Government announces appointment of cannabis advisory council

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Health minister Greg Hunt has announced the appointment of members to the Australian Advisory Council on the Medicinal Use of Cannabis – which will provide expert advice to government.

Government is working towards enabling the safe and legal distribution of medicinal cannabis products for adults and children suffering from painful and chronic conditions.

Professor James Angus AO will chair the Advisory Council and Emeritus Professor Anne Tonkin has agreed to be deputy chair.

Professor Angus has already been appointed by the Victorian government to chair the Victorian Independent Medical Advisory Committee on Medicinal Cannabis.

Professor Tonkin is chair of the South Australian Medication Advisory Committee and a member of the Medical Board of Australia.

The full list of members is available online.

They will provide specialist advice to government on:

  • the ongoing implementation of the regulatory scheme allowing for the licenced cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis here in Australia;
  • the design of medical prescribing guidelines and the use of the Authorised Prescriber and Special Access Scheme mechanisms allowing for patient access; and,
  • the current state of medical evidence supporting the use of medicinal cannabis for a variety of clinical conditions.

Australians can already access medicinal cannabis and its products from overseas via an Authorised Prescriber or through the Special Access Scheme B process.

Government’s medicinal cannabis scheme allows for the safe cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis products that will be safe to use and have standardised dosing.