CAN I PURCHASE CBD OIL OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA?

CAN I PURCHASE CBD OIL OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA?

The recent changes in legislation means it’s very difficult for Australians to legally get access to high quality CBD unless they jump through a multitude of administrative hoops and suffer from one of the limited number of specified conditions.
This has forced many Australians to purchase from websites outside Australia.

Is CBD Oil Legal? – Yes, but only if you meet certain conditions and have a doctor prescribe it for you. 
According to Barry Lambert whose granddaughter Katelyn suffers from Dravet Syndrome.

“There are only 23 doctors in Australia that could write a prescription for Epidiolex, a legal cannabidol product, which was only successful in about 30 per cent of cases.

“That’s about one doctor per 1 million people. It’s completely unworkable and it will never work.”

According to a recent article in http://www.abc.net.au
“Twenty-one of those doctors are based in New South Wales, and there are two in Queensland. All of these doctors are paediatric neurologists. They are authorised specifically to prescribe to children with neurological conditions. That means patients with other conditions, for example terminal cancer, cannot access medical cannabis through these authorised prescribers.”

We believe that the current situation is unfair for the majority of Australians who could potentially benefit from CBD Oil. We hope that a workable solution emerges in the future.
So far no Australians have been prosecuted for purchasing CBD Hemp Oil or importing it from overseas.

Lateline also published an article about the red tape doctors and patients are tied up in and why frustrated parents are turning to the black market to supply their needs.

“It’s the layers of regulation that are the problem and the inconsistency with which decisions are made.

According to ABC in their recent article regarding the problems with so much Medical cannabis red tape

“Simon Sweeting suffered chronic back pain for decades after a fracture and several surgeries.
For years he sought relief from a cocktail of opioids and other painkillers, but when the pain got worse and the side effects from the medication became too much, his GP began the long process of applying for permission to prescribe medical cannabis.

“[My GP] was denied by the TGA [Therapeutic Goods Administration]. [Then] my specialist tried to apply, and he was denied by NSW Health and the TGA,” he said.

Two years later, with the help of a lawyer working pro-bono, Mr Sweeting obtained a prescription and his cannabis medication, no longer needing his other painkillers.

He is one of 500 Australians who now use medicinal cannabis legally.”

Legal, but inaccessible

According to Sydney Criminal Lawyers in a recent blog post

It’s been over two years since legislation was passed to set up a system of legal cultivation and production of cannabis products for medicinal use. But, despite the Office of Drug Control (ODC) having now issued 35 cannabis-related licences, there’s still no domestic product available.

In February last year, minister Hunt launched a fast-track medicinal cannabis importation scheme to cover the delay in local product availability. This imported medicine is now stockpiled in warehouses, as only 525 patients, out of an estimated 100,000 who use cannabis, have been permitted access.

And on top of all this, the Turnbull government has twice blocked rapid access to imported products to the terminally ill since November 2016.

IS IT LEGAL TO IMPORT CBD OIL INTO AUSTRALIA?

Your ability to import hemp products is dependant on the Department Immigration and Border Protection. If unsure, check with these guys.

LEGAL CBD PRODUCTS – IS CBD LEGAL WHEN IT’S FROM A BIG PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY?

The closest product to being legally registered is the GW Pharma Epidiolex ® (Cannabidiol CBD isolate)  but this will only be available to the masses after our State Governments have paid for hospital trials on Epilepsy which may take years to complete.