❓ Hon. Colin Tincknell seeks clarification on the role of the cannabis-based product assessment panel and the approval process for medical cannabis prescriptions in WA, particularly regarding timeframes and decision-making flow.
AnsweredQoN 671Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION — MEDICAL
CANNABIS — APPLICATIONS
671. Hon COLIN TINCKNELL to the Parliamentary Secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I thank the honourable member for
her response to my question without notice 564 from Tuesday, 14 August
regarding medical cannabis. I refer to the minister's reply to parts
(3) and (5), given on Tuesday 14 August. In part (3) of the answer, the
honourable member stated —
The cannabis-based product assessment
panel will not have any routine involvement in decisions on authorising the
prescribing of a cannabis-based product.
The term ''routine''
implies that the panel may or will have some involvement.
(1) Can the
minister please advise on the meaning of ''routine'' and when it
is envisaged that the panel will be involved in an application and to what
extent; also, are there any time constraints still envisaged when the panel
becomes involved in an application?
(2) In part (5) of the answer, the
minister stated —
All completed applications will have
a decision made within 48 hours.
What steps are involved in the
approval process and what is the actual decision process flow from an initial
patient application to the final decision that completes an application for a medical
cannabis prescription, including, but not limited to, who is involved, when and
how the application is handled and how the notification process is
communicated?
CANNABIS — APPLICATIONS
671. Hon COLIN TINCKNELL to the Parliamentary Secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
I thank the honourable member for
her response to my question without notice 564 from Tuesday, 14 August
regarding medical cannabis. I refer to the minister's reply to parts
(3) and (5), given on Tuesday 14 August. In part (3) of the answer, the
honourable member stated —
The cannabis-based product assessment
panel will not have any routine involvement in decisions on authorising the
prescribing of a cannabis-based product.
The term ''routine''
implies that the panel may or will have some involvement.
(1) Can the
minister please advise on the meaning of ''routine'' and when it
is envisaged that the panel will be involved in an application and to what
extent; also, are there any time constraints still envisaged when the panel
becomes involved in an application?
(2) In part (5) of the answer, the
minister stated —
All completed applications will have
a decision made within 48 hours.
What steps are involved in the
approval process and what is the actual decision process flow from an initial
patient application to the final decision that completes an application for a medical
cannabis prescription, including, but not limited to, who is involved, when and
how the application is handled and how the notification process is
communicated?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The decision
to authorise a medical practitioner to prescribe a cannabis-based product will
be made by a delegate of the chief executive officer of the Department of
Health under the provisions of the Medicines and Poisons Regulations 2016. The
cannabis-based products assessment panel will not make decisions on individual authorisations. The panel may be requested by
the chief executive officer to provide policy advice on administrative
or other matters relating to how these decisions are considered or made.
(2) The process
agreed with the commonwealth government is for Western Australia to utilise a single
online portal to allow prescribers to apply to prescribe a cannabis-based
product, in line with the requirements of both the commonwealth therapeutic
goods legislation and the Western Australian medicines and poisons legislation.
The single application made by a medical practitioner will be suitable for the
purposes of the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Western Australian
Department of Health. Both agencies will provide any authority to prescribe
within 48 hours, through this same single process.
some notice of the question.
(1) The decision
to authorise a medical practitioner to prescribe a cannabis-based product will
be made by a delegate of the chief executive officer of the Department of
Health under the provisions of the Medicines and Poisons Regulations 2016. The
cannabis-based products assessment panel will not make decisions on individual authorisations. The panel may be requested by
the chief executive officer to provide policy advice on administrative
or other matters relating to how these decisions are considered or made.
(2) The process
agreed with the commonwealth government is for Western Australia to utilise a single
online portal to allow prescribers to apply to prescribe a cannabis-based
product, in line with the requirements of both the commonwealth therapeutic
goods legislation and the Western Australian medicines and poisons legislation.
The single application made by a medical practitioner will be suitable for the
purposes of the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Western Australian
Department of Health. Both agencies will provide any authority to prescribe
within 48 hours, through this same single process.
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