Legal medical cannabis in Victoria one step closer

There's a long way to go yet but Victorians are a step closer to getting access to medicinal cannabis.

The Labor-controlled lower house in the Victorian parliament on Thursday passed legislation to make cannabis legal for medical use.

The bill now must be approved by the upper house before Premier Daniel Andrews can say he's delivered on his promise to legalise medicinal cannabis.

The law would also allow medical-grade cannabis to be grown in Victoria, which is expected to be available to consumers in 2017.