In Australia, CBD can be prescribed by a registered medical practitioner (a doctor, including a GP) or a nurse practitioner.12 Because almost every CBD product is an unapproved medicine, the prescriber also needs approval or authority from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) before prescribing it.1 No one else can prescribe CBD, and no practitioner is required to.
Who can prescribe what?
| Prescriber | Unapproved CBD (most CBD oils) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GP or other medical practitioner | Yes, through the Special Access Scheme or as an Authorised Prescriber | Needs the qualifications and experience to manage the condition. A specialist’s letter of support may be needed. |
| Specialist (for example a neurologist or paediatrician) | Yes, through either pathway | Usually involved for children, and for Epidyolex on the PBS |
| Nurse practitioner | Yes, through the Special Access Scheme only | Cannot become an Authorised Prescriber |
| Pharmacist | No | Dispenses on prescription. Can submit TGA forms on a prescriber’s behalf. |
| Naturopath, chiropractor or other practitioner | No | Not authorised prescribers of these medicines |
Sources for the table: TGA and Ahpra.1234
Can a GP prescribe CBD?
Yes. The TGA says “registered medical practitioners and nurse practitioners may apply to access unapproved medicinal cannabis products” where all other clinically appropriate registered treatments have been considered.1 A GP does not need a special cannabis licence from the TGA. They need an approval for the individual patient under the Special Access Scheme, or a standing authority under the Authorised Prescriber scheme.
The TGA’s rules add two limits. What a practitioner can access “depends upon your scope of practice, qualifications, condition being treated and state and territory requirements”. And a practitioner without experience of the product or the condition “must get a letter of support from an appropriate specialist”.3
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says GPs “may offer to prescribe medicinal cannabis products to a very limited number of patients with specific conditions”, after all first-line, conventional, evidence-based treatments have been exhausted. Its position statement “does not recommend nor encourage” their use.5
Does a GP have to prescribe it if asked?
No. Prescribing is a clinical decision. The Medical Board and the Nursing and Midwifery Board say “patient demand is not an indication to prescribe medicinal cannabis”, and that it should be prescribed only “when there is an evidence-supported clinical indication and when other treatments have not worked”.2
A GP may decline because they judge the evidence for the condition too weak, because of a possible interaction with other medicines, or because they do not feel they have the training. The Boards say practitioners who take on this area of practice “must ensure that they have the necessary knowledge, skill and training”.2 A GP who declines can still discuss other treatment options or refer to a specialist. See talking to your GP about CBD.
Can a nurse practitioner prescribe CBD?
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with advanced training who is endorsed to prescribe. The TGA lists nurse practitioners alongside doctors as able to apply for unapproved cannabis medicines.1 The limit is the pathway: “Only registered medical practitioners can become Authorised Prescribers.” Other practitioners use the Special Access Scheme.4
State and territory rules also apply. NSW Health, for example, says a nurse practitioner can prescribe unregistered Schedule 8 cannabis medicines “under the TGA SAS only”.6 Schedule 8 covers products containing more than a trace of THC. CBD-only products are Schedule 4.7
Who prescribes CBD for children?
For patients under 18, the TGA expects supporting evidence from a paediatrician or relevant specialist.8 In practice that means a specialist is involved, even where a GP continues the care. See CBD for children and teenagers.
Who prescribes Epidyolex?
Epidyolex is the one registered CBD-only medicine, so it does not go through the access schemes for unapproved products.1 The PBS subsidy has its own rules about who prescribes. For Dravet syndrome, treatment is neurologist-led. For Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, after a change recommended in July 2025, paediatricians may start treatment and GPs may continue it.910 See registered cannabis medicines and CBD for epilepsy.
Do the rules differ between states?
Yes, in places. TGA approval “does not override any State or Territory requirements for lawful supply”.3
- Most extra state requirements apply to Schedule 8 cannabis medicines (those with THC), not to Schedule 4 CBD-only products. NSW, for instance, requires state approval when a Schedule 8 cannabis medicine is prescribed for a person with substance dependence.6
- The TGA notes that “in certain states, such as Tasmania, there are additional requirements for cannabidiol products which apply, even when in Schedule 4”.11
- A law firm summary from February 2025 reports that Queensland requires a check of the state prescription-monitoring system, one product per prescription and no brand substitution.12
- The Boards expect prescribers to comply with the law in both the prescriber’s and the patient’s state when they are in different places.2
The state and territory pages have more local detail.
Does it have to be a face-to-face appointment?
Not under the TGA’s rules. The Boards allow telehealth but say a prescriber must not prescribe to someone they have “never had a real-time consultation with”. They “do not consider an online chat to be a synchronous consultation”.2 Some funders set a stricter rule: the Department of Veterans’ Affairs requires an in-person consultation for a first funded prescription.13 See cannabis clinics and telehealth.
Is there a list of doctors who prescribe CBD?
No. There is no public register of doctors who prescribe CBD. The TGA does not release the names of Authorised Prescribers, for privacy reasons.14 Advertising law also makes it unlawful for a business to “indicate that they, or any other business, can supply medicinal cannabis”, which is why this site does not list or link to any practice.15 See why Australian clinics cannot advertise CBD.
Two general points:
- A person’s usual GP knows their history and other medicines. The Boards expect any other prescriber to communicate with them, with the patient’s permission.2
- Anyone can check that a practitioner is registered, and whether conditions apply to their registration, on Ahpra’s public register of practitioners.2
Who prescribes CBD for pets?
Vets, under separate rules. See CBD for pets in Australia.
Footnotes
-
Therapeutic Goods Administration. Access pathways for medicinal cannabis. https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/medicinal-cannabis/access-pathways ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
-
Ahpra, Medical Board of Australia and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. Medicinal cannabis prescribing, page reviewed 15 September 2026. https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Medicinal-cannabis-prescribing.aspx ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8
-
Therapeutic Goods Administration. Access to unapproved therapeutic goods for individual patients (Special Access Scheme), updated 3 December 2025. https://www.tga.gov.au/business-services/special-access-scheme-and-authorised-prescriber-online-system/access-unapproved-therapeutic-goods-individual-patients-special-access-scheme ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Therapeutic Goods Administration. Access to unapproved therapeutic goods for multiple patients (Authorised Prescriber), updated 23 December 2025. https://www.tga.gov.au/business-services/special-access-scheme-and-authorised-prescriber-online-system/access-unapproved-therapeutic-goods-multiple-patients-authorised-prescriber ↩ ↩2
-
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Position statement: medicinal cannabis products. https://www.racgp.org.au/advocacy/position-statements/view-all-position-statements/clinical-and-practice-management/medical-cannabis ↩
-
NSW Health. Frequently asked questions about cannabis medicines, current as at 5 May 2025. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pharmaceutical/cannabismedicines/Pages/faqs.aspx ↩ ↩2
-
Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026, cannabidiol entries. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩
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Therapeutic Goods Administration. Consultation paper: Reviewing the safety and regulatory oversight of unapproved medicinal cannabis products, August 2025. https://consultations.tga.gov.au/medicines-regulation-division/test-soms/user_uploads/final---consultation-paper---medicinal-cannabis-review---august-2025.pdf ↩
-
Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. Public summary document: cannabidiol, March 2026. https://www.pbs.gov.au/industry/pbac/psd/2026/03/cannabidiol-psd-march-2026-a1155.pdf?variant=3 ↩
-
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Medicine status: cannabidiol (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome). https://www.pbs.gov.au/medicinestatus/document/898.html ↩
-
Therapeutic Goods Administration. Medicinal cannabis: importation and the traveller’s exemption, updated 29 January 2025. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/explore-topic/medicinal-cannabis-hub/medicinal-cannabis-information-patients/medicinal-cannabis-importation-and-travellers-exemption ↩
-
Mills Oakley. Prescribing and dispensing medicinal cannabis in Queensland: what doctors and pharmacists need to know, February 2025. https://www.millsoakley.com.au/insights/prescribing-and-dispensing-medicinal-cannabis-in-queensland-what-doctors-and-pharmacists-need-to-know/ ↩
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Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Medicinal cannabis, updated 1 September 2026. https://www.dva.gov.au/what-we-help-with/health-support/help-to-cover-healthcare-costs/manage-medicine-and-keep-costs-down/medicinal-cannabis ↩
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University of Sydney, Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics. Authorised Prescriber Scheme. https://sydney.edu.au/lambert/how-to-get-medicinal-cannabis/authorised-prescriber-scheme.html ↩
-
Therapeutic Goods Administration. Advertising guidance for businesses involved with medicinal cannabis products, December 2023. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/advertising-guidance-businesses-medicinal-cannabis-products.docx ↩
Common questions
Can my regular GP prescribe CBD oil?
Yes, a GP can. For an unapproved CBD product the GP needs approval from the TGA under the Special Access Scheme, or an Authorised Prescriber authority. Whether to prescribe is the GP's clinical decision, and many decline.
Does a prescriber have to involve my usual doctor?
The TGA's access rules do not require a referral. The Medical Board does expect any prescriber to communicate, with the patient's permission, with the patient's usual treating practitioners so care is coordinated.
Can a nurse practitioner prescribe CBD?
Yes, in principle. Nurse practitioners can apply for individual patients through the Special Access Scheme, within their scope of practice and state or territory rules. Only medical practitioners can become Authorised Prescribers.
Is there a public list of doctors who prescribe CBD?
No. The TGA does not publish the names of Authorised Prescribers. Advertising rules also stop businesses from indicating that they can supply a prescription medicine such as CBD.
This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
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