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Medicinal cannabis legalised in Victoria
Victoria is the first state in Australia to legalise the use of medicinal cannabis, after the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill passed State Parliament yesterday.
The legislation will enable the manufacture, supply and access to medicinal cannabis across the state, with children suffering from severe epilepsy first to access the drug.
Speaking on the announcement, Victoria's Health Minister Jill Hennessy said, “We're starting with these children with severe epilepsy, whose lives have been shown to improve so significantly, because we know these children often don't make it until adulthood. We want to improve the quality of their life.”
Ms Hennessy said access to the drug would be rolled out gradually and in a variety of forms, eventually being made available for palliative care and HIV sufferers.
The Victorian Government is reportedly due to set up an Office of Medicinal Cannabis to oversee the manufacture of the drugs. The office would also provide education services for doctors and patients about the use of cannabis and their eligibility for the scheme.
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