Australia is going to spend $2 million on cannabis research to help cancer patients

Patients in most parts of Australia are allowed to use marijuana by prescription, and a licence is required to cultivate and produce medicinal cannabis.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said that access to medicines is now allowed for more than 11,000 patients, and most prescriptions were issued this year.

“There has been only a limited number of well-planned clinical trials of medicinal cannabis, and we need to increase the evidence base to support the actions of health professionals,” the ministry said in a statement.

Australia will provide $2.03 million for research on the use of cannabis to help cancer patients, as demand for cannabis medicines is growing rapidly, the country’s health minister said.