Victoria Is The First State in Australia To Legalise Medicinal Cannabis

Thanks to new laws passed through parliament last night, Victoria has become the first Australian state to legalise medicinal cannabis. 

A statement released from Victorian Greens spokesperson Colleen Hartland says that children with epilepsy will be given first access to the drug in 2017. 

"In the months and years that follow, this treatment will be made more widely available to people with a range of conditions such as multiple sclerosis, adults with epilepsy, cancer, HIV, AIDS and more,"Hartland said. 

"The medication will also be grown and manufactured right here in Victoria, which will be a great boost for the economy in regional Victoria.

"These new laws are sensible and will help relieve the suffering of so many Victorians for years to come."

As ABC reports, Victoria's Health Minister Jill Hennessy said that the drug will eventually be made available in a variety of forms, including oils, capsules and sprays to name a few.

"We're starting with these children with severe epilepsy, whose lives have been shown to improve so significantly, because we know these children often don't make it until adulthood," Hennessy said.

"We want to improve the quality of their life."

The legislation passed in Victoria comes after the Queensland government announced that a trial of medicinal cannabis would be undertaken this year by children with epilepsy, while New South Wales Premier Mike Baird confirmed that 330 patients suffering from nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy would trial the drug in the form of a tablet.