FOLLOWING a three hour discussion in Queensland State Parliament Wednesday night, the Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016 was unanimously passed meaning that Queensland patients with a range of medical medical conditions will be allowed to legally access medicinal cannabis products from March next year.
Health Minister Cameron Dick said the access to medical marijuana would be via certain specialist health professionals such as oncologists, paediatric neurologists and palliative care doctors who can prescribe without needing approval from the health department.
However, the legislation allows that any medical practitioners who believe that an individual patient may benefit from medical cannabis will be able to apply to Queensland Health for approval to prescribe the product.
Dick said most of the medical cannabis would be imported from Canada or the Netherlands, as it was illegal to cultivate commercial medical cannabis in Australia.
He explained there was a misconception that the bill only supported the use of synthetic medical cannabis. He said most approvals granted under this bill would be botanically-derived products.
Dick said the reform was a "game changer for seriously ill patients who often feel compelled to seek out illicit cannabis treatment options".
The bill is subject to review after two years, and the use of cannabis without the appropriate approvals will continue to be illegal in Qld.
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