Medicinal Cannabis

Patient application & Consent form

Medicinal Cannabis Victoria

Medicinal cannabis is an alternative treatment option for various health conditions if conventional medicine is ineffective or has unbearable side effects. If you’re in Victoria and want to learn more, speak to your doctor or make contact.

What is Medicinal Cannabis?

Medicinal cannabis is any product that contains cannabis or components derived from cannabis that is prescribed by a doctor to treat the symptoms of a medical condition.
The term ‘medicinal cannabis’ stems from the scientific name of the plant, cannabis, and also refers to the chemicals within the cannabis plant, known as cannabinoids.

Medicinal cannabis products generally include one or both of two key components – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC and CBD are the two
main cannabinoids responsible for most of the medicinal benefit of cannabis.

What is the Difference between Medicinal Cannibas and Street Cannabis?

Medicinal cannabis is different to street cannabis for a number of reasons.

Prescribed pharmaceutical cannabis involves isolating useful cannabinoids, refining their production and minimising harm to positively affect health and symptoms. This is different to street cannabis, which is illegal, uncontrolled and harmful, and may be contaminated with (for example) mould or solvents.

Unlike cannabis that is grown and sold illegally, the quality and purity of medical cannabis is carefully regulated. This means the components and dose, and therefore the effects, are more predictable, consistent and controlled.

Medicinal Cannabis Products Available

Medical cannabis is available in a number of formats which means prescriptions can be administered in a number of ways. Method of consumption, dosage, concentration and individual biological factors will all impact the response time to feeling the effects of medicinal cannabis. The method used depends on the person’s needs.

The main ways to take medicinal cannabis are:

VAPORISING: Breathing in vaporised dried cannabis flower; works quicker but is effective for shorter.

ORAL ADMINISTRATION: Swallowing cannabis oil; has a slower effect but lasts for longer.

TOPICAL: Oils can also be added to lotions, gels or creams for topical application; quick effect but short-lasting.

Some people use a combination of the above options as a form of medical cannabis treatment. Medicinal cannabis should not be smoked. For more information on the use of medicinal cannabis in Victoria, and across Australia, please visit https://www.tga.gov.au/publication/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-overview

Who is Eligible to use Medicinal Cannabis in Australia?

In Australia, under certain circumstances, buying and using medicinal cannabis is legal at both Commonwealth Government and State and Territory levels i.e. which includes the Victorian Government.

Legal medicinal cannabis products are only available for people who meet specific eligibility criteria, and if they are prescribed by a doctor who follows the correct process. The prescribing doctor needs to justify to a regulatory government authority, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) why the person needs medicinal cannabis.

The TGA then decides whether to approve the prescription or not. Even though access to medicinal cannabis by way of TGA approval is not limited to a specific list of conditions or symptoms, part of this authorisation requires that a person needs to have had their condition for at least three months. They must also have tried conventional medical treatment, which either did not work for them or gave them unacceptable side effects.

Who can Prescribe Medicinal Cannabis in Australia?

The prescription of medicinal cannabis in Australia is restricted by the Department of Health’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The TGA, as a regulatory healthcare
body, allows doctors to prescribe medical cannabis for different conditions and in some exceptional circumstances but needs to approve each patient’s prescription on a case-by-case basis. The TGA does this via an application (called SAS-B) submitted by a healthcare professional on the patient’s behalf. This SAS-B application includes clinical evidence and clinically justified reasons for a patient’s treatment, dosing routine, and length of treatment.

For the most up-to-date and accurate information on prescribing medicinal cannabis in Australia, visit the TGA website https://www.tga.gov.au/medicinal-cannabis-guidance-documents

How much does Medicinal Cannabis cost in Victoria?

The Australian Government doesn’t subsidise the cost of medicinal cannabis products through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The cost of medicinal cannabis will vary for each person depending on the type of product prescribed as well as the dosage. Currently the Commonwealth and Victorian Government does not subsidise the cost of medicinal cannabis. Patients (including VIC) need to pay the full cost of products themselves.

Typically, the cost can range from $30 to $100 per week. Patients also need to pay for associated medical treatments and appointments (face-to-face or telehealth).

Honeypot GP Medical Centre is committed make pain management treatments more accessible and affordable for all patients with varying medical conditions and has a number
of initiatives in place with doctors and pharmacists.

How is Medical Cannabis delivered across Australia?

Even though most pharmacies in Australia can dispense medicinal cannabis, a doctor’s prescription is required for the supply of medicinal cannabis to a patient — which is only
possible after a doctor receives approval for the patient via the TGA authorisation process. Most pharmacies in Victoria or Australia can dispense medicinal cannabis products as long as they meet the Department of Health’s and Victorian Government’s requirements.

Reasons for using Medicinal Cannabis

A patient’s access to medicinal cannabis is subject to various eligibility criteria on a case-by-case basis by way of TGA approval. Eligibility is not limited to a specific list of conditions or symptoms but rather dependent on each patient’s unique set of circumstances. Plant based therapies like medicinal cannabis may be a valid treatment option for a number of medical conditions for Australian patients. Some of the health conditions include sleep and insomnia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, PTSD, palliative care, endometriosis, chronic pain, cancer and anxiety. To find out more about the use of medicinal cannabis as a suitable treatment option for you, please speak to your doctor or healthcare professional(telehealth or in person).

Accessing Medicinal Cannabis in Victoria

Where conventional medicine is found to be clinically unsuitable for a patient on a case-by-case basis, the Special Access Scheme (SAS) serves as an alternative pathway for prescribers to access medicinal cannabis for individual patients. Specifically for Victorians, The Access to Medicinal Cannabis Act 2016 (Vic) was passed accepting 40 recommendations for patients with exceptional circumstances enabling access for a defined group of patients to medicinal cannabis. For more information about The Access to Medicinal Cannabis Act 2016 (Vic), please visit https://www.lawreform.vic.gov.au/all-projects/medicinal-cannabis

In June 2021 The Office of Drug Control passed additional legislation to support the innovative medicinal cannabis industry in Australia to benefit Australian patients. This legislation not only reduced regulation for businesses operating in the industry but also served to reaffirm the Australian Government’s commitment to a patient’s safe, legal and
sustainable access to medicinal cannabis. For more information about The Office of Drug Control’s 2021 medicinal cannabis changes in legislation, please visit
https://www.odc.gov.au/news-media/news/enactment-narcotic-drugs-amendment-medicinal-cannabis-act-2021

For patients and carers seeking additional information about accessing medicinal cannabis in Victoria, please visit the Department of Health and Human Services at https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/drugs-and-poisons/medicinal-cannabis/patients-carers

CANNABIS OILS

Oil based products are the preferred and most common method of administration in Australia. As advised by the TGA, “Given the slower onset and longer duration, it is expected that taking medicinal cannabis products orally would be more useful for medical conditions or symptoms where control over longer periods of time is sought—similar to the use of slow release medications”.

Cannabis oil is made by extracting concentrated resin from the cannabis flower, and diluting the resin with a pharmaceutical grade oil. The finished oil product has a defined concentration measured in mg of THC and mg of CBD per mL of oil.

CANNABIS FLOWER

Cannabis flower is growing in popularity amongst experienced prescribers and is typically used for acute conditions like breakthrough pain. Flower is often prescribed in combination with a prescribed cannabis oil.

Learn more about cannabis oils and flowers by downloading this product selection guide.