Australian legislative overview of medicinal cannabis

• Introduction
• Australia's potential as a global exporter of medicinal cannabis
• Review of the existing regulatory scheme
• Regulations to exclude non-psychoactive cannabis components
• Existing license and permits
• Patient access
• Recreational cannabis
• Conclusion

Introduction

Australia became a signatory to The Convention in March 1961. It implemented its obligations under The Convention by enacting the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 (Cth) (the ND Act). Prior to 2016, Australian law generally considered cannabis as an illegal narcotic. However in February 2016, the ND Act was amended by the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Act 2016 (the 2016 Amendment). Importantly, the 2016 Amendment established a national licensing and permit scheme for the cultivation, production and manufacture of cannabis for medicinal and scientific research purposes. There are other existing commonwealth, state and territory laws that contribute to the regulatory landscape dealing