Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016

Overview

This bill creates a legal pathway for seriously ill Queenslanders to be treated with medicinal cannabis, while keeping all other cannabis use illegal. Doctors can apply to Queensland Health for approval to prescribe medicinal cannabis to a specific patient, or, in future, prescribe as-of-right if they belong to a class of specialists listed in a regulation. Pharmacists need a dispensing approval to hand it out, and patients, carers and institutions have clear rules about how to store and use it.

Who it affects

Patients with conditions such as treatment-resistant epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV/AIDS, along with their carers, doctors and pharmacists. Hospitals, schools, nursing homes and prisons caring for these patients also have new obligations.

Key changes

• Doctors can apply for a one-year approval to prescribe medicinal cannabis to a named patient after getting their written consent
• Specialist doctors listed in a future regulation can prescribe medicinal cannabis for certain patient groups without needing a separate approval for each person
• Pharmacists need an approval to dispense medicinal cannabis, and carers can legally collect and administer it for the patient they look after
• Hospitals, schools, nursing homes and prisons must have a written medicinal cannabis management plan if a patient in their care uses it
• An expert advisory panel is set up to advise Queensland Health on which conditions and products should qualify
• Unapproved cannabis use remains a criminal offence under the Drugs Misuse Act 1986, with up to 750 penalty units for regulated activities outside the new framework