Victoria has become the first state in Australia to pass medicinal cannabis laws, making it A-OK to cultivate, supply and access medicinal cannabis.
This news is a boon to the sufferers of many diseases, with the drug’s previous legal status forcing some – including the parents of sick children – to buy it illegally.
Children with severe epilepsy will be the first to receive the medication, with Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy explaining, “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 their quality of life.”
Access to the drug will be gradually rolled out, eventually extending to those in palliative care as well as sufferers of HIV, adult epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. The state government will also set up an Office for Medicinal Cannabis, to supervise the manufacture of the drug and to educate health professionals about the new scheme, as well as independent advisory body.
Medicinal cannabis will become available in a range of forms, including oils, capsules and sprays. Victoria’s introduction of the scheme aligns with the policies of countries of Canada, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Argentina, and funnily enough, North Korea, as well as about twenty American states.
Otherwise, in Australia, New South Wales is about to conduct its third trial of such a scheme, while Queensland has previously announced a trial scheduled for later this year.
