Father Who Gave Cannabis to Sick Children Avoids Jail

In the two years since medical cannabis has been legalized, well over 1,000 patients have been able to gain access to the program, according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The TGA is part of the Australian Government Department of Health. It is responsible for regulating therapeutic goods, including medications, vaccines, vitamins and minerals, medical devices, and blood products.

Professor Iain McGregor, a psychopharmacologist at the Lambert Initiative For Cannabinoid Therapeutics at Sydney University, predicts that as many as 100,000 Australians may be using illegal cannabis for medical issues. At this point, they are forced to go through illegal channels to get it, such as growing it themselves or getting it from friends. “There’s this massive discrepancy between what Australians are doing covertly and the overt approved system which, so far, I would say, is probably not delivering” he said.