Since its legalisation for therapeutic use, the Australian medicinal cannabis industry has undergone significant growth, regulatory transformation, and structural complexity — much of which remains hidden from the everyday patient.

In this blog, we will explore the history of medicinal cannabis legalisation, what it has meant for Australians, and the broad network of stakeholders facilitating patient access and destigmatizing the use of this medication type.

The Legalisation and Evolution of Medicinal Cannabis in Australia

In 2016, the Australian government made a historic move by legalising access to medicinal cannabis under the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Act 2016¹. This legislative shift allowed for the regulated cultivation, production, importing and manufacturing of cannabis products for medicinal purposes – where The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) officially began permitting patient access via prescription from 2017 under the Special Access Scheme Category B (SAS-B) and Authorised Prescriber pathways².

This framework marked the beginning of a medical cannabis regime focused on safety, quality, and controlled access—ensuring that only eligible patients with genuine clinical need could access treatment (where all other treatment modalities had failed) via registered healthcare professionals.

A Growing Market: What Legalisation Meant for Patients

From a patient’s perspective, legalisation has brought newfound legitimacy and access to an alternative therapeutic option for a range of chronic conditions—such as pain, anxiety, and insomnia—when traditional treatments fall short, under the care and guidance from registered healthcare professionals.

Since 2017, the growth has been exponential, where according to SAS-B data from the TGA, over 1.5 million approvals have been granted as of early 2025³. This reflects both a growing acceptance and interest in this treatment modality by both prescribers and patients, as well as increasing education and clinical confidence in medicinal cannabis-based therapies.

While access has become easier in recent years, it’s still far from simple. Beneath every prescribed bottle lies a vast ecosystem of regulation, education, production, and distribution that most patients never see.

The Iceberg of Patient Access: Key Industry Stakeholders

From the patient’s perspective, access to medicinal cannabis may seem as straightforward as a consultation, prescription, and dispensing of medications from the pharmacy. But in reality, this journey is just the tip of the iceberg, where a robust and interdependent ecosystem operates beneath the surface to deliver safe, legal, and consistent access.

What Patients See: The Tip of the Iceberg

Prescribers (Doctors & Nurse Practitioners) – Conduct eligibility assessments and prescribe appropriate medications based on clinical assessment & judgements.

Administrative & Clinical Staff (inc. Medical Support Staff) – Provide patient education, coordinate appointments and assist in daily operations and enquiries. Usually first point of contact for patients looking to book appointments.
Pharmacists – Dispense products and advise on usage. Usually a regular point of contact for patients due to ease of accessibility.
Patient Advocacy Groups – Support awareness, access rights, facilitate patient support and advocate on policy evolution.

What Lies Beneath: The Operational Backbone

Cultivators – Licensed facilities growing cannabis plants under strict quality controls.
Sponsors – Secure product registrations and ensure compliance with TGA regulations.
Suppliers – Sources and sells the final medicinal cannabis products.
Distributors – Distribute finished products on behalf of suppliers across Australia’s pharmacy networks.
Educators & Researchers – Support clinical training, conduct clinical trials, facilitate education, and evidence generation. Includes alternative medicine practitioners and researchers that may not be licensed to provide patient prescriptions but are facilitating patient access through education, research & consultancy.
Regulators & Government Bodies (TGA, ODC, State Health Authorities) – Oversee the legal, safety, and ethical standards of access within Australia.

Together, these stakeholders (not including various other stakeholders ranging from lawyers, regulatory officers and more) form an intricate and highly regulated pipeline — transforming cannabis plants from seed to pharmaceutical-grade medicine. The patient’s ease of access is only made possible by the alignment and diligence of these behind-the-scenes actors.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

Medicinal cannabis has emerged as one of the most rapidly evolving sectors in Australian healthcare. As the sector continues to grow and mature, the importance of understanding the full picture becomes more vital than ever — especially for clinics, pharmacies, educators, and new market entrants.

Key Insights

Legalisation in 2016–2017 enabled tightly regulated access under medical supervision.

Patient uptake has skyrocketed, with over a million SAS-B approvals and increasing prescriber participation.
The behind-the-scenes ecosystem is complex, regulated, and critical to patient access, where each industry stakeholder plays a vital role in the medicinal cannabis product supply chain.

Recommendations

Clinicians should seek tailored training to stay up-to-date with evolving prescription practices. Alongside, specialty training ensures their prescribing practices are providing optimal patient care based on medication type specific factors including terpenes and lineage.

Businesses looking to enter or expand within the space should understand both the compliance ecosystem & industry outlook to identify their point of difference where prescribers and patients have a variety of options to choose from & preferred medications.
Patients and advocates should stay informed about their rights and the systems in place supporting access.
Businesses operating within the medicinal cannabis landscape should stay up to date and adhere to regulations as set by government bodies — whilst keeping patient safety and positive clinical outcomes as their top priority.

With the medicinal cannabis landscape evolving at a rapid pace, we will continue to explore the complexities of the market in a dedicated market insights series titled Australia’s Medicinal Cannabis Market including everything from legislation to industry stakeholders, access pathways, patient demographics, clinic offerings, medication dispensing, suppliers and wholesaling.

Learn More

EQWELLIBRIYUM offers end-to-end consulting for organisations navigating the medicinal cannabis market in Australia. With strategic insights and operational frameworks are designed to help you thrive, we’re here to help you. Learn more by contacting us today at hello@eqwellibriyum.com.

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Reference List

¹ Office of Drug Control (2016). Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016 [online]. Available from: https://www.odc.gov.au/resources/legislation/narcotic-drugs-amendment-bill-2016

² Therapeutic Goods Administration (2025). Medicinal Cannabis: Access Pathways & Usage Data [online]. Available from: https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/medicinal-cannabis-hub/medicinal-cannabis-access-pathways-and-usage-data

³ Therapeutic Goods Administration (2024). Medicinal Cannabis Special Access Scheme Data [online]. Available from: https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/medicinal-cannabis-hub/medicinal-cannabis-access-pathways-and-usage-data/medicinal-cannabis-special-access-scheme-data

Australia’s Medicinal Cannabis Market — Legalisation & Key Stakeholders