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Cannabis is a term used to describe any plant in the genus Cannabis, including dried flowers, leaves, seeds, extracts and resins. The cannabis plant produces a group of chemicals called cannabinoids, one of which is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC). This is the main cannabinoid responsible for the ‘high’ produced by cannabis. Besides THC, another important chemical found in medicinal cannabis is cannabidiol (or CBD). Though almost identical to THC in terms of chemical structure and medical uses, CBD doesn’t have the same psychoactive effects.

In Australia, the Commonwealth Department of Health regulates medicinal cannabis products through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Office of Drug Control (ODC). Regulations are in place to ensure high-quality, consistent and standardised medications are available for Australian consumers.

Medicinal cannabis has been approved for use for over 40 conditions in Australia. However, approvals are granted on a case-by-case basis depending on a patient’s individual situation. Please note, medicinal cannabis cannot be prescribed for the treatment of cancer. However, it may be considered for treatment of symptoms related to cancer or side effects of cancer treatment.

Prescribing of medicinal cannabis to patients has been legal since November 2016 throughout Australia. However, individual states also have separate legislation regarding details of approvals and conditions that patients have that may be approved. Cannabis remains a highly regulated drug in Australia and growing or using cannabis without the relevant licences or authorised prescriptions remains illegal.

The TGA has established quality standards for medicinal cannabis products and all companies who import, manufacture and supply medicinal cannabis products in Australia are required to meet them.

Any patient with any medical condition can, in theory, be prescribed medicinal cannabis by their doctor, if they believe it is an appropriate therapy. However, state regulations may limit prescriptions for certain conditions, to certain doctors or for certain forms of medicinal cannabis. Eligibility to be prescribed medicinal cannabis is assessed on an individual basis by taking into account many factors in a patient’s history. This is best conducted by a doctor experienced in medicinal cannabis assessment and prescribing.

Prescribing doctors tend to prefer delivery formats that lend well to conventional medicine and there’s good reason for that. To elaborate further, dosing titration is much easier with an oral ingested oil over inhalation. Due to the potential harms which include carcinogens from smoke and by-products of heat and combustion, flowers are rarely selected and prescribed by doctors. Oral tinctures are commonly prescribed to assist with chronic health conditions. If the goal of treatment for a patient is to provide a rapid onset solution, vaporised medical devices are preferred by doctors over combustibles.

No, people cannot legally grow their own cannabis for medicinal use, even if it has been prescribed for them by an authorised medical practitioner.

In most cases, medical cannabis for therapeutic purposes can only be prescribed by a medical practitioner with an appropriate approval. If a doctor is not authorised to prescribe medicinal cannabis products or is not sufficiently familiar with cannabis prescribing, he or she can refer their patient. Once applications are finalised and approved, all medicinal cannabis products are dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.