Australian Government response to the Senate inquiry into the Regulator of Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2014 and the development of Australia's medicinal cannabis framework.
This publication contains the Australian Government's response to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee report on the Regulator of Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2014. It considers the committee's recommendations and explains how Australia's medicinal cannabis framework addresses the issues raised during the inquiry.
The Regulator of Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2014 was introduced into Parliament in November 2014 and referred to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in February 2015. The committee reported in August 2015.
Following the inquiry, the Australian Government amended the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 to establish a national licensing framework for the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes. These amendments commenced in 2016 and created a regulated supply framework consistent with Australia's international obligations.
Patient access to medicinal cannabis products continues to be regulated through the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, including pathways such as the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), the Special Access Scheme (SAS), the Authorised Prescriber Scheme and clinical trials.
The publication outlines the Government's response to each of the committee's six recommendations relating to:
The response explains how subsequent legislative reforms and existing regulatory arrangements addressed many of the issues identified during the inquiry.
