THE federal government has introduced landmark legislation into Parliament that will assist patients and their doctors access a safe and legal supply of medicinal cannabis products to help manage painful and chronic conditions.
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Amendments to the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967 will allow the controlled cultivation of cannabis for medicinal or scientific purposes through one single national licensing scheme.
Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic said the legislation would provide the ''missing piece'' to patient access for medicinal cannabis products across Australia.
''We have worked closely with the [Premier Will] Hodgman government and other states and territories, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to ensure this legislation was robust before bringing it to Parliament to give it the best chance of a smooth passage,'' Mr Nikolic said.
Tasmanian Labor Senator Lisa Singh said state governments would need to legislate ''clear and specific'' conditions for cultivating, possessing and using cannabis for medicinal purposes.
''I therefore call on Will Hodgman and the Tasmanian government to immediately get behind this legislation, and do everything they can to ensure Tasmanians with serious illnesses can access medicinal cannabis with certainty and confidence,'' Senator Singh said.
''The federal government needs to lead the process towards national consistency, but the states must also step-up to ensure their citizens have the best possible access to crucial pain relief,'' she said.
In December, the state government teamed up with New South Wales to pursue research on medicinal cannabis.
