B-QuiCK: Medicinal Cannabis

B-QuiCK: Medicinal Cannabis

Prescriber's checklist for medicinal cannabis products

For a patient to be dispensed a medicinal cannabis product, including CBD products, they need to have a valid prescription from a medical practitioner. The prescription must:⁶

• Be handwritten on a controlled drug prescription form (except for CBD products as they are not classified as controlled drugs), or on a personally signed barcoded controlled drug ePrescription
• Specify the brand and prohibit any generic substitutions; in some cases, prescribing software may automatically enable generic substitutions by default, so particular care should be taken to disable or remove this option if present
• Not be for a product in a form intended for smoking
• Not be for a product meeting the definition of “food” under the Food Act 2014
• Not be for a product in a sterile dosage form, e.g. eye drops
• Be prescribed for supply under Section 29 of the Medicines Act if the product is not Medsafe approved, after gaining and recording patient consent
• Be for no more than a one-month supply if a controlled drug (including Sativex)
• Be for no more than a three-month supply if a CBD product