Medical cannabis: who has access?

IS MEDICAL CANNABIS LEGAL IN AUSTRALIA?

Yes, medical cannabis is now a controlled substance rather than a prohibited one under the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA)

It was rescheduled from Schedule 9 (prohibited substance) to Scheduled 8 (controlled substance)

The federal government approved the reclassification, which came into effect in October 2016

This gave doctors a pathway to prescribe to patients

CAN PATIENTS ACCESS MEDICAL CANNABIS?

Yes, but it is reasonably difficult

Medical cannabis is not approved by the TGA as a registered good, therefore there is a lot of paperwork to apply for access

If patients are looking to access medical cannabis they must use other pathways such as the Special Access Scheme

States and territories can independently make access available to specific types of patients

Doctors also have to apply to become an authorised prescriber

To date, fewer than 150 people in Australia have been given access to medicinal cannabis

WHO CAN APPLY FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS?

The TGA doesn't specify which illnesses might be eligible for special access to medicinal cannabis

Doctors need to be able to show the drug would be of benefit for a patient

THE EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF MEDICAL CANNABIS

Most agree that the evidence is still not in on medical cannabis

Very few randomised double blind placebo control studies - the gold standard in medicine - have been conducted to test the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis

There is a body of evidence around the world that suggests it can benefit numerous conditions. These include:

* Epilepsy

* Multiple sclerosis

* Chronic neuropathic pain

* Nausea from cancer-related chemotherapy

* Parkinson's disease