Amendments were made to the Narcotic Drugs Act to permit legally grown cannabis for the production of medical cannabis products in the country. The Turnbull government proposed changes to the Act earlier this month, and it had bipartisan support.
However, it is still against the law to use cannabis for recreational use, and state-based criminal laws remain intact.
Sussan Ley, Australia’s Health Minister, said it is considering changing how medical cannabis is classed in the Poisons Schedule. If the scheduling is changed, it would be in the same category as morphine and other restricted medicines. This means it wouldn’t be in the same category as an illicit drug.
Advocates said that regulating cannabis for medical use for certain health conditions will create a sustainable local industry and it will allow research to be done on the qualifying of various products.
Various companies in Australia have been preparing to import medical marijuana cuttings from other countries, and they have been looking around for sites where they can plant crops.
Former MP, and current chairman of AusCann, a medicinal cannabis company, Mal Washer said the Therapeutic Goods Administration still has to figure out what types of medical marijuana could be grown and manufactured. He added that the group can start growing the product within a month.
