Why Australia Treats Medical Cannabis With Extreme Care
In Canada, licensed dispensers dispatch neat little packets of cannabis to medicinal users all over the country for as little as $5 a gram. The packets wouldn’t look out of place in a supermarket.
In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has a very different plan for patients accessing cannabis. The TGA is the Department of Health agency charged with regulation of therapeutic goods, from medicines to sunscreens. Until recently, the Australian government has taken a restrictive approach to creating legal access to medicinal cannabis.
But on Aug. 31, in the face of mounting demand for clinical trials and patient access, the TGA down-scheduled cannabis from Schedule 9 (Prohibited Substance) to Schedule 8 (Controlled Drug). The administration recognizes only “limited high level evidence” for the efficacy of many cannabis products, although GW Pharma’s cannabis extract nabiximols—trade name Sativex—was registered with the TGA in September 2013.
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