Patient access to medicinal cannabis will soon become significantly easier with red tape set to be slashed by the NSW government.
Approval times will drop from months to less than two days, making it possible for doctors to prescribe the drug with a single application.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and his NSW counterpart Brad Hazzard will make the announcement in Sydney on Friday.
Mr Hazzard is frustrated with the current regulations and looked forward to “taking a machete to the red tape”, he told The Daily Telegraph.
Current access to medicinal cannabis can be difficult for patients in Australia.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) Special Access Scheme (SAS) provides patient access to cannabis on compassionate grounds.
This means approval is granted on a case-by-case basis, provided the correct documentation is given by the prescribing doctor.