Many Australians are struggling to get access to legal medical cannabis, despite government leaders suggesting the country could become the largest exporter of the plant for medicinal use in the future.
Australia allows medical marijuana in certain cases, but the application procedure is long and tedious, according to national broadcaster ABC. Bastian Seidel, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told the TV channel that he is frustrated by the fact that so few patients are provided with the option to access medicinal marijuana. He also said few doctors are allowed to prescribe medicine derived from the plant.
"There are 38,000 GPs [general practitioners] in the country—only one of them is an authorized prescriber for medicinal cannabis,” Seidel pointed out. "It is frustrating for us because medicinal cannabis might be an option of last resort for patients where we've tried absolutely everything in the book."
In January, Australia's Health Minister Greg Hunt said that he hopes his country can become the world's largest exporter of medical cannabis after the industry won approval to start shipping the product internationally.
“By helping the domestic manufacturers to expand, this, in turn, helps to ensure an ongoing supply of medicinal cannabis products here in Australia," Hunt said, The Guardian reported. Despite the minister's hopes, Australians are struggling to access the plant for medicinal purposes due to a complicated application process.
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