Since legislation changed in 2016 on a federal level surrounding medical marijuanas in Queensland and the rest of Australia – there are a whole gamut of new discussions to be had. After all, relaxing the laws surrounding medical marijuanas in Queensland was no small feat, and it was not a simple approach in the slightest.
Australia, like so many other countries, have had a complex and interesting history with cannabis being used recreationally or in a medicinal context. We won’t be diving down that particular rabbit hole as the debates have been raging for a very long time and it can get a little too political way too soon.
This article will be exploring one particular state in Australia that has adopted the notion of medicinal cannabis more than any other. Medical marijuanas in Queensland have seen a tremendous amount of attention by pharmaceutical companies, growers, sufferers, and worldwide biotech companies – effectively becoming the green hub of the country.
Why is the state and its residents a little more receptive to medical marijuanas in Queensland? What are the prevailing reasons for prescriptions?
Read on to find out.
The Road To This Point
In 2016, the federal government voted to allow medical marijuanas in Queensland and while the conditions are still quite restricted, it was a positive step in the right direction for proponents of medicinal cannabis and the potential for further research and development into the space. It followed decades of active campaigning by vocal members of the government and supporting communities of people who use the substance as a means of alleviating symptoms of certain illnesses.
But we’ll get into that later.
For now, recent research indicates that the number of prescriptions of medical marijuanas in Queensland has increased exponentially as some restrictions surrounding access for medicinal cannabis relaxed, allowing more people to access it and removed a lot of the red tape that doctors often had to navigate to prescribe it.
The Rise In Greensland
If we’re looking for the unofficial Green capital of Australia, it’s hard to look past the sunshine state. Medical marijuanas in Queensland have caught the attention of many interested parties in the continual debate surrounding cannabis in Australia.
With reportedly more than half of prescriptions in the country from 2016-2021 coming from the state with the state itself only containing around 20% of the population, there have been a number of questions being asked as to the reasons behind it all. Even Sara MacPhail, the lead author of the study, has suggested that further studies should be conducted to find causation for such a weighted bulk of prescriptions for medical marijuanas in Queensland.
Different Conditions
In the freedom of information act release of the data surrounding the prescriptions, there was an interesting correlation that emerged when looking through the numbers. Notably complaints surrounding general or specified pain management being the major reason for prescription. Since the relaxation of certain parameters, the online market has exploded with legitimate services offering consultations with medical professionals via secure portals.
Medical marijuanas in Queensland have also been prescribed for some psychological conditions such as anxiety or sleep disorders. While this is encouraging, there is still much to be done in the field of researching and ascertaining some degree of causation with prescriptions and impact on various ailments. For the time being however it is inspiring to see so many people changing their opinion and perhaps laying some old stigmas to bed with medical marijuanas in Queensland and the rest of the country.
