Travelling with Medicinal Cannabis

When travelling interstate

Each Australian state and territory has specific requirements about carrying Schedule 8 and other restricted medications across borders; some require a script written by a local medical practitioner to lawfully possess that product. Queensland and Tasmania have additional requirements for CBD products even though they are not Schedule 8 drugs.

If in doubt about what is required contact the local state or territory health department.

Carrying medicinal cannabis interstate when travelling by aeroplane has not been tested in a court of law, however, it is generally accepted that medicinal cannabis, as a prescribed medication in the original packaging, will be exempt from confiscation and prosecution for patients travelling between states.

Travelling into Australia

To bring any medicinal cannabinoid therapy into Australia for personal use you will require what is called a ‘Travellers Exemption’, meaning you must have a medical prescription from a medical practitioner. It is important to note that the standard of documentation for obtaining medicinal cannabis in some counties will not meet the Australian requirements. Foreign documents such as a ‘medicinal cannabis licence’ or a ‘documented recommendation’ will not be sufficient to bring the medicine into Australia.

It is important to keep the medication in the original packaging labelled by the dispensing pharmacist. A copy of the medical prescription should be carried with the medication. Up to three months’ supply may be brought into Australia for personal use and can be carried by the individual or a parent or carer. It is important to check how much medicinal cannabis can be taken out of the country from which you are departing. Although you can bring three months’ worth of medicinal cannabis into Australia, you can only take one months’ worth out of Canada and nothing out of the United States of America.

Also, if you are ‘in transit’ in another country it is important to check the regulations about carrying medicinal cannabis; some countries have very strict laws which attract significant jail terms for possessing a drug that is not permitted in that jurisdiction.