MEDICAL CANNABIS —
PRESCRIPTIONS
870. Hon AARON STONEHOUSE to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I refer the minister to my question
without notice 34 of 14 March 2018, regarding the need to dramatically reduce
the red tape involved in the prescription of medicinal cannabis. Almost 18
months later, I ask the following.
(1) Is it true
that a general practitioner in Western Australia wishing to prescribe medicinal
cannabis must, as a requirement of the WA Department of Health, submit a supporting
letter from a specialist prior to an application being approved by the
department, despite the Therapeutic Goods Administration itself having no such
requirement?
(2) Is it true
that, by comparison, the clinical justification, treatment and monitoring plans
provided by GPs in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland are accepted in
each of those states without the need for specialist sign-off?
(3) What is the
average wait time for, and cost of, a specialist appointment in WA?
(4) If
disparities exist, what is the McGowan government doing to ensure that eligible
patients in WA have the same ease of access to medicinal cannabis and are not
unduly disadvantaged when compared with their peers in other parts of
Australia?
Hon ALANNA
CLOHESY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. I am advised of the following.
(1) Yes.
(2) Different
requirements apply in each jurisdiction.
(3) The
Department of Health does not collect this information.
(4) Efforts to
improve access to medicinal cannabis are continuing. The Department of Health
is progressively reducing regulatory restrictions, including providing
prescribing approval decisions, when required, electronically in two days, and
a recent extension to the duration of approvals issued. The Department of
Health is also reviewing approval requirements, including the need for
specialist support, in line with accumulating evidence surrounding medicinal
cannabis and to maintain consistency with other jurisdictions.