The Australian government may begin growing and dispensing medical cannabis before the end of 2015.
Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley has thrown her support behind expected legislation to allow her agency to oversee growing MMJ and using it in medical trials, according to the Guardian.
“Currently there are already systems in place to licence the manufacture and supply of medicinal cannabis-based products in Australia, however there is no mechanism to allow the production of a safe, legal and sustainable local supply,” Ley said.
Three Australian states – New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland – immediately jumped on board and pledged to hold clinical trials for patients suffering from terminal illnesses, those undergoing chemotherapy and children with severe epilepsy.
Many Australian states will likely view this as a way to recover from shrinking tax revenues, the Guardian reported. So this could be the start of a new major MMJ market.
Other countries are moving forward with medical marijuana laws as well. Croatia, for instance, legalized MMJ on Oct. 15.
