West Australia To Cut Red Tape On Medical Cannabis Prescriptions Says MJ Biz

Australia’s westernmost state is making it easier for patients to access medical cannabis.

Western Australia said it will allow general practitioners to prescribe medical marijuana without the need for referral to a specialist, bringing the state in line with other jurisdictions, including New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.


The state is expected to see a similar increase in patient numbers as other jurisdictions that already abolished specialist approval.

Here’s the MJ Biz report

Western Australia cuts red tape for medical cannabis in boost for patients, industry

This is what WA Today said earlier this week

Rules relaxed as WA GPs get go-ahead to prescribe medical cannabis

Australia’s first medical cannabis product producer has welcomed changes to medical cannabis rules that will allow patients to seek prescriptions without the need for referrals to a specialist.

The changes will allow GPs to prescribe medical cannabis to patients but specialist approval will still be needed for children under 16 and patients with a history of drug abuse.

WA-based Little Green Pharma is the first and only Australian company to produce medical cannabis from its own plants and managing director Fleta Solomon said the changes would significantly reduce cost and time pressures for WA patients.

“We applaud the WA Health Minister [Roger Cook] for implementing this streamlined policy and are confident it will make a huge difference to WA patients, who have previously been disadvantaged by the state’s time consuming and costly access process,” she said.

“When considering many using medicinal cannabis products have serious illnesses and are sometimes financially strained, the previous access regime unnecessarily added a number of months and additional costs to the process.”

From November 2016 until August 2019, WA doctors issued 876 approvals to for medicinal cannabis prescriptions.

Medicinal cannabis products, which remain at stubbornly high prices, remain classified as controlled drugs throughout Australia and do not attract federal subsidies.

The Department of Health reviewed three years of prescribing data in the lead-up to its decision.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook said the new changes brought WA closer into line with other states and territories.

“Whilst the listing of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is the responsibility of the federal government, it is important for the Commonwealth to have a flexible system that expedites affordable access to new and emerging healthcare treatments,” he said.

Full story at  https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/rules-relaxed-as-wa-gps-get-go-ahead-to-prescribe-medical-cannabis-20191112-p539va.html

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