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What schedule is CBD in Australia?

CBD is Schedule 4 (prescription only) when it makes up 98% or more of a product's cannabinoids. A Schedule 3 entry exists, but no product qualifies.

Facts checked 13 November 20262 min readHow we research

CBD is a Schedule 4 (Prescription Only) medicine in Australia when CBD makes up 98% or more of the cannabinoids in the product.1 A Schedule 3 (Pharmacist Only) entry also exists for low-dose CBD, but no product has qualified for it, and products with more than 2% other cannabinoids are Schedule 8.12

What is a schedule?

The Poisons Standard is a national legal instrument that sorts medicines and chemicals into numbered schedules. Each schedule sets how a substance can be supplied. The states and territories give the schedules legal force through their own laws. The current edition commenced on 1 October 2026.1

How do the three CBD schedules compare?

Schedule 3 Schedule 4 Schedule 8
Label Pharmacist Only Medicine Prescription Only Medicine Controlled Drug
Prescription needed No Yes Yes, with tighter controls
CBD share of cannabinoids 98% or more 98% or more Under 98%
Products available, November 2026 None Yes, on prescription Yes, on prescription

The Schedule 3 and 4 rows come from the Poisons Standard entries. The Schedule 8 row follows when those entries are read with the cannabis and THC entries.1

Why is there no Schedule 3 CBD on sale?

The Schedule 3 entry only covers products “included in the Register”, meaning the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. It also requires a maximum daily dose of 150 mg, oral use only, and adults only.1 A product that meets the other conditions but is not registered stays in Schedule 4.1 The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said in August 2025 that no complete application for such a product had been submitted.2 See can you buy CBD at a chemist?

When is a CBD product Schedule 8?

When cannabinoids other than CBD make up more than 2% of the total. The TGA’s “CBD-dominant” category, where CBD is 60% to under 98% of cannabinoids, is Schedule 8.34 So a product marketed for its CBD can still be a controlled drug.

Is anything exempt?

Only hemp seed oil with 75 mg/kg or less of CBD and 10 mg/kg or less of THC.1 See is CBD oil the same as hemp oil?

Could the schedule change?

Possibly. The TGA has said reform options “may include a review of the current scheduling of cannabis, CBD and THC”. No decision had been made as of the latest documents we found.5

Read the full guide: Schedule 3, 4 and 8 explained.

Footnotes

  1. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. 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 ↩ ↩2

  3. Penington Institute. Cannabis in Australia, November 2025 (restating the TGA category scheme). https://www.penington.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Penington_Institute_Cannabis-in-Australia_Nov_2025.pdf ↩

  4. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Medicinal cannabis (unapproved therapeutic goods). https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/medicinal-cannabis ↩

  5. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Paper to the scheduling advisory committee, 18 March 2026, released as FOI 26-2886. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-06/FOI%2026-2886.PDF ↩

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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