Information for patients about medicinal cannabis

Legal access to cannabis medicines

In NSW, a doctor can legally prescribe a cannabis medicine for a health condition if they believe it is an appropriate treatment option and they have obtained the relevant approvals.

Patients who believe a cannabis medicine may be helpful to their condition should consult their current treating doctor for advice.

A patient or their carer may receive, possess, and administer a cannabis medicine that has been legally imported/manufactured and prescribed for them.

Clinical trials

The NSW Government funded clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cannabis medicines, including:

Reduce seizures in children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy, through a partnership with the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.
Improve appetite and appetite-related symptoms in adult palliative care patients with advanced cancer.
Prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in adult patients where standard treatments have proven ineffective
Improve the control of symptoms, including pain, nausea and lack of appetite, in advanced cancer patients.
Examine whether cannabidiol can reduce chronic pain in spinal cord injury patients and determine the mechanisms responsible for neuropathic pain.

For more information, visit the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry.