Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016: Call for Public Submissions
PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS CLOSE 11 JULY
Public departmental briefing: 15 June 2016
Public hearing date/s: Venues and dates TBC
Reporting due date: Friday 30 September 2016
Referal of Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016: Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee
On 10 May 2016 the Hon. Cameron Dick, Member for Woodridge and Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services introduced Queensland Health's - Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016 into the Queensland Parliament.
The Bill has been referred to the Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee for detailed consideration. The Committee is required to report back to the Queensland Parliament by 30 September 2016.
Parliamentary Committee: Call for Public Submissions
The Parliamentary Committee has called for submissions from all interested parties, addressing any aspect of the Bill.
Closing date: for written submissions is Monday 11 July 2016 by 4.00pm.
Note: Late submissions may not be accepted by the Committee unless agreed to prior to the closing date.
Please send submissions to:
Email: medicinalcannabis@parliament.qld.gov.au
Post: Research Director, Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention
Committee, Parliament House, George Street, Brisbane Qld 4000.
Inquiry Timeline
Submissions close: 4:00pm Monday 11 July, 2016
Public departmental briefing: Wednesday 15 June, 2016 - broadcast.
Public hearing date/s: Venues and dates to be confirmed
Reporting due date: Friday 30 September 2016
Parliamentary Committee: Membership
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Ms Leanne Linard MP, Member for Nudgee, Chair
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Mr Mark McArdle MP, Member for Caloundra, Deputy Chair
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Mrs Tarnya Smith MP, Member for Mount Ommaney
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Mr Sid Cramp MP, Member for Gaven
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Mr Aaron Harper MP, Member for Thuringowa
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Mr Joe Kelly MP, Member for Greenslopes
Goverment's Policy Objectives
The government have stated that they recognise there is a "growing body of evidence about the therapeutic potential of medicinal cannabis, in particular that cannabinoids may be effective for the treatment of neuropatic pain, muscle spasticity for patients with mulitple sclerosis, reducing seizures in children with treatment resistant epilepsy, wasting due to HIV/AIDS, and in controlling nausea for cancer patients."
The policy objectives as outlined in the explanatory notes to the Bill are for the government to "create a new regulatory framework under which medicinal cannabis products may be prescribed and dispensed to patients in Queensland while also preventing their unauthorised use."
When enacted, this Bill will replace the current medical cannabis prescribing and dispensing provisions in the Health Act 1937, and the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996. The Bill will provide a similar framework for doctors, pharmacists and other health care providers to apply for approvals to use cannabis products that have been cultivated and manufactured in accordance with the Commonwealth Narcotic Drugs Act and Therapeutic Goods Act.
The other Queensland Health Bill, is the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Bill 2015. This Bill proposes to adopt the Commonwealth TGAct as a law of QLD and will eventually replace the Health Act 1937 (QLD) and the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996, and the Health Regulation 1996.
Please note: On June 1 2016 the government made further urgent amendments to the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulations ahead of the TGA rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule 9 to Schedule 8. (see below for more details on interim measures).
Brief overview of the new Bill
There will be two categorys of prescribers:
Patient class prescribers: a nationally-agreed list of specialists will have as-of-right authority to prescribe medicinal cannabis products to patients suffering specific conditions without the need for additional chief executive approval.
Single patient prescriber: if a patient is ineligible to be treated by a patient- class prescriber, the patient’s medical practitioner may make an application to the chief executive of Queensland Health for approval to treat the patient with medicinal cannabis on a case-by-case basis (similar to the current process under the SAS - Category B that also requires state approval).
Information about the Bill: Queensland Parliamentary website
The following documents can be viewed and downloaded from the Queensland Parliamentary website:
View: Minister’s speech introducing the Bill into the Queensland Parliament
View: Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016
View: Explanatory notes to the Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016
VIew: Guide to making a submission to a committee of the Queensland Parliament
Related Publications to Committee: Queensland Health
View: Letter dated 9 June 2016 from Mike Walsh, Director General, Health, to Ms Leanne Linard MP, Chair Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee
Submissons
View: Submissions received to date.
Medical Cannabis Advisory Group website:
The Parliamentary documents above can also be viewed and downloaded in PDF from our website:
PDF: Minister’s speech introducing the Bill into the Queensland Parliament
PDF: Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016
PDF: Explanatory notes to the Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016
PDF: Letter from Mike Walsh, Director General Health dated 9 June 2016 to Ms Leanne Linard MP,
Chair Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee
PDF: Guide to making a submission to a committee of the Queensland Parliament
Interim Access to Cannabis in Queensland: Amendments 2015
In November and December 2015 the Queensland government amended the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation to provide access to Schedule 8 nabiximols and and Schedule 9 cannabis. The amendment removed the prohibition on the use of cannabis for human therapeutic use in Queensland, access is restricted to the Commonwealth TGA's Special Access Scheme (SAS) and research trials. As there is no locally made cannabis available, cannabis needs to be imported in the interim.
Further Amendments: 1 June 2016
On 1 June 2016 further amendments were made ahead of the re-scheduling of the Commonwealth SUSMP of some cannabis from Schedule 9 to Schedule 8. This will enable Queensland patients to take immediate advantage of the TGA re-scheduling as the new Bill is not expected to be debated until the end of 2016. These changes create a new category of controlled drugs for the rescheduled S8 medical cannabis products, and will give an as-of-right authority to a nationally-agreed list of specialists to prescribe, supply or use the re-scheduled S8 medicinal cannabis products.
These amendments replicate the specialist pathway in the new Bill and will be automatically repealed once the Bill is enacted. The Bill was also been amended to become the vehicle for the rescheduling changes. Queensland is the only state to change it's laws and to put in place a process for doctors and pharmacists to use Schedule 9 cannabis ahead of the Commonwealth rescheduling of some cannabis. Some of the other states have provisions for access to Schedule 8 Sativex, and discretionary access to Schedule 9 medicines.