Medicinal cannabis information for Tasmanian business and industry

Medicinal cannabis is regulated by both Commonwealth and Tasmanian governments. If you or your business are interested in entering the medicinal cannabis industry, you are responsible for ensuring:

• you are aware of the different regulatory frameworks
• you obtain all required licences, authorisations and permits for your proposed activities.

You can access relevant Tasmanian poisons legislation including the Poisons Act 1971 and Poisons Regulations 2018 from the Tasmanian Government’s legislation website.

TGA medicinal cannabis standards

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) specifies that products supplied in Australia must meet the following:

Cultivation of medicinal cannabis

• The Commonwealth Office of Drug Control (ODC) regulate cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes or research relating to medicinal cannabis. The ODC administers a national licensing scheme under the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967. Please visit the ODC’s website for further information.
• Provided you are granted permission to carry out cultivation by the ODC, you do not need an additional Tasmanian licence or permit to cultivate cannabis plants for medicinal or related scientific purposes.

Import and export of medicinal cannabis

Import and export of medicinal cannabis is regulated by the Commonwealth Office of Drug Control (ODC). For information on licences and permits and how to apply, please visit the ODC website.

Manufacturing medicinal cannabis

Commonwealth and Tasmanian regulatory requirements apply for the manufacture of medicinal cannabis products. Before operating in Tasmania as a manufacturer of medicinal cannabis:

• You must obtain all necessary licences and permits from the Commonwealth Office of Drug Control (ODC). Please visit the ODC website for further information.
• You must obtain a licence under Section 16 of the Tasmanian Poisons Act 1971 to manufacture medicinal cannabis.
• You may need to obtain a GMP licence from the TGA (depending on the manufacturing activity). Please visit the TGA website for further information.

Applying for a licence to manufacture medicinal cannabis in Tasmania

You must apply for a licence under Section 16 of the Poisons Act 1971 and:

For an application form and information about the application process, please contact the Pharmaceutical Services Branch.

Wholesale dealing of medicinal cannabis

To wholesale medicinal cannabis in Tasmania, you require a licence under Section 16 of the Poisons Act 1971. The licence to wholesale scheduled substances:

• allows you to supply scheduled substance(s) to authorised customers as per the conditions of the licence
• does not allow you to supply scheduled substances direct to patients or members of the public.

Applying for a licence to wholesale medicinal cannabis in Tasmania

You must apply for a licence under Section 16 of the Poisons Act 1971 and:

For an application form and information about the application process, please contact the Pharmaceutical Services Branch.

Medicinal cannabis research

• Commonwealth and Tasmanian regulatory requirements apply to the possession and use of cannabis for medicinal cannabis research or related scientific purposes.
• The Commonwealth Office of Drug Control (ODC) administers a national licensing scheme under the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967. Please visit the ODC website for further information.
• Depending on the particulars of your proposed research activities and details of associated ODC licence(s) and permit(s), an additional licence or permit may be required under Regulation 6 or Regulation 11 of the Tasmanian Poisons Regulations 2018.

For further information, please contact the Pharmaceutical Services Branch.

Applicant suitability

• For licences to be issued under the Tasmanian Poisons Act 1971, a natural person or a corporation must meet the suitability criteria contained in the Act.
• The responsible licensing authority will not grant or renew a licence to a person unless they are satisfied the person is fit and proper to hold the licence.
• Examples of matters which the licensing authority may consider when applying a fit and proper person test are detailed in Section 3A and Section 3B of the Poisons Act 1971.
• The responsible licensing authority may refuse to grant or renew a licence to a person found guilty of an offence that makes them unsuitable.

Responsible officers

• For licences to be issued under the Tasmanian Poisons Act 1971, a holder of a licence who is not a natural person is to appoint a natural person as the responsible officer in relation to the licence.
• If you fail to appoint a responsible officer in relation to the licence, the person responsible for the direction and management of the business is considered the responsible officer in relation to the licence.
• As a licence holder, you must ensure a responsible officer has sufficient authority to perform the duties of a responsible officer under this Act.