A request to make medical cannabis more affordable has been rejected by the Australian government.

Queensland’s Minister for Health, Cameron Dick said he thought the cost issue should be addressed.

He wrote to Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt last month to request the Commonwealth accelerate the process of making medicinal cannabis more affordable by placing it on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

He is now urging Minister Hunt to reconsider his decision.

“As a Government, we’ve put in place the most robust scheme in Australia to allow appropriate patients access to medicinal cannabis,” Minister Dick said.

“We want it to be as affordable as possible, but that ball is now in the Commonwealth’s court.

Around the world medical cannabis is being used to help with a large number of medical conditions, with pain relief being the main reason.

It can also treat muscle spasm caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea from chemotherapy, seizures, Crohn’s disease and rapid weight loss from chronic illness.

While the PBS scheme was rejected, Queensland has today announced amended laws to allow licensed growers and researchers in the state to supply cannabis seeds into Australia’s medicinal cannabis supply chain, following the start of the medicinal cannabis scheme.

It is hoped this will address supply issues and help in some way with affordability.

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Bill Byrne made the announcement, and said the Queensland industrial cannabis industry has developed valuable cannabis seed lines for which it holds plant breeder rights

 “We listened to what industry had to say, and took the matter to Canberra, who are now allowing seed to be sourced from legal Australian breeders,” Minister Byrne said.

He said the Federal Government will maintain a strictly controlled licensing system and that the new laws would not allow anyone to grow their own cannabis for medicinal purposes.