Medicinal cannabis explained

Answering common questions about medicinal cannabis

Written by Teachers Health Staff Writer | Health Content

29 July 2024

What is medicinal cannabis?

Medicinal cannabis is a medicine derived from the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant contains up to 100 cannabinoids, with most medicinal cannabis products containing the following two cannabinoids:

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
cannabidiol (CBD)[1].

Medicinal cannabis can be a combination of both THC and CBD or only THC or CBD, depending on the health condition for which they are prescribed [2].

The main difference between the two cannabinoids is that THC has strong psychoactive effects, meaning it makes a person ‘high’, whereas CBD is thought to have an anti-psychoactive effect that controls or moderates the ‘high’ caused by the THC [3].

What is the difference between medicinal cannabis and recreational cannabis?

Recreational cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a drug which is illegal in most states and territories.

Medicinal cannabis is treated like a medicine and must:

follow Australian standards for making pharmaceutical grade medicines,
meet strict Australian quality and safety standards,
contain known amounts of the cannabinoids THC and CBD,
not contain any moulds, fungi, bacteria, pesticides, heavy metals, or other substances that can be harmful to a person [4].

How is medicinal cannabis regulated in Australia?

In Australia, medicinal cannabis is regulated within a medical framework to ensure the health and safety of patients [5]. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulates the supply of medicinal cannabis in Australia.

Currently only two medicinal cannabis products have been fully assessed for safety, quality and efficacy and are registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

All other medicinal cannabis products are unregistered.

Are there different laws relating to medicinal cannabis across Australia?

Laws are different in each state or territory, which may impact access to medicinal cannabis depending on where you live. You can check your state laws by visiting:

How can you access medicinal cannabis in Australia?

Legal medicinal cannabis is only accessible through your doctor or specialist, or by taking part in a clinical trial.

To prescribe these products, your doctor must have approval from the TGA. This can be via the Special Access Scheme-B or Authorised Prescriber Scheme [6].

Prescriptions can be taken to pharmacies to have medicinal cannabis products dispensed.

Doctors can also apply to the TGA to prescribe non-approved medicinal cannabis products through several pathways, including the Special Access Scheme.

How much does medicinal cannabis cost?

The cost of medicinal cannabis can vary depending on a range of factors, including the type of product, dosage, whether the product is imported, and other costs determined by suppliers/pharmacies [7].

Your local pharmacist may be able to advise you about the cost of a specific cannabis medicine.

Can you claim medicinal cannabis under Extras cover?

Under the Pharmaceutical benefit, you may be able to claim for medication that’s prescribed by a doctor but isn’t already subsidised by the government’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). You can ask your pharmacist if your medicine is or isn’t PBS-subsidised.

You can claim for TGA-approved medicinal cannabis that’s been prescribed by a treating practitioner. If you’re unsure about the status of a medicinal cannabis product, please contact us and we’ll check it out for you.

Please note, you won’t be able to claim for non-approved medicinal cannabis products under your Extras cover.

How much can you claim towards medication under Extras cover?

If you can claim under the Pharmaceutical benefit, we’ll cover the cost of the medication minus the PBS co-payment amount (up to a set maximum benefit based on your cover. Yearly limits also apply).