What's new: CBD law and research in Australia

This page logs changes to Australian CBD law, regulation and research that affect the guides on this site. Entries are listed newest first, and the page is updated as things change. Each entry links to the guide that covers the topic in full.

Where something has passed but is not yet in force, or is alleged but not decided, we say so. For the longer history, see the timeline of CBD law.

Coming up

These matters were pending as of 13 November 2026.

• Higher drug-driving penalties in Queensland, 1 December 2026. From that date the offence of driving with THC present carries a mandatory minimum fine of 7.5 penalty units and a maximum of 28 penalty units or three months in prison. There is no exemption for prescribed medicinal cannabis.¹ See CBD in Queensland.
• Anti-doping change, 1 January 2027. The 2027 Prohibited List takes effect. According to national anti-doping agencies, natural cannabinoids such as CBN and CBG will no longer be prohibited, THC stays banned in competition, and CBD stays permitted.² See CBD and sport.
• NSW driving scheme. The scheme passed Parliament but starts on a date to be set by proclamation. We could not confirm a start date as of 13 November 2026. Until it starts, driving with any detectable THC remains an offence, even with a prescription.³ See CBD in New South Wales.
• A Federal Court advertising case. The TGA’s case against a medicinal cannabis telehealth company, a related company and their director was heard in the Federal Court in late October 2026, according to legal media. We found no judgment as of 13 November 2026. The TGA’s claims remain allegations.⁴ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD.
• Epidyolex on the PBS. The November 2026 meeting of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) was to consider subsidising Epidyolex for tuberous sclerosis complex and a larger maximum quantity per prescription. The outcomes were not known at the time of writing.⁵ See registered cannabis medicines.
• TGA reform. No reform of the rules for unapproved medicinal cannabis had been decided in the latest TGA documents we found (mid-2026). We could not confirm whether anything was announced between July and November 2026.⁶ See how the TGA regulates CBD.
• ACT driving bill. A bill to add a lawful-use defence for prescribed medicinal cannabis is before the ACT Legislative Assembly and has not been voted on.⁷ See CBD in the ACT.

2026

11 November 2026

Local media reported that an ACT Legislative Assembly committee had recommended that a bill adding a driving defence for prescribed medicinal cannabis “in its current form not be passed”. The bill has not been voted on.⁸ See CBD in the ACT.

November 2026

The changeover period from the 2008 edition of the Australian standard for urine drug testing to AS/NZS 4308:2023 ends this month.⁹ See Will CBD show up on a drug test?

30 October 2026

The TGA announced that the Federal Court had ordered a Queensland clinic company to pay $6.5 million and its former director $450,000, a total of $6.95 million, for unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis. It is the first Federal Court penalty for medicinal cannabis advertising that we found.¹⁰ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD.

1 October 2026

The October 2026 edition of the Poisons Standard commenced. The CBD entries were unchanged in substance.¹¹ See CBD scheduling explained.

17 September 2026

NSW Parliament passed a driving registration scheme for prescribed medicinal cannabis patients, with a THC threshold of 50 nanograms per millilitre in saliva. It is not yet in force.³¹² On the same day Queensland passed higher drug-driving penalties, which take effect on 1 December 2026, with no exemption for prescribed patients.¹ See CBD and driving.

10 September 2026

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s Executive Committee approved the 2027 Prohibited List, according to World Rugby.¹³ UK Anti-Doping says the list was published on 21 September 2026 and that CBD remains permitted.² See CBD and sport.

4 August 2026

The TGA began Federal Court proceedings against two businesses and their director for alleged unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis. The case has not been decided.¹⁴ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD.

30 July 2026

A Senate inquiry into developing a hemp industry reported with 14 recommendations, including that the government consider the implications of a national definition of hemp as cannabis with under 1% total THC. We found no government response.¹⁵ See industrial hemp in Australia.

By 20 July 2026

The TGA published general guidance on advertising prescription medicines to the public. An industry body describes it as folding the earlier medicinal cannabis advertising guidance into a framework for all prescription medicines. The law itself did not change.¹⁶ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD.

1 July 2026

The Commonwealth penalty unit, used to set fines under federal law including the advertising rules, rose to $364.¹⁷ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD.

March 2026

On 18 March the TGA told its scheduling committee that reform options “may include a review of the current scheduling of cannabis, CBD and THC”. No decision has been made.¹⁸ Separately, the PBAC recommended easing the PBS rules for Epidyolex in Dravet syndrome.¹⁹ See CBD scheduling explained and registered cannabis medicines.

20 February 2026

The TGA published its response to its 2025 consultation on unapproved medicinal cannabis, according to a law firm summary.²⁰ Stakeholders had agreed the current framework is “not fit-for-purpose and not proportionate to the potential safety and quality risks”.²¹ See how the TGA regulates CBD.

16 February 2026

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs tightened its medicinal cannabis funding rules. DVA now funds prescriptions only from doctors with specialist registration, and a first prescription needs an in-person consultation. The changes applied to new clients from that date. Existing clients had until 31 August 2026 to move to the new rules.²² See CBD and DVA.

January 2026

A Cochrane review update on nerve (neuropathic) pain was reported. It covered 21 trials in more than 2,100 adults, testing products that were mostly THC, mostly CBD, or a mix of the two, and found no high-quality evidence that any of them reduced nerve pain more than placebo.²³ See CBD for nerve pain and CBD for chronic pain.

1 January 2026

The PBS general co-payment was cut from $31.60 to $25.00. This applies to Epidyolex, the only CBD medicine on the PBS.²⁴ See PBS, Medicare and health insurance.

2025

22 September 2025

The TGA issued 6 infringement notices totalling $118,800, and a direction notice, to a company for alleged unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis. An infringement notice is not a court finding.²⁵ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD.

September 2025

The Pharmacy Board published guidance for pharmacists on supplying medicinal cannabis, including a warning about conflicts of interest.²⁶ See cannabis clinics and telehealth.

11 August to 7 October 2025

The TGA ran a public consultation on the safety and oversight of unapproved medicinal cannabis products. It received close to 800 submissions.²¹ See how the TGA regulates CBD.

July 2025

On 9 July, Ahpra and the Medical and Nursing and Midwifery Boards published guidance on prescribing medicinal cannabis. It says medicinal cannabis “should never be a first line treatment”.²⁷ On 7 July, a United States Food and Drug Administration trial in 201 healthy adults was published. Eight people (5.6%) taking 5 mg of CBD per kg of body weight a day (about 350 to 400 mg) for 28 days had liver enzymes above three times the upper limit of normal, against none on placebo.²⁸ The PBAC also recommended easing the PBS rules for Epidyolex in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.²⁹ See cannabis clinics and telehealth, CBD and the liver and registered cannabis medicines.

20 June 2025

The TGA began Federal Court proceedings against a clinic operator and its director, two media companies and a PR firm for alleged unlawful advertising of medicinal cannabis. The case has not been decided.³⁰ On the same day a NSW upper house inquiry tabled its final report on cannabis regulation.³¹ See why clinics cannot advertise CBD and cannabis legalisation.

27 May 2025

The ACT repealed its hemp fibre law. No licence was ever sought under it.³² See industrial hemp in Australia.

1 March 2025

In Victoria, courts gained discretion not to cancel the licence of a prescribed medicinal cannabis patient who tests positive for THC. Driving with THC is still an offence and the fine stands.³³ See CBD in Victoria.

Research published in 2025 and 2026

The studies below were published in 2025 or 2026, but our sources do not give an exact date, so they are listed by topic rather than in the dated log.

• Epilepsy. A 2026 meta-analysis (a study that pools trials) of 7 randomised trials and 1,154 participants found the effect of CBD was consistent across Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex.³⁴ See CBD for epilepsy.
• Anxiety. A 2025 meta-analysis of 21 placebo-controlled trials of cannabinoids for anxiety-related disorders found no statistically significant effect for pure or CBD-enriched products taken together. A smaller group of pure-CBD studies did show a moderate effect, and the authors rated the evidence as low quality.³⁵ A 2026 review in The Lancet Psychiatry, covering 54 trials of all cannabinoids including THC products, found no significant effect on anxiety outcomes.³⁶ See CBD for anxiety.
• Sleep. A 2025 meta-analysis of 6 randomised trials reported that only products containing THC, CBN or both improved self-rated sleep. CBD on its own did not.³⁷ See CBD for sleep.
• Psychosis. A 2026 meta-analysis of five trials found a small advantage for add-on CBD on some symptoms and none on negative symptoms.³⁸ See CBD for psychosis and schizophrenia.

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.

Didn't find what you needed? Ask us a question.