Drug Free Australia is concerned over the continued availability of unregulated medicinal cannabis products in Australia, raising questions about patient safety and the integrity of the national regulatory system.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has a clear legal obligation under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 and the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 to regulate, monitor, and enforce the standards for medicinal cannabis. This includes ensuring compliance with mandatory quality standard TGO 93, enforcing Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and strictly limiting supply to approved medical pathways.
“Patients must not be exposed to substances of unknown quality, composition, or safety,” said Gary Christian, the DFA Chairman, adding that, “The TGA has both the authority and the legal responsibility to act, and it must do so immediately.”
He urges the TGA to take immediate action to:
- Conduct urgent audits of manufacturers and sponsors;
- Enforce TGO 93 standards through batch testing;
- Eliminate loopholes allowing unverified products into the market;
- Impose stronger penalties for breaches in advertising, prescribing, or distribution.
Australia’s medicinal cannabis program was established to give patients safe, regulated access to treatment. This purpose is undermined if unregulated products are allowed to circulate unchecked.
As Mr Christian pointed out, “The law is unambiguous: the TGA must enforce its own regulations. Anything less is a breach of its statutory duty and a betrayal of public trust.”
Gary Christian
Chairman, Drug Free Australia
info@drugfree.org.au | +61422163141