Australia Legalizes Medical Cannabis
Australia’s Parliament today gave overwhelming approval to a bill to legalize medical cannabis, establishing “licensing and permit schemes for the cultivation and production of cannabis and cannabis resin for medicinal and scientific purposes.” The measure is supported by the nation’s prime minister, and will quickly be signed into law.
“This is an historic day for Australia and the many advocates who have fought long and hard to challenge the stigma around medicinal cannabis products so genuine patients are no longer treated as criminals,” Minister for Health Sussan Ley said in a statement. “This is the missing piece in a patient’s treatment journey and will now see seamless access to locally-produced medicinal cannabis products from farm to pharmacy.”
It’s not initially clear how a legal system of medical cannabis will look in Australia, with officials set to determine regulations in the coming weeks.