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After the Federal Government made it legal to consume cannabis for medicinal purposes two years ago, significant strides have been made to make access easier.
Serious developments in the research and cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes have been made by private and public companies in the years since.
However, the issue of access remains one that confounds patients, doctors, pharmacists, and the government thanks to a web of red tape and legislation.
Today, the Queensland Government announced it intends to make it easier for patients to access medicinal cannabis by repealing state laws that make access difficult.
Queensland Minister for Health Steven Miles says the changes will get Queensland up to speed with other states like Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia which have taken a more progressive approach to access laws.
Under the proposed changes to the law, medicinal cannabis will be treated the same as other drugs of addiction and prescription drugs.
"Our government is committed to improving pathways for Queensland patients to access medicinal cannabis and this new legislation joins some of the most progressive laws in the country," says Miles.
"This law change will significantly streamline the prescription process by removing state-level approval and will ensure patients have access to the treatment they need sooner."
"This is about making it easier for patients and clinicians. These changes are designed to both help and protect patients."
By changing the laws, the government is relinquishing its control over the prescription of medicinal cannabis and is falling in-line with a consistent, national approach led by the federal Therapeutic Goods Administration.
South Australia and the Northern Territory are yet to legalise cannabis for medicinal use, despite the Federal legislation which legalises the practice.
The proposed changes will be deliberated in Queensland Parliament next year.
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