharmacist can dispense the medication to the patient only upon receiving the original copy of the prescription and Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval.
Which conditions are included: There are no limits to the symptoms and conditions for which a cannabis medicine may be prescribed.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) single application process.
State Approval Process: No state-based approval required for Schedule 4 CBD products.
In South Australia a section 18A authority is ‘required to prescribe a Schedule 8 medicinal cannabis product where it is being prescribed for
Exemptions apply in South Australia for
Process Approval Times: Less than one week unless more information is required.
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
State based information: South Australian Department of Health – Frequently Asked Questions Medicinal Cannabis
Information Source: SA Health, Medicinal cannabis, Patient access in South Australia
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: Australian Registered Specialists Medical Practitioners as single patient prescribers
Australian Registered General Practitioners (GP) are not excluded from applying to prescribe a cannabis medicine, the expectation is they will have a letter of support from the treating specialist and work in a shared-care arrangement.
Australian Registered Authorised Prescribers can prescribe a specific medication to a group of patients within their practice or care.
Who can dispense: Any NSW Licensed Pharmacist can dispense the medication to the patient only upon receiving the original copy of the prescription and TGA approval.
Prescriptions issued by NSW based prescribers are to be dispensed by a pharmacy within NSW.
Which conditions are included: There are no limits to the symptoms and conditions for which a cannabis medicine may be prescribed in NSW.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) single application process
State Approval Process: No state-based approval required. State-based expert advisory approval panel dissolved in 2018.
Children under the age of sixteen may require special approvals under the Children and Young Person’s Care and Protection Act 1998. NSW Health manages these applications on the prescriber’s behalf if approval to prescribe is granted. NSW Medicinal Cannabis Compassionate Use Scheme provides guidelines for NSW Police officers about using their discretion not to charge adults with a terminal illness for possession of cannabis not lawfully prescribed (as well as up to three registered carers), as long as they are registered with the Scheme. Once registered the person can possess no more than 15g of cannabis leaf, 1g cannabis oil or 2.5g cannabis resin for use in any domestic residence. Read more
Process Approval Times: usually a few days unless more information is required
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
The NSW Compassionate Access Scheme for Epidiolex® commenced in July 2016 providing a pathway for children with severe refractory epilepsy excluded from clinical trials to access pharmaceutical cannabis-based medicine. This program is conducted by Sydney Children’s Hospital and the first point of contact should be with your child’s neurologist. Read more
State based information: New South Wales Department of Health – Legal Access to Cannabis Based Medicines Factsheet.
Information Source: Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research and Innovation
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: Any Australian Registered Medical Practitioner
If prescribing under SAS Cat A the GP will require a letter support from a relevant specialist or prescribing by the relevant specialist.
Who can dispense: Any licensed Pharmacist can dispense the medication to the patient upon receiving the original copy of the prescription and Therapeutic Goods Administration approval.
Which conditions are included: No limits to the symptoms and conditions for which a cannabis medicine may be prescribed in Victoria.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) single application process.
State Approval Process:Once Commonwealth approval is granted, no additional Victorian approval is required if the medicinal cannabis product is classified as a Schedule 4 medicine
Schedule 8 medicinal cannabis products require a Schedule 8 Treatment Permit under the Victorian Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Act.
Process Approval Times: The Victorian Office of Medicinal Cannabis is committed to assessing applications for Schedule 8 permits within one working day of receipt of all necessary documentation.
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
Compassionate Access Scheme in Victoria commenced in March 2017 providing early compassionate access to imported medicinal cannabis for 29 children with severe refractory epilepsy. This scheme has been expanded to provide access for up to 60 children until 2020.
State based information: Victorian Department of Health – Medicinal Cannabis Frequently Asked Questions
Information Source: Victorian Department of Health – Medicinal Cannabis
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: Australian Registered Medical Practitioners must have approval from the ACT Chief Health Officer (CHO) to prescribe cannabis as a controlled substance as a single patient prescriber.
A Category Approval states you may only apply to prescribe medicinal cannabis for patients with the following conditions:
Who can dispense: Licenced pharmacists will need to apply to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and/or Office of Drug Control to seek approval to obtain medicinal cannabis.
Which conditions are included:
Prescribers may also apply for approval to prescribe medicinal cannabis for other indications.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
State Approval Process: ACT is not currently harmonised with the TGA single application process and there is no date set for its implementation.
Schedule 8 medicinal cannabis products require ACT Health approval and they will not approve any application until TGA approval is obtained. Applications may also be referred to the Medicinal Cannabis Medical Advisory Panel for a recommendation which is considered by the ACT Chief Health Officer when making the final decision to approve or not approve the application.
Process Approval Times: Less than one week unless more information is required
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available – patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
State based information: ACT Health – Medicinal Cannabis
Information Source: ACT Health – Medicinal Cannabis
Revised: 22/02/2019
Who can prescribe: General Practitioners (GPs) are unable to prescribe in Tasmania; referral to a relevant medical specialist is required who then applies to the Department of Health and Human Services for a legal authorisation to prescribe under the Cannabis Access Scheme (CAS).
Who can dispense: Medicinal Cannabis products will be dispensed from a Tasmanian Health Service hospital pharmacy upon presentation of a prescription issued under the Tasmanian scheme.
Which conditions are included: There is no list of required conditions for which a cannabis medicine may be prescribed in Tasmania, decision to apply is based on the relevant medical specialist’s clinical decision.
Commonwealth Approval Process: Through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) SAS application process
State Approval Process: All applications are reviewed by a delegate of the secretary of the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services in accordance with the usual pathways for Schedule 8 substances under Section 59E of the Act or for Schedule 4 cannabidiol under Regulation 70 of the Poisons Regulations 2008.
The Tasmanian Access and Advisory Committee review applications and communicate reasons for rejected applications directly to patients and the prescribing doctor.
Process Approval Times: not publicised
Subsidies: No Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies available however, in Tasmania patients prescribed an unregistered cannabinoid product under the Cannabis Access Scheme will be able to have it dispensed by a Tasmanian Health Service hospital pharmacy and will pay the applicable PBS patient co-payment each time the product is dispensed.
State based information: Very limited state-based information available at the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services – Medicinal cannabis
Information Source: Department of Health and Human Services – Medicinal cannabis
Revised: 22/02/2019
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