It seems like a dream come true that Australians will be to purchase cannabidiol (CBD) products without the need for a prescription from February 1. But Nimbin Hemp Embassy president and HEMP Party member, Michael Balderstone, said he’s disappointed.

Patients will now be able to buy CBD products over the pharmacy counter after consulting with a pharmacist - but Michael said the new Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulations only allows for low doses of CBD and it’s all about giving control to big pharmaceutical companies.

The change to regulations comes after the TGA made a final decision to amend the Poisons Standard to down-schedule cannabidiol (CBD) and allow greater access for therapeutic use under a new Schedule 3 (Pharmacist Only Medicine) entry.

The decision included a modification to the dose specified in the interim decision, increasing from 60 mg/day, up to 150 mg/day.

“It won’t be a whole hemp plant extract as the product had to be an isolate of 98% CBD,” Michael said. “A lot of the therapeutic benefit comes from including all parts of the plant, including a small amount of THC (the psychoactive component of hemp).

“They are also only allowed to give low dosage- 60mg of CBD is not much and neither is 150mg. They have no idea what they are doing.”

Hemp farmers

“The TGA is run by pharmaceutical industry representatives and it’s disappointing for me because now the chemists now produce something that hemp farmers could have done.

“Hemp farmers need to have a legal licence to grow and supply the hemp products and can grow strains with less than 5% or 10% THC – it changes, depending on the strain.

“People could grow their own CBD in their backyard – it’s safer than churches. CBD can’t kill you – it’s not even psycho active.”

Trials

Michael said a big roll out of CBD products in pharmacies could take a couple of years to happen because the industry will need to trial their products first

“In America, when the states allowed medical cannabis to be grown and purchased, the market for some pharmaceutical drugs collapsed because people has access to cannabis – with its minimal side effects.

What's available?

In Australia, medicinal cannabis company Althea Group Holdings Limited already has a full-spectrum CBD product, Althea CBD100 which will now be sold under under the Schedule 3 listing.

The company also has several other CBD preparations in development, which will need to be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) before being sold.