The government is now operating in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.
The office of Drug Control (ODC), part of the Department of Health and Aged Care, collects fees and charges for the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme (the Scheme) under the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 (the Narcotic Drugs Act).
- Fees: charged when a good, service or regulation is provided directly to a specific entity or organisation. The Narcotic Drugs Regulation 2016 outlines the fees that are applicable to the Scheme.
- Charges (levies): charged when a good, service or regulation is provided to a group of individuals or organisations. The Narcotic Drugs (Licence Charges) Regulation 2016 outlines the charges that can be imposed under the Scheme.
The information on this page does not relate to licences and permits granted under the Narcotic Drugs Act for the manufacture of other narcotic drugs.
Office of Drug Control (ODC) Fees and Charges for medicinal cannabis regulation
We are responsible for a wide range of tasks relating to the regulation of medicinal cannabis under the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967. The Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) provides information on our cost recovery activities associated with the application processes, assessments and the on-going compliance and monitoring in relation to medicinal cannabis.
For further information regarding cost recovery and the fees and charges framework, refer to our Medicinal cannabis cost recovery web page.
Important information
Fees
- The application fee is non-negotiable and once paid non-refundable.
- We consider that an application has been made once the relevant invoice has been paid.
- An invoice will be issued for an application after submission of the application form and accompanying documentation.
- Invoicing for the application fee does not indicate that an application will result in the grant of a licence, or that more information will not be required. Once the fee is paid, the application will be assessed before a decision is made to grant or refuse a licence.
- Upon issue of an invoice for an application fee, the applicant has 28 days in which to pay the invoice in full. If payment has not been made within 28 days, we will assume the applicant is no longer interested in progressing the application and it will be considered 'not accepted' and no further action will be taken by us.
Charges
- Once a charge (or levy) is invoiced, the Licence Holder incurs a debt to the Commonwealth and the relevant invoice/s must be paid.
- Payment of the annual licence charge is a statutory obligation of all licence holders and non-payment can lead to revocation of the licence. The annual licence charge applies annually to all licence holders and is imposed on the licence anniversary date.
- An annual licence charge that has been incurred on the licence anniversary date is payable in full regardless of whether a licence holder has decided to surrender the medicinal cannabis licence during the licence period for which the annual licence charge applies.
- The annual licence charge cannot be pro-rated against the period of time a licence is in force if the licence holder decides to surrender the medicinal cannabis licence during the licence period the annual licence charge applies.
- Consideration should be given by licence holders wishing to surrender their licence to doing so before the next annual licence charge is incurred.
Updated fees and charges effective from 1 July 2024
The Office of Drug Control (ODC) conducts an annual review of its fees and charges to apply indexation resulting in minor increases to the medicinal cannabis fees and charges applied at the beginning of the financial year.
An indexation formula based on the relevant workload and average salary rates for the Department of Health and Aged Care is provided by the Department of Finance. This approach is consistent with the Government’s policy for cost recovery activities and reflects the formula used broadly across Government.
A revised Cost Recovery Implementation Statement (CRIS) - Regulation of medicinal cannabis 2024-25 has been published on our website reflecting the amended fees and charges framework following the review.
Fees are payable for each Licence, Permit or Variation application, as set out in the table below. Applications for more than one specified variation, will be the cumulative amount of the applicable fees for each variation applied for including multiples of the same variation type.
The table below lists all fees and charges for the Scheme effective from 1 July 2024.
Licence and permit fees and charges
| Name of Fee/Charge | Explanation of Fee/Charge | Price as at 1 July 24 |
|---|---|---|
| Single Licence Application | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for a single medicinal cannabis licence application. | $13,560 |
| Licence Variations - Type 1 | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an application to vary a medicinal cannabis licence for any of the following purposes:
| $595 each |
| Licence Variations - Type 2 | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an application to vary a medicinal cannabis licence for any of the following purposes:
| $1,510 each |
| Licence Variations - Type 3 | For the receipting, assessment, decisions making and notification of decision for an application to vary a medicinal cannabis licence for any of the following purposes:
| $2,220 each |
| Licence Variations - Type 4 | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an application to vary a medicinal cannabis licence to add an additional licensed premises (ie site) (including any other variations to the licence that are required as a result of adding the new licensed premises) | $12,280 |
| Initial C&P* Permit Application | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an initial application for a medicinal cannabis permit to authorise either or both cultivation and/or production at a particular licensed premises. | $12,110 |
| Subsequent C&P* Permit Application | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for a subsequent application for a medicinal cannabis permit to authorise either or both cultivation and/or production at a particular licenced premises. | $9,270 |
| Initial MAN* Permit Application | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an initial application for a medicinal cannabis permit to authorise the manufacture of a cannabis drug at a particular licensed premises. | $8,000 |
| Subsequent MAN* Permit Application | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for a subsequent application for a medicinal cannabis permit to authorise the manufacture of a cannabis drug at a particular licensed premises. | $6,120 |
| Permit Variations -Type 1 | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an application to vary a medicinal cannabis permit for any of the following purposes:
| $630 each |
| Permit Variations - Type 2 | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an application for a variation to a medicinal cannabis permit to add or remove a particular supply pathway that is specified by the permit. | $1,690 each |
| Permit Variations - Type 3 | For the receipting, assessment, decision making and notification of decision for an application for the following variations to a medicinal cannabis permit:
| $5,250 each |
| Annual Licence Charge | An annual licence charge is imposed on all licence holders when a licence is granted and each year thereafter on the anniversary date of the licence. The annual licence charge is designed to recover the following costs to the ODC in regulating the Scheme.
| $27,830 |
Inspection fees and charges
Fees/Charges below are invoiced after a particular type of inspection has occurred.
| Name of Fee/Charge | Explanation of Fee/Charge | Price as at 1 July 24 |
|---|---|---|
| Application Based Inspection - (Inspection fee) | Following the submission of a licence, permit, or a variation (licence variation or permit variation) application, the ODC may undertake an inspection of the relevant premises. | $9,370 |
| Routine/Ongoing Inspection - (Inspection Type 1) | An onsite inspection carried out by an authorised inspector to monitor a licence holder’s compliance with the Narcotic Drugs Act and its licence. These inspections are undertaken on a risk-based approach. | $12,810 |
| Verification Inspection – (Inspection Type 2) | An inspection carried out by an authorised inspector, either onsite or virtually, to verify the accuracy of information that has been provided to the ODC in relation to any licence or permit that is in force under the Narcotic Drugs Act. | $4,840 |
*C&P refers to Cultivation and Production; MAN refers to Manufacturing.
Payment options
Payment options will be provided on the invoice issued to the applicant. Payment plans will only be considered after proof of financial hardship has been provided.
Further information
Information and assistance regarding payment can be obtained by contacting the Medicinal Cannabis Section Applications Team via email MCS.Application@health.gov.au or phone 02 6289 4618 – Option 2. Please have your invoice number and application tracking number ready if you are seeking advice on a submitted application.