What is the current state of cannabis in Australia?

The Australian cannabis industry is still in its infancy.

Currently, the recreational use of cannabis remains illegal across all federal, state and territory laws in Australia except for Australian Capital Territory (which we will explore below).

While more and more countries are legalizing the personal use of cannabis, Australia is falling behind. So just how close (or far) is the whole country from legalizing it?

The only state who has made advances to legalize recreational cannabis is the ACT (Australian Capital Territory). As of January 31, people within the ACT will be able to legally smoke cannabis (as long as it is no more than 50g worth) and grow 2 cannabis plants in their homes.

However, even if the law never becomes a reality, the fact that it happened is still a step in the right direction as it is generating word around the topic.

And in Australia this pattern of legislation being stuck down at a Federal level has a history. The ACT legalized same-sex marriage in 2013 and this was overturned almost immediately. But in 2017 Australia joined the rest of the world and legalized same-sex marriage across the country.

Once more and more states voice their opinions on the topic, the government will have to listen to the demands of the country.

The party is also advocating for the establishment of a fully controlled market for the sale and production of cannabis and cannabis-related goods. Although there is a strong push for the legalization of cannabis in Australia, there are still many advances that need to be made before this is actually a sound reality. Even once recreational use of cannabis is legalized strict regulations will be placed on the industry which will likely put restrictions on the public’s access to the products. This scenario is currently occurring in Australia within the medicinal cannabis industry which we will explore below.

In 2016, the Australian Parliament passed an amendment to the Narcotics Drugs Act to let cannabis be legally grown for medicinal and scientific purposes, finally starting Australia’s pathway to legalized cannabis.

In 2017, The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), a regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia, rescheduled certain medicinal cannabis products to a schedule 8 of the Poisons Standard.

Since then, all 6 states within Australia have in some form legalized the prescription of medicinal cannabis. Whilst this is a giant leap forward for the industry, there are still several obstacles holding the industry back from thriving.

Due to strict regulations placed on medicinal cannabis, gaining access to it is an incredibly complicated process. So although it is legal in Australia, it is still out of reach for many Australian citizens seeking to treat their illness with the medicine and many Australians don’t even know it is available as a treatment option.

Because most medicinal cannabis products are regarded as ‘unregistered products’ they don’t appear in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARGT). People aren’t able to simply go to their GP, obtain a prescription for medicinal cannabis and then get it made up at the pharmacy. They have to enter into a complex process, one that doesn’t have a guaranteed positive outcome.

Once the doctor determines if the patient is eligible to proceed further, he will supply a prescription which can then be made up at a pharmacy.

Although this process is available to doctors, there are very few who proceed because they don’t feel confident with applications under the Special Access or Authorised Prescriber schemes. The reasons for their reluctance to participate vary, some don’t feel adequately informed about the safe use of medicinal cannabis. Others may not have access to the detailed information required on applications for the TGA or State/Territory applications or they feel incapable to monitor the patients results after treatment commences.

Although the current state of cannabis in Australia is a little rocky, there is huge potential for its future in regards to international trade.

Australia’s high agricultural industry standards aren’t just beneficial in the traditional sense, these standards could soon see a boom in Australia’s involvement in the global export of cannabis.

This would be huge not only for Australia’s cannabis market, however also the cannabis industry on an international scale as it will introduce a new level of expected quality when it comes to the growing process of cannabis.

Although this is great news for Australia, there are many problems the country has to address within its own market if they want to achieve these global goals. Issues such as heavy finance requirements, a repressive and complex licensing system and the reluctance to actually prescribe medicinal cannabis (despite being legal).

Established in 2014, the Cann Group is the first company to be issued with a Cannabis Research Licence by the Australian Government’s Office of Drug Control. This authorises the company to cultivate cannabis for research purposes. They have also been issued with Australia’s first Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation Licence which authorises the company to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes. They currently own two Melbourne facilities and a Mildura site expected to be operational by the second half of 2020. Cann’s vision is to be a leading developer and supplier of cannabis and medicinal cannabis products within Australia.

Not only is Althea an Australian licensed producer, supplier and exporter of pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis (and even listed publicly on the Australian Securities Exchange). They also offer a range of education, access, and management services to support eligible patients and medical practitioners with navigating the complex medicinal cannabis system. They are currently operating in Australia and the United Kingdom with plans to move into the emerging Asia and European markets.

Botanix Pharmaceuticals mission is to develop the next generation therapeutics for the treatment of serious skin conditions. The company is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals suffering with acne, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. To achieve this goal, the company will carry out studies in the field with the end goal of achieving US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

The Australian cannabis industry is a young market, it is only natural that there will be challenges faced before it can fully thrive within the country. However, once these obstacles are crossed and the industry has the chance to flourish, there is massive potential for Australian cannabis to have an international impact.

Whilst there is a long road to go down before cannabis is completely legal in Australia, the future of the cannabis industry in Australia comes with a world of possibility and excitement.

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