Medicines and Poisons Regulation

Find information about medicines and poisons regulation in Victoria, including licences, permits, SafeScript, legislative requirements and guidance for health practitioners

Changes to Schedule 8 permit requirements for ADHD treatment

A Schedule 8 permit is no longer required for a general practitioner or nurse practitioner to prescribe psychostimulant medicines for the treatment of ADHD in non-drug-dependent patients where there is a valid ‘ADHD treatment instruction’ from a paediatrician, psychiatrist or ADHD practitioner.

For more information about the new requirements, see Psychostimulants for ADHD – updated permit requirements.

If you have a pending permit application that is no longer required under the new requirements, please cancel the application through the patient’s profile in SafeScript or by completing the online form as soon as possible. This will help reduce unnecessary processing and improve permit turnaround times for applications that continue to require assessment.

Processing times for Schedule 8 permit applications

Please note that applications for Schedule 8 treatment permits are currently being processed in approximately 15 business days. However, this processing time may be longer due to an increasingly high volume of applications received.

To view the status of your permit application(s), please check SafeScript.

All Schedule 8 permits and correspondence are sent to SafeScript for you to view and/or download. When you receive new correspondence in SafeScript, you will receive an email from SafeScript to your SafeScript registered email address to alert you, unless you have opted-out of these emails.

The Department of Health helps to protect the community from the potential harm of medicines and chemicals. One way it does this is through controls defined in Victorian Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances legislation.

This legislation is applicable to substances that are listed in the Australian Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons.

Victorian legislative controls for these substances vary according to their risk. Some of these controls include:

  • Defining who is authorised to lawfully possess certain scheduled substances
  • Requirements for the storage of scheduled substances
  • Requirements for prescribing and supplying scheduled medicines

The Department also monitors and responds to legislative non-compliance.

Commonly used online forms

For a full list of online forms, please visit the Online Forms - Medicines and Poisons Regulation web page.

If you have issues registering with SafeScript or logging in SafeScript, please contact SafeScript technical support on 1800 723 379.

Psychostimulants for ADHD – updated permit requirements

Schedule 8 permit exceptions for prescribing psychostimulant medicines for treatment of ADHD have been expanded to include ADHD practitioners, medical practitioners and nurse practitioners in specified circumstances.

E-cigarettes and vaping

The Australian Government has introduced a comprehensive range of reforms to address vaping. Vaping goods cannot be supplied through any non-pharmacy retail store, vape shops or convenience stores.

Schedule 9 permits for clinical trials

Legislative requirements and process for obtaining S9 permits in human clinical trials.

Patient Schedule 8 treatment permits

Legislative requirements for medical practitioners and nurse practitioners wishing to obtain permits to prescribe Schedule 8 medicines and warrants to prescribe selected Schedule 4 poisons.

Schedule 8 MDMA and Schedule 8 psilocybine

Information and legislative requirements for Schedule 8 MDMA and Schedule 8 psilocybine

Licences and permits to possess (and possibly supply) scheduled substances

Licences and permits allow organisations in Victoria to possess scheduled substances and, in some cases, supply them. Some licences may also allow manufacturing before supply.

Medicines and poisons recent updates

Latest updates in the medicine and poisons sector including changes to regulatory requirements, authorisations, emergency supply and monitoring of specific items.

Frequently Asked Questions – Medicines and Poisons Regulation

This page contains answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Legislation and approvals

Includes medications in aged care, poisons code, approvals by Minister and Secretary, synthetic cannabinoids and e-cigarettes.

Opioid Dependence Treatment (Opioid Pharmacotherapy)

Opioid replacement therapy. Legislative requirements and policies associated with the use of methadone and buprenorphine in the provision of opioid-replacement therapy.

SafeScript

Information on the Victorian Government's SafeScript initiative.

Documents and forms to print or download – requirements for health practitioners

Summaries of legislative requirements and related forms for different health practitioners.

Health practitioners

Legislative requirements for medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, veterinary practitioners, dental practitioners, optometrists and podiatrists.

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