Department of Health

Information for patients and carers

Key messages

  • Any doctor in Victoria can prescribe medicinal cannabis for any patient with any condition if they believe it is clinically appropriate
  • Talk to your doctor about whether medicinal cannabis may be suitable for your condition or symptoms.

Looking for more information and advice about medicinal cannabis for yourself or a family member?

The Better Health Channel is Victoria's trusted source of health information and advice.

Access to medicinal cannabis

Medicinal cannabis can be prescribed by any doctor in Victoria to treat any condition, if they believe it is clinically appropriate.

Information about conditions medicinal cannabis may be suitable for can be found in the TGA patient informationExternal Link . However, medicinal cannabis can also be approved for use with various other conditions/symptoms.

Talk to your doctor about whether medicinal cannabis may be suitable for your condition or symptoms.

If your doctor agrees that medicinal cannabis is appropriate, they will need to organise any required Commonwealth and/or State government approvals, which will be issued within 48 hours of receipt.

After your doctor has obtained any required approvals they will provide you with a prescription that you can take to a pharmacist to have dispensed.

Diagram of the approval process for obtaining medicinal cannabis as a member of the public.

Currently, no medicinal cannabis products are subsidised by the Commonwealth Government under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). As a result patients must fund the full cost of the medicine themselves.

The cost of treatment with a medicinal product can vary significantly depending on the product being used and the dose recommended by your doctor.

The Victorian government has a compassionate access scheme that funds product for a limited number of children with severe intractable epilepsy. The parents or carers of patients who may be eligible for this scheme should speak to the child's paediatric neurologist.

It is also important to note that THC in cannabis is known to have impairing effects. As such, patients should not drive or operate machinery while being treated with medicinal cannabis products containing THC.

In addition, driving with any detectable amount of THC in oral fluid is a criminal offence in Victoria even if a person has been prescribed a legal medicinal cannabis product.

Reviewed 14 March 2022

Health.vic

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