QUEENSLAND’s laws have been amended laws enabling licensed growers and researchers to supply cannabis seeds into Australia’s medicinal cannabis supply chain.
This week’s amendments to the Drugs Misuse Act 1986 will allow the industrial cannabis industry to supply seed into the medicinal cannabis supply chain now that the Federal Government’s medicinal cannabis scheme has started.
The law changes follow suggestions made at Queensland Government public roundtable meetings held across the state in 2016 to discuss the medicinal cannabis scheme.
Agriculture minister Bill Byrne said the Queensland industrial cannabis industry has developed valuable cannabis seed lines for which it holds plant breeder rights.
“We listened to what industry had to say, and took the matter to Canberra, who are now allowing seed to be sourced from legal Australian breeders,” Mr Byrne said.
The amendments will also ensure Queensland industrial cannabis growers can compete fairly with growers in other jurisdictions in supplying seed to licensed medicinal cannabis growers and scientific researchers.
“This creates new opportunities for Queenslanders. The changes will be mutually beneficial for licensed industrial cannabis growers and those Queensland businesses interested in being part of the emerging medicinal cannabis industry in Australia,” Mr Byrne said.
The federal government will maintain a strictly controlled licensing system.
The new laws do not allow anyone to grow their own cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Health minister Cameron Dick said while recent moves to allow importation of medicinal cannabis and the issuing of Australia’s first license for the cultivation of the product goes some way toward addressing supply issues, affordability of the product still remains an issue for many patients.
However, the federal government had declined to place medicinal cannabis on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
