How To Buy Cannabis in Australia
Australia has taken the step to authorize the use of Cannabis for medicinal purposes. With its benefits becoming more evident to treat many conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, body aches and cancer amongst many others, its use has gained interest among many Australians since its national authorization to use for medicinal purposes in 2016.
The commonwealth has passed laws according to the Department of Health Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regarding medicinal cannabis with an aim of giving health professionals the chance to study and treat patient health circumstances.
In this article we walk you through the steps to buy cannabis legally in Australia.
Medicinal cannabis is legal and prescribed in Australia as a controlled substance by TGA. Hence, the healthcare provider responsible for prescribing must carefully assess the existing evidence supporting the product's efficacy and also evaluate any possible risks for the specific patient.
According to the TGA Frequent Asked question page, there are no restrictions on the indication/s for which a health practitioner may apply to access medicinal cannabis products for their patients. As a result, many cannabis users are turning their eyes from the black market to the medicinal cannabis market.
You may wonder how to access cannabis legally in Australia. So we enlisted below the key critical steps to buy cannabis in Australia
Step 1 - Self assessment: You need to consider if medicinal cannabis is right for your condition and circumstances.
Step 2 - Search on Google for "cannabis doctor in Australia" or "cannabis clinic in Australia." A list of search results will be displayed, allowing you to select your preferred option.
Step 3 - Book an appointment: Ideally, you should have ready any medicinal history of your condition to fill in the online form (you can also call the clinic). For instance, your history with medication to treat pain, anxiety, insomnia and other conditions will help the doctor assess what type of cannabis products are most suitable to your circumstances.
Step 4 - Attend the appointment: These generally happen via telehealth. You should have an open conversation regarding your medical history along with any past cannabis use. The doctor needs to fully understand your medical history and reason for accessing cannabis so make sure to talk openly.
Step 5 - Process the paperwork: the doctor’s clinic will handle the application to TGA’s special access scheme to access cannabis and once approved you should receive a letter (usually via email) with indication of what cannabis products you are being prescribed and directions on how to take them. In parallel, the doctor will send your prescription to your preferred pharmacy.
Step 6 - Purchase and receive your cannabis products: contact your pharmacist (if they haven’t done it already) and ask them to fill the prescribed medication. You will have the option to get the medication posted to your preferred address or you can pick it up yourself (if the pharmacy is close enough to your home). In most cases, products are shipped straight to your doorstep.
Final Step: take your medicine as advised by your doctor. In most cases, dry herbs (buds) will need to be consumed via a vaporizer to reduce the harmful effects of smoking.
Be aware that there are currently a broad range of cannabis products. Varying from dry herbs (buds) with THC that are dispensed in child proof medicine bottles to liquid forms such as sublingual CBD extracts or a composition of THC/CBD vape cartridges.
Now that we have seen the steps to buy cannabis in Australia, you can take your first step and ask yourself if cannabis sounds right for you.
To conclude, medicinal cannabis is becoming popular amongst Australians. As a result, are becoming more knowledgeable and aware of the risks and benefits of medicinal cannabis, therefore the medicine is becoming increasingly popular. Cannabis doctors should be able to answer any questions that their patients might have about medicinal marijuana in order to provide them with accurate information. In Australia, any adult (18+ years old) can contact a doctor to discuss treatment options so they can get prescribed medicinal cannabis with the approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Medicinal cannabis should be taken seriously by patients as indicated by doctors.
Legal Disclaimer: The Green Box does not condone, promote or incite the use of any illegal substances or to get anyone in conflict with their region or state laws. The use of smoking products is only to be used for medicinal herbs, Tobacco, Souvenir, and Educational Purposes.
