CBD (cannabidiol) is a compound derived from the cannabis plant that is legal in Australia but tightly regulated. Unlike many other countries where CBD products sit on health food store shelves, Australia treats CBD as a medicine. Most CBD products require a doctor’s prescription, and the few that don’t must still be dispensed by a pharmacist after approval through the national medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
How CBD Is Classified
Australia’s drug scheduling system places CBD in two categories depending on the dose. At higher doses, CBD sits in Schedule 4, meaning it’s a prescription-only medicine. In 2021, the TGA down-scheduled low-dose CBD (up to 150 mg per day) to Schedule 3, which makes it a “pharmacist only” medicine available without a prescription to adults 18 and over.
Here’s the catch: a Schedule 3 product can only be sold over the counter if it has been individually approved by the TGA and listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). As of now, no CBD product has completed that registration process. So while the legal pathway for over-the-counter CBD exists on paper, every CBD product currently sold in Australia still requires a prescription.
How to Get a CBD Prescription
Because most CBD products in Australia are technically “unapproved” therapeutic goods (not yet on the ARTG), doctors need to use one of two special pathways to prescribe them. The first is the Special Access Scheme (SAS), where your doctor applies to the TGA on your behalf for approval to prescribe a specific product for your condition. The second is the Authorised Prescriber pathway, where a doctor gains pre-approval to prescribe certain medicinal cannabis products to a category of patients without needing case-by-case TGA sign-off.
In practice, this means you start by talking to your GP or a specialist. Some clinics in Australia focus specifically on medicinal cannabis prescriptions. Your doctor must obtain your informed consent and follow standard medical practice guidelines. Once approved, the prescription is filled at a pharmacy, just like any other medicine.
What Conditions CBD Is Used For
The TGA has reviewed evidence for medicinal cannabis across five main areas: chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy-induced nausea, and palliative care. The strongest evidence for CBD specifically relates to epilepsy. In children and young adults with drug-resistant epilepsy, CBD products reduced seizure frequency by 50% or more in up to half of patients and achieved complete seizure freedom in a small number.
One CBD product, Epidyolex, received full TGA approval in September 2020 for treating seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome in patients aged two and older. It’s used alongside existing epilepsy medications, not as a standalone treatment. For adult epilepsy, the TGA notes there isn’t enough evidence to recommend CBD at this stage.
For conditions like chronic pain and palliative care, the evidence is weaker, and products containing THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis) tend to feature more prominently in the research than CBD alone. Doctors may still prescribe CBD for these or other conditions through the special access pathways, but it’s done on a case-by-case basis when standard treatments haven’t worked.
Quality and Safety Standards
Every CBD product sold in Australia must meet the requirements of TGO 93, the national quality standard for medicinal cannabis. These rules are stricter than what you’ll find in many overseas markets. All cannabinoids in the product must come from the cannabis plant itself. Synthetic cannabinoids and chemically converted compounds (like delta-8 THC derived from CBD) are prohibited.
Products are tested for heavy metals, pesticides, mould toxins (aflatoxins and ochratoxin A), and foreign matter. Heavy metal limits are specific: no more than 5.0 mg/kg of lead, 3.0 mg/kg of arsenic, and 0.5 mg/kg each of cadmium and mercury. The actual amount of CBD in the product must fall within 90% to 110% of what’s stated on the label, so you can be reasonably confident the dose is accurate.
What It Costs
CBD products are not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which means you pay the full cost yourself. Prices vary widely depending on the product, dosage, and supplier, but most patients should expect to pay somewhere between $100 and $300 or more per month. Some private health insurance plans may offer partial rebates on consultations with prescribing doctors, but the products themselves remain entirely out of pocket.
Driving and Drug Testing
This is one of the most important practical considerations for CBD users in Australia. The TGA advises that patients should not drive or operate machinery while being treated with medicinal cannabis. Even CBD-only products can contain trace amounts of THC, and Australian roadside drug tests detect THC, not impairment.
THC can remain detectable in urine for days after your last dose. It may take up to five days for 80% to 90% of a dose to be excreted. Drug-driving is a criminal offence in every state and territory, and there is currently no medical exemption for medicinal cannabis users in most jurisdictions. This means that even if you’re legally prescribed CBD, a positive roadside test for THC could result in charges. Discuss this with your prescribing doctor before starting treatment, especially if you drive regularly.
Bringing CBD Into Australia
You cannot simply buy CBD overseas and bring it into the country. Cannabis and cannabis-containing products are prohibited imports under Australian customs law. The only exception is the traveller’s exemption, which allows you to bring in up to a three-month supply of medicinal cannabis if you have a valid prescription from a medical practitioner and the product was dispensed to you by a pharmacist. The prescription doesn’t need to be Australian, but it must be a genuine medical prescription, not a receipt from a retail store or online shop. Vape products containing cannabis are excluded from this exemption entirely.
Ordering CBD online from overseas retailers and having it shipped to an Australian address is also illegal. Personal importation of cannabis products outside the traveller’s exemption is prohibited regardless of whether you have a prescription.
CBD Products You’ll See Online
If you’ve browsed Australian websites selling “hemp oil” or “hemp seed oil,” these are different from CBD oil. Hemp seed oil is extracted from the seeds of the hemp plant and contains negligible cannabinoids. It’s sold legally as a food product. Products marketed as containing CBD, on the other hand, fall under medicines regulation and require the pathways described above. Be cautious of any Australian retailer claiming to sell CBD products without a prescription, as this is not currently legal.