Queensland recreational weed shops

Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House: The objective of the Drugs Misuse Acts is to target drug-traffickers, however over 90% of cannabis arrests are patients, carers and other consumers, adversely impacting their wellbeing, employment, education and travel; and that “medicinal cannabis” laws have failed patients, as witnessed in Senate inquiry into the Barriers to Medical Cannabis. The inquiry recommendations directed toward the States, have not yet been acknowledged or actioned by the Queensland Parliament.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to address these injustices by amending laws to ensure consumers have safe access to cannabis via:

Medicinal cannabis is considered an ‘unapproved good’ or ‘unapproved medicine’ in Australia. This is because there is presently only one cannabis medicine which has been assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. It may only be prescribed legally by a medical doctor (and in some states/territories, nurse practitioners). Medicinal cannabis products are contained within two main schedules of our national drugs and poisons schedule

Some cannabis medicines (not all) contain a particular component called tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), that component of cannabis that can cause potentially intoxicating effects (these are dose-dependent and typically occur with higher doses). Under Australian state/territory-based driving laws, it is an offence to drive with any amount of THC in your body.

There is no approved list of medical conditions for which the TGA may approve applications from doctors to prescribe. There is a list on the TGA website of some of the conditions for which it has approved Special Access Scheme B applications previously, but approval is on a case-by-case basis. The scientific ‘evidence base’ for the treatment of health conditions with medicinal cannabis varies widely and some conditions have stronger evidence than others. Your doctor will discuss your individual health issues with you and consider what other medicines you might be taking (and their potential adverse interactions with medicinal cannabis) and other factors to determine if medicinal cannabis is an option for you.